Like sewage from punctured pipes, info keeps spurting out of the fired U.S. Attorneys scandal. The key question: were the firings politically motivated? This prosepect is terrifying, because prosecutors aren't supposed to bully political enemies or let felonious friends slide--not in America.
In December 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ)--with White House approval--fired seven U.S. Attorneys. Months earlier, two others were asked to resign. DoJ officials publicly claimed the firings were performance based, though most of those attorneys had positive job-performance reviews.
Under oath, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales answered Congress's questions about the firings 60+ times by saying that he didn't recall ( video). Since then, prominent Republicans have called for Gonzales' resignation ( names at Talking Points Memo).
Ongoing Congressional investiagtions have unearthed piles of evidence, some of which conflicts with DoJ officials' public statements about the firings. . . .
Evidence that the Unprecedented Firings were Planned
Documents suggest that DoJ and White House staff discussed firing certain US attorneys for at least two years before this scandal erupted. For example, a January 2005 email from Gonzales's the Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson to White House counsel's staff states:
"We would like to replace 15-20 percent of the current U.S. Attorneys --the underpeforming ones. . . . The vast majority of U.S. Attorneys, 80-85 percent, I would guess, are doing a great job, are loyal Bushies . . . ."
In that email, Sampson explains that it was not unusual for a new president to fire a former president's U.S. Attorneys (as both Bill Clinton and G.W. Bush did) but that U.S. Attorneys historically stayed on when a president won a second term. That's why people find the firings unprecedented.
The Fired Prosecutors
When the scandal broke, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and DoJ staff said that only 8 U.S. Attorneys had been told to resign. In May, former U.S. Atty Todd Graves came forward to say that he too had been forced out. President Bush appointed all 9 U.S. Attorneys, whose names follow:
Daniel Bogden (Nevada) Paul Charlton (Airzona)
Margaret Chiara (Michigan) Bud Cummins (Eastern Arkansas)
Todd Graves (Missouri) David Iglesias (New Mexico)
Carol Lam (S. California) John McKay (Washington)
Kevin Ryan (N. California)
Evidence of Political Motives
Some onlookers are intrigued by the fact that most of the fired U.S. Attorneys had either pursued corruption cases against well connected Republicans or had refrained from pouncing on prominent Democrats. A few examples are below.
Carol Lam put former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) behind bars for taking bribes. Lam also secured an indictment against ex-CIA official Kyle "Dusty" Foggo and his friend Brent Wilkes after Foggo helped Wilkes get a $100 million government contract.
Paul Charlton probed Congressman Rick Renzi (R-AZ) over a questionable land deal and legislation Renzi had sponsored that benefited a military contractor that employed Renzi's father. According to the Wall Street Journal, the DoJ dragged its feet for a year on the Renzi case, refusing to give Charlton's office necessary "search warrants, subpoenas and other legal tools" until after the November 2006 election. A month later, Charlton was told to resign. In April 2007, the FBI raided Renzi's wife's business in search of evidence.
Dan Bogden investigated former Republican Congressman-turned-Nevada-Governor Jim Gibbons over questionable financial dealings with a government contractor dating back to Gibbons' days in Congress. The LA Times quoted an email to the contractor from his wife (sent before they took a trip with Jim and Dawn Gibbons), which said: "Please don't forget to bring the money you promised Jim and Dawn." The contractor's email response to his wife: "Don't you ever send this kind of message to me! Erase this message from your computer right now!"
In January 2006, Bud Cummins investigated whether Missouri Governor Matt Blunt had given big government contracts to his big Republican supporters. In June 2006, a DoJ official told Cummins to resign at year's end because the White House wanted to give someone else the position. Karl Rove's former aide Tim Griffin replaced Cummins.
David Iglesias was pursuing a public corruption case involving a democratic state senator from New Mexico. In October 2006, Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) separately called Iglesias and reportedly pressured him to speed up indictment of the democrat before the November 2006 election. At that time, Wilson faced a tough re-election race against a Democrat. Iglesias refused to rush the indictment, and he was fired the following month.
Despite political pressure to secure indictments before the November 2006 election,Todd Graves refused to pursue a voter-fraud case implicating Democrats in Missouri. Graves' replacement later pursued the case, which ended up dismissed for lack of evidence--not on technicalities, as some pundits have said.
