WASHINGTON, April 25, 2007
Federal Investigators Probing White House
Independent Unit Looking Into Allegations Of Illegal Political Activity, Including Rove Office
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White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove listens as President Bush participates in a meeting on Medicare in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 23, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
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Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the U. S. Capitol in Washington Thursday, April 19, 2007 about the controversial dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys. (CBS)
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Interactive Bush Presidency The president's agenda, plus facts, figures, major events and key personalities.
The new investigation, which began several weeks ago, grew out of two other investigations still under way at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel: the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias from the state of New Mexico and a presentation by Rove aide J. Scott Jennings to political appointees at the General Services Administration on how to help Republican candidates in 2008.
"We're in the preliminary stages of opening this expanded investigation," Loren Smith, a spokesman for the special counsel's office, an independent investigative and prosecutorial agency, said Tuesday. "The recent suggestion of illegal political activities across the executive branch was the basis we used to decide that it was important to look into possible violations of the Hatch Act."
The office, led by Scott J. Bloch, enforces the Hatch Act, a 70-year-old law that bars federal employees from engaging in political activities using government resources or on government time.
Whether politics played an inappropriate part in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, including Iglesias, was at the heart of the controversy that has threatened Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' job. Whether executive branch employees violated federal laws that restrict them from using their posts for political activity also is at the center of the controversy about the January meeting at the General Services Administration or GSA.
(AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Among questions the senators asked Bolten:
The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the wider inquiry, said Doan does not recall making such comments.
The White House said it had not yet been contacted by the Office of Special Counsel on the matter.
White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said Tuesday that it was entirely appropriate for the president's staff to provide informational briefings to appointees throughout the federal government about the political landscape in which they implement the president's policies. The White House said there have been other briefings at other agencies.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 40 CommentsWhy is CBS so slow in getting the latest news uploaded?
Posted by toldyouso21 at 12:13 PM : Apr 25, 2007
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Republicans in general also have opposed Social Security (and later medicare) from its inception. Social security and medicare are funded by direct taxes paid by the working class for that purpose. Social security has accumulated a surplus of over $2 trillion to help cover the "baby boomer" increase in qualified beneficiaries in the near future. The fact is, Due to the huge national debt incurred in the Reagan and now Bush administrations, that entire surplus has been borrowed/stolen along with even more from government programs.
Whether planned or not the effect of the burgeoning national debt very likely will be the discontinuance of the social security program altogether, because huge personal tax increases will be required to continue funding SS (repay the $2 trillion).
Republicans know that they could never pass legislation to end social security with out the threat of massive tax increases.
Sounds like not being able to invade Iraq with out 911 doesn%u2019t it? Coincidence? Probably???
As far as prosecutions for the war profiteers wrongdoings, It's a nice thought but I believe that there was a bit of legislation passed GRANTING IMMUNITY FROM WAR CRIMES FOR BUSH & CO that was passed before the Democratic congressional changeover.
Heard an interesting comparison on CSPAN this morning and it may be right. The caller said the New Republicans (neocons) are nothing more than the OLD DIXIECRATS. He has a point; but I suspect it's the old Dixiecrats with a new malicious, lying, greedy twist.
The OLD STYLE Republicans I know are definitely against the incompetent and wasteful mismanagement of our national budget, overreaching intrusion into personal privacy and the ridiculous unchecked spending on an adventure that had no well defined purpose and No WELL DEFINED GOALS.
It used to be the Democrats that were accused of chasing Pie-in-the-sky undefined give-it-a-chance BS. Now that's all we hear from our Neocon "idealists".
What a load of revisionist hooey! I was born in the late 40's and have, except for service and college, lived in the South my whole life. When LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act, he commented "There goes the South for two generations." The fact is, he was overly optomistic. There has been progress but, there is a great deal of pretence. It's disingenuous to pretend that the "Old South" and "New South" bare no relations. Many of them have moved their racism behind closed doors and still fly the confederate flag regardless who it offends, perhaps even because it does. There is much proress to be made. The real truth is that old Dixiecrats and GOPer segregationists united in the GOP and have voted in block ("The solid South") ever since. Without the South, the GOP couldn't have won national election to dog catcher.
