[NOTE: SEVERAL UPDATES NOW ADDED INCLUDE ADDITIONAL DETAILS]
One quick observation concerning Gonzales’s sorry “don’t attack our troops” defense, and another — much more important note — on a so far unreported aspect of the U.S. Attorney Purge scandal that seems to reach straight into the White House and about which someone on the Senate Judiciary Committee needs to ask some questions.
First, just the observation that Gonzales has been continuously suggesting today that questioning him is actually an attack on the career attorneys at DoJ. Nothing could be more disingenuous, yet familiar as a now-routine defense for this bunch. The reprehensible defense is identical to the oft-employed White House/GOP response to criticism of George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraq War. “Stop attacking our troops!” they say, whenever someone is critical of Bush’s horrendous war management.
Gonzales’s “Stop attacking our career DoJ attorneys!” defense is no different and equally as disingenuous, particularly considering the now-long documented history that this White House has for its unprecedented politicization of the DoJ, its direct attacks on career attorneys in the civil rights division and elsewhere, its overruling of positions of those employees by Bush’s political appointees, and so much more.
Thankfully, just before the lunch break, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) pointed out exactly that, and likewise compared it to the “Stop attacking our troops!” defense. It brought a round of applause from the audience in the room. (UPDATE: TPMMuckracker now has video of the exchange.)
Secondly, but certainly of far more importance, there is the so far ignored — yet as I see it, direct — connection to the White House concerning the firing of Arkansas U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins…
Media reports from May of 2006 describe a corruption investigation by Cummins’s office into MO Gov. Matt Blunt’s use of the Missouri lawfirm Lathrop & Gage LC to run a chain of satellite state licensing offices.
Lathrop & Gage is the powerful firm of Blunt’s general counsel, and Bush/Cheney ’04’s national general counsel, Mark F. “Thor” Hearne.
As BRAD BLOG readers know, Hearne is a top-level White House operative, a very close friend of Karl Rove’s, and the co-founder of the currently-back-underground “American Center for Voting Rights” (ACVR), the mysteriously-funded group behind all of the GOP’s phony “voter fraud” claims and the accompanying push for disenfranchising “Voter ID” restrictions at the polling place. (See our Special Coverage page on ACVR scam here…)
The first reports of Cummins’s investigation into the Blunt/Lathrop & Gage scandal were apparently released in May of 2006. Cummins was removed from his position just afterwards, in June of 2006 — prior to all the other firings which took place later that year on the same day in December.
He was replaced at that point by Karl Rove’s personal aide Timothy Griffin.
Someone on the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee needs to ask Gonzales about the axis between the firing of Cummins and the connection to Thor Hearne, Karl Rove, and the White House.
I can’t underscore enough Hearne’s highly placed position as a White House operative, as the man behind the GOP’s entire, systematic, and well-financed “voter fraud” scheme/initiative (which has played directly into several of the other firings), his longtime efforts on behalf of and under the direct employ of MO Gov. Matt Blunt (son of the powerful GOP minority House Whip Roy Blunt), his position as a top attorney in the Republican National Lawyers Association (singled out by Rove during an April 2006 speech to that group of Republican election attorneys), and of course, as the national general counsel for Bush/Cheney ’04 Inc.
It stands to reason, then, that the Cummins investigation into Blunt and Lathrop & Gage’s questionable handling of those satellite state offices — for profit — would definitely have triggered alarm bells in the White House. Someone needs to inquire along those lines.
I’ll try to get this article to someone on the committee right now if possible.
UPDATE 2:45pm PT: Rick Hasen at Election Law Blog picks this ball up, and forwards the story a bit with comments from Cummins on the matter from both the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Los Angeles Times, in which Cummins is quoted as saying, “You have to firewall politics out of the Department of Justice. Because once it gets in, people question every decision you make. Now I keep asking myself: ‘What about the Blunt deal?'”
UPDATE 5:54pm PT: Joseph Cannon ran a not-insignificant corollary to this story a few days ago, in which he detailed the plight of the Missouri U.S. Attorney who was forced to recuse himself from this case after his wife and brother-in-law had received some $3.6 million from the Blunt/Lathrop & Gage run operation. $3.6 million in “corruption insurance for Blunt,” as one quoted Democrat describes it.
Hearne’s fingerprints, and with them, close-friend Rove’s and the White House’s, are all over this thing. Cannon’s report is here, scroll down to “The Graves Affair.”
