USA Purge

Hear are some highlights from around the blogosphere regarding today's Gonzo hearings.

Arlen Specter is now proposing a special prosecutor to investigate the entire attorney gate scandal, including possible contempt charges from the House.

TPM also picks up on hints being dropped at perjury charges against Gonzales. This is big considering he is our top law enforcement official.

Gonzales may have revealed that the domestic wiretapping had nothing to do with terrorist surveillance:

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) recalled that former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified to a much different version of events. Comey said he had refused to sign on to an extension of the program “amid concerns about its legality and oversight.”

Today, Gonzales said Comey was referring to “other intelligence activities,” appearing to confirm that the Bush administration is operating more than one warrantless domestic spying program. In a heated back and forth with Specter, Gonzales stated:

The disagreement that occurred was about other intelligence activities and the reason for the visit to the hospital was about other intelligence activities. It was not about the terrorist surveillance program that the president announced to the American people.

Chuck Schumer also got on Gonzales about his constant contradictions in statements.

Overall, I would say this is the big one. Bush has used the excuse of wartime powers to eavesdrop on our enemies. Our enemy is the terrorists, but if the warrantless tapping that was being discussed wasn't in connecting to terrorist surveillance, then what? That is a very serious question and the only way it might be answered is to start impeachment proceedings followed with criminal charges against Bush and anyone else involved.

Today we find out there is more at stake than meats the eye. The Democrats have an obligation to the people and the Constitution of this country to see to it that justice is done. I suggest everyone call their representative and senators to urge them to take action now.

The one time pick of George Bush to be one of the top judiciaries in the nation did not show up for her subpoena today, paving the way for contempt charges. Let's not forget George Bush in those charges either, who ordered Miers not to show up. As Josh posted yesterday:

18 U.S.C. Sec. 1505 : ... Whoever corruptly ... influences, obstructs, or impedes ... the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry under which any inquiry or investigation is being had by either House, or any committee of either House or any joint committee of the Congress ... [s]hall be fined under this title, [or] imprisoned not more than 5 years ... or both.

18 U.S.C. Sec. 1515(b): As used in section 1505, the term "corruptly" means acting with an improper purpose, personally or by influencing another, including ... withholding, [or] concealing ... information.

Ordering someone not to show up under the title of President of the United States is very influential. High crimes and misdemeanors? Looks like we might have them now. Time for the Democrats to return justice to this once great nation.

MSNBC just now reported that Bush ordered Miers to not show up tomorrow for the congressional hearing and she indeed won't. Considering Congress hasn't released her from the obligation to show up, this means she will most likely face contempt of Congress charges. Just another chapter in the life of "Bush hates the rule of law".

 I swear there are just not enough hours in the day, so let me do a quick catch up.

First we have the Senate Judiciary Committee issuing a subpoena to former Rove aide Sara Taylor, while the House Judiciary Committee is issuing one to Harriet Meirs. Regarding this matter, John Conyers said, "Let me be clear: this subpoena is not a request, it is a demand on behalf of the American people for the White House...to help us answer the questions that remain".

Next up we find out that even with the "surge", we still don't have enough troops in Iraq and might need yet another surge. This came from Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey as he was testifying before the House yesterday. Oh and let's remember that this was yesterday, before our next item of:

In the early morning hours Sunni insurgents blew up the Askariya Shrine. This is the same shrine that was blown up last year and caused the sectarian violence to explode. Before al-Maliki could issue the new "indefinite curfews", arsonists set fire to a Sunni mosque in western Baghdad. a Shiite shrine was blown up north of Baghdad and two Sunni mosques were bombed south of Baghdad.

To make matters even worse, al-Sadr and his bloc of 30 members suspended its membership in Iraq's parliament. Yes al-Sadr is a bad guy, but now he is that much worse.

Hey John McCain - is this still like a stroll in any American town? What say you Joe Lieberman or Mike Pence?

Just now being reported on MSNBC that Senate Democrats will be seeking this vote. Hopefully this goes through and doesn't get a typical GOP filibuster.