After the Firings, DoJ said Be quiet or else
According to documents from the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, DoJ officials told at least three of the fired U.S. Attorneys (John McKay, Bud Cummins, and Paul Charlton) to remain silent about the growing scandal or the DoJ would publicly say nasty things about them.
Some Scandal-Related Sources
-Talking Points Memo: a great timeline (2001-2007) with linked sources.
-U.S. House Judiciary Committee: douments released by DoJ (pdf files), orgainzed by date: pages for April 26th and 27th include indexes of docs that DoJ refused to release.
-U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee: table of hearings (look for "Preserving Prosecutorial Independence . . ." Parts II, III, and IV). Website has printed versions of witnesses' statements and some webcasts of testimony. I couldn't find transcripts, but they might be there.
-US News & World Report: an index of pdf docs released by DoJ.
-Washington Post: links to documents including hearings transcripts.
-Wikipedia: a great explanation of the scandal w/links to 100+ sources.
This is a call for re-affirmation oath of your office. This is a call for re-affirmation oath of your office.
Security agreement notice of felonies, malpractice insurance and rights.
You solemnly swear (affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights, of the USA. I will faithfully discharge the Duties of My public service office according to country and god so help me God (under pains and penalties of perjury, forgery & theft by deception) Challenging your jurisdiction, rule of law family law is interest that take from our kids. for the victim not a self serving political laws state pay attorneys for victim not for political special interest that take from our kids.
We should support peace officer not political law officer not political attorneys that do not support the united states constitution, an victimless law is unconstitutional that is a forgery on the USA people is an theft by deception, on the tax payer and the victim, jails and prisons cost $100 to $1,100 a day and all the health care, and education when the victim gets no help but to state gets taxes aid why would you pay for the Political, Roman, Jewish, Christian belief of the old world that killed the son of God for their gold and deception of the past our founder father knew of this I reserve all family, friends and My Constitutional Rights that you interest that take from our kids. You have wrongfully stopped us doing our life, duties AND FAMIMILY.
I Bill at $250.00 per hour plus all cost and expense with an daily fine of $10,000 for violating our rights until proven, compliant or an victim it is an act of treason to proceed fine don’t attorneys law officer, taxerpayer the poor or help the Victim at all just political Roman special tax dealing deceiving counterfeiter writing that schemes to defraud harms another person of money or property for there old world ways that is a violation of God and this county and has proven to bankrupt this country and deceives gods, country and my family, can you help me now ?
A(American) E(European) : I.O.U. YOU FORGOT “Y” (Y is for Yahweh & Yeshua)
MY RIGHT TO CHARGE YOU FOR MY TIME.
IN GOD WE TRUST!
Danial Ray Curtis 9/11 when all the world markets fell but one still stand tall Judas Iscariot forsake us all, the judiciary is for the people and supports the Vitim to keep family pride and country under rules of God to do No Harm to help them Grow, now is the time to grow up and stand up and repent to God & Country taxpayer & educator that want help not to be a slave to an idea or an old world way of deception of an bifeves in one self not a ruler or an judge but of this country and GOD to have paradise on earth and heaven. Danial, not denial nor Daniel of the the wicked of the past shall open the book life, and give new knowledge and pride of the new world order of self worth and victims rights and put an end unholy polices of the political roman that deceives the hardworking god fearing, human people of the country and of the world to help each other too grow to pay the victim first not auditory of the fine the fee self-serving of Judas Iscariot betrayal of Gods peoples, and oath of this country, and family laws and victims right, pubic service oath and god’s trust and Danial’s contract for peaces and civil rights for self worth and family trust in the father so help me god let me stand up an win for all are good but we are dumb and not see (Nazis) Judas Iscariot truly has forsake all of us, it a terrible to live in terror and fear when we try to be good! Who’s law are you following, God’s Law or Judas’s Law?
Pass this contract to the people you work for. The people should get paid for their time to pay you for your time and good business. HELP US ALL!
G: God
O: Obama
D: Danial
CAN YOU HELP ME NOW?
[email protected]
Danial Curtis 32814
924 5th st s Fargo ND 58102 PH 701-2980623
Posted by: danial curtis | December 13, 2011 at 03:08 PM