UPDATE 4/23/07: Many more details now available in this new article on All the President’s Men in Missouri…and at the heart of both the U.S. Attorney Purge and the GOP “Voter Fraud” scam that lies at its core.
Good stuff. But it would help if you spelled Gonzales’ name correctly. Yes, he’s a liar and fraud. But spelling his name properly shows class.
{Ed note: Spelling correction made. Sorry about that, working too fast… -BF}
“I’ll try to get this article to someone on the committee right now if possible. ”
…I was going to say that…
My God! Is this BY FAR the most corrupt administration EVER?
Very good catch, and certainly continues to broadcast the connections between Rove and his Party Endorsed theme of vote fraud trumped by USA corruption.
My guess is that this mess would include the long-ago phone jamming scandal in New Hampshire, and the connection that had to certain functionaries in the WH.
People used to think Democrats, like Mayor Daley, were bad. These guys make him look like a piker.
gonzales – this Fucking piece shit should be behind bars. . .
This is an excellent heads-up, and I do hope someone is able to get it to the right person on the committee in time to raise questions.
I wish someone would also raise to Gonzales his cover-up of the U.S. Attorney in Texas pedophilia scandal. U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton helping the WHITE HOUSE (on direct orders from) stop the indictments that were prepared based on the evidence of young boys in Texas State reform schools being used by pedophiles who worked in the system. The entire State Texas Commissioners resigned when the indictments were dropped. HUGE story! Yet no one ever seems to look into it??
Anyone remember Rove saying he had “access to information nobody else had” when asked if he was nervous about losing seats during last years mid-term elections? Me thinks we need to know “what” that information was and “why” he was the only one with “access to information nobody else had…” I also want to hear Democrats raise the issue over Gonzo being investigated in the illegal wiretapping of the NSA- word is that he had Bush intervene in that investigation, (dropping it) because AG the AG was in the middle of corruption pie. Now that is an open pass to Club Fed if I ever there was one…
TPM has me confused. Career professionals like Plame?
From the Raw Story,
“One prominent Republican describing the testimony this way,” Malveaux continued, “as ‘clubbing a baby seal.'”
this is so…sad. Our government should NOT come down to this. Shame on the RNC for so polarizing and alienating so much of the electorate. How can they be SO arrogant?
They were NEVER EVER given anything even remotely close to a voter mandate? Not 1 national election has even come close to a clear majority in the past 2 decades!
The Blogging community alone can be credited with shining the light of truth onto this very sad, and soon to be embarrassing chapter of American history.
We must maintain honesty and integrity, otherwise, the DNC will try to pull the same crap.
What makes it so difficult to watch, is that the AG is an affable and likeable kinda guy.
This is very sad and painful. But change is never an easy process.
And FAUX news has dediacted 95% of todays air time to Mary Winkler and Virginia tech. Barely a whisper about this Attorney General testifying before congress.
of course, Faux news has publicly taken the position that the AG did nothing wrong.
Technically speaking, and if you believe his testimony, he didn’t do anything wrong, cause he counldn’t do anything wrong, cause HE’S NOT THE ONE RUNNING JUSTICE.
It seems the RNC is.
rnc = republican national or nazi Cancer . . .
My name is Alberto
I work on bush’s rancho
I make 60000 pesos a day
At night I see Lucy
She Show me her pussy
and take my 6000 pesos away . . .
What annoys me is that the questioning, though direct at times, never comes to the point. The Senators give Gonzales rope to hang himself, but they are not asking some basic questions to get them on the record.
Who (by name) are the “senior officials at Justice” that Gonzales constantly refers to as the folks who were asked with making this famous list of terminatable attornies?
What exactly did Bush tell Gonzales when he het with him and inquired about Iglesias? (Gonzo admitted this took place, but nobody asked what the President said.)
Who (by name) floated the idea of eliminating Senate confirmation of USA’s? Gonzo said he could not say for sure if it was Harriet Miers one way or the other. Fine. So WHO was it? You are still the head of the Department with great investigatory power: find out and get that person up to the Hill pronto!
These “somebody’s” have names, addresses,phone numbers and email accounts. They should be subpoenaed and testify. ALl of them. I do not give a hoot if Gonzo has Republicans on his case now or not. I don’t care if Karl Rove is seen in everybody’s soup. I don’t care if there is an office pool on how long Gonzo will last. Get the damn facts on record–the ones’s that count.