One of the issues about the fired U.S. attorneys is that members of Congress pushed one fired attorney about a case involving Democrats. Everyone agrees that this kind of congressional pressure is out of line and possible unethical. So why does the former chair of the House Judiciary Committee feel he doesn't have to follow the same guidelines? James Sensenbrenner is using the hearings today to push Gonzales on the Jefferson case:

 As TPMMuckraker notes, the case is currently held up in appeals court due to the execution of a search warrant.

I wonder how many Republicans would be yelling and screaming if a Democrat started pushing Gonzales on the Abramoff scandal and if they will hurry it up and get Tom Delay indicted. Sensenbrenner isn't upset about the politicization of our Justice Department. He is upset that it isn't politicized enough!

This is from "the Decider":

President Bush gave embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a strong vote of confidence on Monday despite scant support and scathing criticism from key Republicans.

"This is an honest, honorable man, in whom I have confidence," Bush said.

The president said that Gonzales' testimony before skeptical Judiciary Committee senators last week "increased my confidence" in his ability to lead the Justice Department. Separately, a White House spokeswoman said, "He's staying."

That should settle that debate. Not the one on Gonzales, but rather Bush. He truly is the dumbest fuck in Washington. Even most Republicans feel that Gonzo bombed. I guess to Bush, great leadership means things going on in your department you don't approve, or aren't aware of.

This will certainly become a big thing at this week's hearings:

In the spring of 2006, Domenici told Gonzales he wanted Iglesias out.

Gonzales refused. He told Domenici he would fire Iglesias only on orders from the president.

At some point after the election last Nov. 6, Domenici called Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, and told him he wanted Iglesias out and asked Rove to take his request directly to the president.

Domenici and Bush subsequently had a telephone conversation about the issue.

The conversation between Bush and Domenici occurred sometime after the election but before the firings of Iglesias and six other U.S. attorneys were announced on Dec. 7.

Now we have Bush directly involved in this, as well as Karl Rove. Now why would the White House's "political adviser" be involved in something that isn't supposed to involve politics, and why was the President allowing this? Only one answer makes sense - Bush knew and allowed a political firing of a U.S. attorney.

To make this issue stick even more, it looks like people in Domenici's own office are getting scared and now talking:

The Journal confirmed the sequence of events through a variety of sources familiar with the firing of Iglesias, including sources close to Domenici. The senator's office declined comment.

Good thing for Pete he has already lawyered up. With this big story coming out, it is no wonder why Fred Feilding is starting to be a little more cooperative with Congress. He must think this White House is worse off than Nixon's.

Josh has more on this.

The White House will stop at nothing until they get all the federal prosecutors replaced with their political buddies:

A United States attorney in Arkansas who was dismissed from his job last year by the Justice Department was ousted after Harriet E. Miers, the former White House counsel, intervened on behalf of the man who replaced him, according to Congressional aides briefed on the matter.

 Ms. Miers, the aides said, phoned an aide to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales suggesting the appointment of J. Timothy Griffin, a former military and civilian prosecutor who was a political director for the Republican National Committee and a deputy to Karl Rove, the White House political adviser.

 Later, the incumbent United States attorney, H. E. Cummins III, was removed without explanation and replaced on an interim basis by Mr. Griffin. Officials at the White House and Justice Department declined to comment on Ms. Miers’s role in the matter.

The Senate is trying to get rid of this practice, but we have Republicans like Jon Kyl blocking the Democrats efforts. Remember - this was something pushed into the Patriot Act by someone in Specter's office.

Considering how the Republicans are so quick to block all new legislation, I guess the only rebut will be to make sure the Democrats majority grows next year. That shouldn't be to hard considering most senators up for reelection are Republicans. If we can pick up 10 seats, that would be perfect. We would have enough to vote for cloture and enough to tell Lieberman to fuck off.

Until that time, the Democrats in the House and Senate need to keep a close eye on this. The White House already got rid of the prosecutor who brought Cunningham to justice (pretty funny - prosecute a Republican who was involved in scams effecting our soldiers and you get fired). Her last day was yesterday.