Give a person a red and blue state map and they think they know everything.
Yes that was true 150 years ago, today the party roles have gone 180 degrees.
In the current world the GOP represents big business, southern religious right wingers, neo.cons and special interest minorities like those who oppose civil rights and woman's right to choose.
The DNC today represent the US middle class, labor and ethnic minorities. Ironical the Dems have also taken over the role of fiscal conservatives. They are responsible for producing the first balanced budget under Clinton, and fighting tax cuts for the rich which shift the tax burden to the middle class. The Dems have likewise oppose the GOP's massive spending programs in recent years that have blown the US deficit to record levels.
Posted by adventurepa at 11:01 AM : Apr 25, 2007
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Not yet.
Don't worry people, your gov. doesn't lie to you. The EPA telling all those people, fire fighters and police in Manhatten the air was fine, when we just watched on television a dust cloud several blocks across so thick with concrete, asbestos, etc., that they couldn't see the light of day shows how ignorant they think we are(how many bathrooms were in the WTC).
Posted by inventagod
Hahahahaha
Hey, did you know that Bloch was appointed by Bush? Also did you know that Bloch is under investigation too. Gee, when will all this drama end? I suppoe when President Harry says so.
We will find that these "leaders" have been nothing more than a group of narrow minded doctrinaires that have led our country down a very dangerous path.
I have often said that Rove is at the bottom of all these nefarious activities. His mantra is to win, at all costs, even if it hurts the nation as a whole. His minions will serve the time to cover his sins.
It is going to take the country years and years to recover from the damage done by this self-serving ship of fools.
I hope they all live to be a hundred years old so they can see the fruit of their actions. But then I say they will probably rationalize their actions and say those left wing historian are against them.
Our country is suffering in so many ways to pay for this illegal and ill founded war and this group's activities further distract us from what should be our common goal - for the betterment of our citizens.
Posted by inventagod at 09:28 AM : Apr 25, 2007
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This probe will find nothing that can be used to put chaney or bush out of office.
It is just another ploy to take away our attention from what is really going on.
"If your not upset than you have not been paying attention."
Posted by adventurepa at 09:20 AM : Apr 25, 2007
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Article headline:
Federal Investigators Probing White House:
Independent Unit Looking Into Allegations Of Illegal Political Activity, Including Rove Office-------------------
The question here is the word %u201Cindependent%u201D. A Bush appointee is conducting the investigation. Scott J. Bloch has evidently proven to be acceptable to the administration since he has not been fired.
The investigation has another possible agenda; to simulate a true investigation in order to better understand what needs to be hidden/deleted and how best to achieve same, i.e. lost emails, I can%u2019t recall, etc. Apologists/ attack dogs such as mudrose notwithstanding.
"1.20.09" - Mark this date on your calendar and share with others this date as a day of celebrating freedom and DEMOCRACY anew. This date should be a national holiday right along side the 4th of July. We should celebrate and "party like it's 1999" and in fact, isn't that about the last time anyone felt like partying?
Posted by condumism
Actually, thats not true. The GOP was created by Anti Slavery activists in the 1850s.
If anything, the ole south hates what the GOP is. The truth is, the DNC has created an illusion, a lie, to promote thier own political powerhouse. DNC was the party of the ole south.
Posted by mudrose at 09:30 AM : Apr 25, 2007"
Why do I get the feeling that Scott J. Bloch will be having the last laugh?
Did you know that the Bill on the Hill being sent to Bush has a nasty little stipulation attached to it. It says that if the troops need reinforcements, they will have to wait 15 days for them. In other words in the troops are hunkered down in a melee, they can stay there for 15 days until Congress says they can be replaced. Just thought you might want to know what the party of your choice thinks of the troops. Oh, but denigrating the military like they did ont he Hill yesterday was perfectly acceptable. Maybe another all out assault on this Country will awaken all of you, with your conspiracy theories, and "hows Al-Qaeda going to get here" b.s. They'll get here, because President Harry and Ambassador Pelosi is going to let them in.
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