Brad, you have a great blog here, but I just have one question: Why on earth would you let Joe Cannon guest-blog anything for you? I’m not as familiar with his take on other matters, but regarding 9/11 he’s an obvious disinfo agent, right up there with “OilEmpire.com”. Being disinfo with 9/11, I would have to consider his opinion on anything else to be suspect at best.
{Ed Note: I personally know Joseph Cannon, and I wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment. I realize some in the 9/11 movement don’t care for him, since he’s been debunking many of their theories, however. That said, he’s anything but a “disinfo agent”. –BF}
Generalissimo Gonzales said “As I understand it I did have a talk with the president before some of them were fired” (paraphrased some).
So was he conscious 40% of the time or 20% of the time?
The republicans want him gone because he and the what house are destroying the republican party.
The democrats felt sorry for him and backed off, but the republicans have no mercy and demanded in public his resignation (Sen. Coburn).
Things are getting curiouser and curiouser?
I was lead counsel for the Indiana Democratic Party in the federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Indiana photo ID law. It may be worth noting for those who may have been otherwise unaware that Thor Hearne’s phony public interest group went so far as to file an amicus brief in the 7th Circuit arguing in favor of the constitutionality of the Indiana law and in support of the State of Indiana’s views. Outside counsel was employed to file that brief. This may be worth looking further into.
Thanks, William. Be sure to touch base with me via email if you can…
William #15
Yes.
I am very surprised that the generalissimo in chief did not wear 🙂 buttons over each tit to convey his new approach to law in the US.
It is a Thor thang you know.
I know this is specific to California 4th congressional district . but ..
John Doolittle has resigned his seat!
Remember the cops raided his home?
They should have elected the man with integrity Charlie Brown (Retired USAF)
They should have elected the man with integrity
Then again, who knows who got elected with the use of electronics in the voting machines.
Here’s *ONE* link to the Doolittle story.
http://www.knx1070.com/pages/36...ntentId=425155
Phil
If only he had lived up to his name “Dolittle” and done a little corruption. Problem is that he did more than a little. He did his neoCon share.
He did a lot of corruption, lies, pandering, neoConning, neoConconcern, neoContrivance, neoConcerts, and neoBlah friggin neoBlah.
“Sick of it I am” says Yoda. 🙂
Phil – Doolittle has (so far) only left his seat on the Appropriations Committee (where he doled out millions to Abramoff, Wilke and friends).
I don’t think he’s resigned YET from Congress. But news changes quickly around here, so I could be wrong by now 🙂
Brad,
I am not a journalist, Thanks for the correction.
I have a feeling there’s going to be another “special election” in the 4th, I’m in the 5th personally, but I would love to see Charlie Brown take his place.
Go Air Force!
Another link to the doo doo pants doolittle
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/p...le_55179.shtml
Alright, I let this one roll, the Gonolass thing is more important I believe
Brad, is it the “Still Un-resigned” Doolittle???
Gonzales looks like a stupid person, when he’s not giving “soundbites” to the media.
Hannity was talking about Virginia Tech, gun control, and anything but Gonzales. He’s not good with “real-time”, because his show is scripted. Right now, his actor-callers are rehearsing for tomorrow: “Sean, I’m a liberal, and I’m ashamed of what the Democrats are doing to Gonzales.”
The formula: “Sean, I’m a (liberal/black guy/black woman/woman/gay(straight whites guy never has to say who they are), and I agree with everything you say about (twisted politicized topic). Why does (name Democrat or “librul” here) “hate America/hate the troops/love terrorists???”
“Sean, I’m a black woman, and I agree with everything you say about gun control. Why does Al Sharpton hate America???”
Lev is obviously a troll. Cannon a 9/11 disinfo agent? LOL
Joe has battled more freaks on this subject than anyone online.
Now then, great coverage as always Brad, and I’d like to add a few things…you know me 🙂
2 1/2 years ago, myself and a small group of folks formed a site known as whoaretheyreally.org. The purpose was to investigate the entire right wing…yea I know, too large a project for a group of 1000 people, let alone a small group. But it was our intention, and even though we’ve all gone our separate ways and the site no longer exists, several of the members continue to contribute in various ways to the battle against fascism in this nation.
Back then, while I was recruiting members, I often spoke about “the monster,” and what the monster needed to survive and grow and take over this nation. The key ingredients were:
Control of the voting machines
Control of the press
Control of the courts
Control of all three branches of government
Control of organizations with civil service type employees, such as intelligence.
