Monday, March 26, 2007

Henry Waxman Sends Letters to Republican National Commitee and Bush/Cheney ‘04 Campaign (9:03 am)

Jesse Lee at The Gavel reports

Citing evidence that senior White House officials are using RNC and other political email accounts to avoid leaving a record of official communications, Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman sent letters today to the Republican National Committee and the Bush-Cheney ’04 Campaign directing them to preserve the emails of White House officials and to meet with Committee staff to explain how the accounts are managed and what steps are being taken to protect the emails from destruction and tampering. As noted this morning, such emails were sent in connection to the resignations of US Attorneys, but as Chairman Waxman’s letters note, they were used in other circumstances as well.
Full text of the letters at the link.

posted by Brian Zick | 1 comment

Emptywheel Laments the Dishonesty of Max Frankel and the NY Times (7:00 am)

Emptywheel at firedoglake reviews a commentary on the Libby trial by the NY Times’ Max Frankel, and sadly observes how neither Frankel nor other senior editors at the Times are willing to distinguish a difference between aiding and abetting government officials in criminal obstruction of justice from helping a whistleblower expose government corruption. And how they pride themselves on defending the former while pretending it’s the latter.

posted by Brian Zick | 1 comment

Sunday, March 25, 2007

GSA Administrator Doan and Rove Deputy Jennings Alleged to Have Violated the Hatch Act (9:54 pm)

Scott Higham and Robert O’Harrow Jr. for WaPo report:

Witnesses have told congressional investigators that the chief of the General Services Administration and a deputy in Karl Rove’s political affairs office at the White House joined in a videoconference earlier this year with top GSA political appointees, who discussed ways to help Republican candidates.
(…)
With GSA Administrator Lurita Alexis Doan and up to 40 regional administrators on hand, J. Scott Jennings, the White House’s deputy director of political affairs, gave a PowerPoint presentation on Jan. 26 of polling data about the 2006 elections.
(…)
On Wednesday, Doan is scheduled to appear before Waxman’s committee to answer questions about the videoconference and other issues. The committee is investigating whether remarks made during the videoconference violated the Hatch Act, a federal law that restricts executive-branch employees from using their positions for political purposes. Those found in violation of the act do not face criminal penalties but can be removed from their jobs.
(…)
In the Senate, Doan is facing a similar line of questioning in letters from Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa). Also examining Doan are the GSA’s Office of Inspector General and the independent federal Office of Special Counsel, which investigates allegations of Hatch Act violations.

posted by Brian Zick | start the discussion

Quote of the Day (4:04 pm)

“The day of the $20 roll in the hay in a trailer is gone.”
AP quotes Air Force Amy, a former employee of the Mustang Ranch, where the last remaining structure was destroyed by fire as part of a firefighting training exercise. The Mustang Ranch was Nevada’s first legal brothel.

posted by Brian Zick | 1 comment

Hagel Uses the “I” Word (3:41 pm)

Hope Yen for AP reports:

WASHINGTON - With his go-it-alone approach on Iraq, President Bush is flouting Congress and the public, so angering lawmakers that some consider impeachment an option over his war policy, a senator from Bush’s own party said Sunday.
(…)
GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a frequent critic of the war, stopped short of calling for Bush’s impeachment. But he made clear that some lawmakers viewed that as an option should Bush choose to push ahead despite public sentiment against the war.

“Any president who says, I don’t care, or I will not respond to what the people of this country are saying about Iraq or anything else, or I don’t care what the Congress does, I am going to proceed — if a president really believes that, then there are — what I was pointing out, there are ways to deal with that,” said Hagel, who is considering a 2008 presidential run.
(…)
On Sunday, Hagel said he was bothered by Bush’s apparent disregard of congressional sentiment on Iraq, such as his decision to send additional troops. He said lawmakers now stood ready to stand up to the president when necessary.

In the April edition of Esquire magazine, Hagel described Bush as someone who doesn’t believe he’s accountable to anyone. “He’s not accountable anymore, which isn’t totally true. You can impeach him, and before this is over, you might see calls for his impeachment. I don’t know. It depends on how this goes,” Hagel told the magazine.
(…)
“We have clearly a situation where the president has lost the confidence of the American people in his war effort,” Hagel said. “It is now time, going into the fifth year of that effort, for the Congress to step forward and be part of setting some boundaries and some conditions as to our involvement.”

“This is not a monarchy,” he added, referring to the possibility that some lawmakers may seek impeachment. “There are ways to deal with it. And I would hope the president understands that.”

posted by Brian Zick | 1 comment

Purged Prosecutors Visit with Russert (10:29 am)

Two of the fired prosecutors, John McCay and David Iglesias, were on Meet the Press this morning.

Crooks and Liars has the video.

posted by Brian Zick | start the discussion

Gonzales Toast Watch (10:18 am)

Lara Jakes Jordan for AP reports:

WASHINGTON - Republican support for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales eroded Sunday as three key senators sharply questioned his truthfulness and a Democrat joined the list of lawmakers who want him to resign over the firing of eight federal prosecutors.
(…)
To Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Gonzales “does have a credibility problem. … We govern with one currency, and that’s trust. And that trust is all important. And when you lose or debase that currency, then you can’t govern. And I think he’s going to have some difficulties.”

Hagel cited changing stories from the Justice Department about the circumstances for firing the eight U.S. attorneys. “I don’t know if he got bad advice or if he was not involved in the day-to-day management. I don’t know what the problem is, but he’s got a problem. You cannot have the nation’s chief law enforcement officer with a cloud hanging over his credibility,” Hagel said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Gonzales has been “wounded” by the firings. `He has said some things that just don’t add up,” said Graham, who is on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Additionally, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called for Gonzales to step down over his conflicting statements on how involved he was in the dismissals last fall. Democrats contend the prosecutors’ firings were politically motivated.

Feinstein, whose state lost two U.S. attorneys in the purge — in San Diego and San Francisco — joined a growing number of Democrats and Republicans in calling for Gonzales’ ouster. She said she now believes Gonzales has not told the truth about the firings.

posted by Brian Zick | 1 comment

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Republican Police State (6:32 pm)

Jim Dwyer for the NY Times reports:

For at least a year before the 2004 Republican National Convention, teams of undercover New York City police officers traveled to cities across the country, Canada and Europe to conduct covert observations of people who planned to protest at the convention, according to police records and interviews.
(…)
But potential troublemakers were hardly the only ones to end up in the files. In hundreds of reports stamped “N.Y.P.D. Secret,” the Intelligence Division chronicled the views and plans of people who had no apparent intention of breaking the law, the records show.

These included members of street theater companies, church groups and antiwar organizations, as well as environmentalists and people opposed to the death penalty, globalization and other government policies. Three New York City elected officials were cited in the reports.

In at least some cases, intelligence on what appeared to be lawful activity was shared with police departments in other cities. A police report on an organization of artists called Bands Against Bush noted that the group was planning concerts on Oct. 11, 2003, in New York, Washington, Seattle, San Francisco and Boston. Between musical sets, the report said, there would be political speeches and videos.

posted by Brian Zick | 3 comments

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