It’s now 2007, we’re battling this monster on all fronts, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone as to why.
Gonzalez must go down in flames, no doubt about it, but in their (RW) grand scheme of things, Gonzalez is just one guy, happily doing what others want him to do.
When Gonzo says “I did nothing wrong” he says this with a straight face because in their grand scheme of things, he wasn’t doing anything wrong.
When Gonzo says “nothing improper occurred” he keeps a straight face because in their grand scheme, everything was proper.
The buck must not stop at Gonzo.
John
This is the first time I remember the Republicans not following the first rule of Republicanism since Reagan, (Never say anything bad about another Republican.) Gonzo wasn’t getting any support from anybody today. I think this is significant. It’s got to mean they are throwing him to the dogs.
In the mean time, the Supreme Court is taking away our rights to privacy. Impeach the Supreme Court next!
L.B. No speak bad about another g.o.p. (Greedy Old Pervert)
is also known as the eleventh commandment . . .
And another one bites the dust, this time from the intelligence committee:
(Renzi v FBI). Note that he named his business “Patriot Insurance Agency” … to throw folks off or what?
One legal scholar and former white house counsel has written an article about the hearings:
(John Dean, emphasis added). The people are going to place responsibilty for this Department of Just Us on republicans, and hold them accountable in the ’08 election.
Actually, I’ve got to say, I think Cannon is wrong about WTC-7.
Does anyone find it strange, that the ONLY thing not being brought up in all these hearings, is the connection to vote fraud and vote suppression? AND…that e-vote fraud in general is “blacked out” in the CMSM?
They could hit the farce of VOTER fraud right out of the ballpark, now’s the chance!!! They fouled two pitches into the stands with it already…how about a “home run”???
There is confusion between VOTER fraud, and e-vote fraud, that is NOT being communicated to everyone clearly. People here, “There’s no VOTER fraud.” And they think they’re saying, “There’s no VOTE fraud” on e-vote machines. Is that right? I know people who have said this, the difference should be clearly communicated, and I don’t think that’s being done…
On NPR, my wife said, “NPR said there’s very little VOTER fraud. That’s not true, look at e-vote machines.” Lots of people are getting this confused, and no one is trying to clearly differentiate the two. If we don’t, it’s our fault.
It sounds like we’re saying that there is nothing wrong with e-vote machines, when we say, “There is no VOTER fraud.”
LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
exactly! I call BS on these typical consterno smear techniques… they work with their uncritical followers, so the rest of us have to call them on it… keep up the good work!
“ATTY GEN. GONZALES: Senator, I do recall having a conversation with Mr. Rove. I now understand that there was a conversation between myself and the president, and at some point, Mr. Sampson brought me what I understood to be the consensus recommendation of the senior leadership that we ought to make a change in that district.”
So lighten up everybody. It’s just like they said all along; the US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the consensus recommendation of the senior leadership (i.e., KKKarl Rove and the alumni association of Pat Robertson Law School).
Brad, YOU were “the man” with the “Thor” angle, it’s all YOU, BABY!!! Hope you get credit for it…
When I die people will never remember me for being a lap dog of the president OR serving at the pleasure thereof by stimulation of any appendage.
Federal prosecutors
serve at the pleasure of the presidentServe to pleasure this president . . .
This video says it all: http://www.govgap.com
Humiliating Justice Department Video
It is critical that the Judiciary Committee gets its hands on the RNC emails before the WH does. How can they make that happen?
Bush has succeeded in Katrina-izing the DoJ.
I don’t recall . . . . . Is A LIE . . .
Vote fraud(not voter fraud, or maybe both), hiding behind the troops or whatever institution they’re pretending to nobly uphold while in fact undermining and corrupting it, and exploiting for political gain offices of government previously held (imperfectly, I’ll admit) above the political fray- this pathetic crap turns out to be the formula for the so-called permanent one-party majority. Thank God people seem to be waking up. Maybe these dirtbags won’t be able to escape by just leaving office. The “Gang of Four” (Bush, Cheney, Rove, Gonzalez) and their “Running Dog Lackeys” deserve far, far worse than impeachment at the end of their term.
Can you imagine hiring a lawyer and with the lack of memory as the Honorable (or should it be the Dishonorable) Gonzales? Maybe Congress should say: “We do not recall approving you for the job.” The only thing I am hoping to hear from the President (soon) are his famous words of encouragement: “Gonzales you are doing a heck of a job.” The entire administration is an embarrassment.