Gonzales Pushed Ailing Ashcroft On Spying

Ex-Official Says Gonzales Pressured Ashcroft In Hospital To Reauthorize Wiretapping

(CBS/AP)  A top Justice Department official thought President Bush's no-warrant wiretapping program was so questionable that he refused for a time to reauthorize it, leading to a standoff with White House officials at the bedside of the ailing attorney general, a Senate panel was told Tuesday.

Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he refused to recertify the program because Attorney General John Ashcroft had reservations about its legality just before falling ill with pancreatitis in March 2004.

The White House, Comey said, recertified the program without the Justice Department's signoff, allowing it to operate for about three weeks without concurrence on whether it was legal. Comey, Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Mueller and other Justice Department officials at one point considered resigning, Comey said.

"I couldn't stay, if the administration was going to engage in conduct that the Department of Justice had said had no legal basis," Comey told the panel.

A day after the March 10, 2004, incident at Ashcroft's hospital bedside, President Bush ordered changes to the program to accommodate the department's concerns. Ashcroft signed the presidential order to recertify the program about three weeks later.

The dramatic hospital confrontation involved Comey, the acting attorney general during Ashcroft's absence, and a White House team that included Bush's then-counsel, Alberto Gonzales, and White House Chief of Staff Andy Card, Comey said. Gonzales later succeeded Ashcroft as attorney general.

Comey said after one of Ashcroft's top aides told him about the pending visit, he rushed to the hospital with emergency lights flashing and a siren blaring, to intercept Gonzales and Card, the New York Times reported.

Comey said he called Mueller, who agreed to meet him at the hospital. Comey said he "literally ran up the stairs" once he arrived. Mueller then ordered FBI agents guarding Ashcroft not to make Comey leave the room if Gonzales and Card asked for his removal, the Times reported.

Senior government officials had expressed concerns about whether the National Security Agency, which administered the warrantless eavesdropping program, had the proper oversight in place. Other concerns included whether any president possessed the legal and constitutional authority to authorize the program as it operated at the time.

Comey testified Tuesday that when he refused to certify the program, Gonzales and Card headed to Ashcroft's sick bed in the intensive care unit at George Washington University Hospital.

When Gonzales appealed to Ashcroft, the ailing attorney general lifted his head off the pillow and in straightforward terms described his views of the program, Comey said. Then he pointed out that Comey, not Ashcroft, held the powers of the attorney general at that moment.

Gonzales and Card then left the hospital room, Comey said.

"I was angry," Comey told the panel. "I thought I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man who did not have the powers of the attorney general."

[pepperp1]

Notice with the BUSH Administration, ethical behavior is never in the way.

E-T-H-I-C-S - "moral philosophy", from the adjective of "custom, habit", a major branch of philosophy, is the study of values and customs of a person or group. It covers the analysis and employment of concepts such as right and wrong, good and evil, and responsibility.

BUSH political use of RELIGON %u2013 lazy myopic substitution for ETHICS

[omega39-2009]

Things have gotten so bad in Bush land, that it is making Ashcroft look sane and competent.

[nolalou]

This story typifies the Bush administration policy. Loyalty to the president apparently tops any legal or ethical considerations, including pessuring the attorney general in his hospital bed! These people are evil, pure and simple!

[im4honesty]

Things have gotten so bad in Bush land, that it is making Ashcroft look sane and competent.
Posted by omega39


LOL!!

I guess when you compare a totally rotten apple to an apple with a worm, the apple with the worm looks pretty good!!

[enoughya]

The sooner we can strip power from the Bush cabal, the better off we will all be.

The Bush cabal operates exactly like the mob--a tight secretive and top-down control from an ever smaller circle of confidants (only those who are with Bush, never those against Bush), abuse of power, rigid demands of loyalty above integrity, harsh retaliation against dissent, the penchant for nicknames are all reminiscent of the way crime cartels operate. And emanating from the White House is the darkest cloud we have ever seen in our government, trying to dupe the American public and destroy everything wholesome and good about this country in order to amass unprecedented levels of power for those in the Bush cabal. When can we the people see justice done ,and these Bush despots brought low? It is desperately needed at this time, much more so than when Nixon resigned in disgrace.

[abbe7]

If it weren't for the witness (Comey), they would have waterboarded him ...

[roger_inkart]

When John Ashcroft is made to seem like a sympathetic figure, we have truly entered the Twilight Zone. Truly.

[terrapin78]

Sounds like a Gingrich way of doing business to me.

Gingrich told a wife that he was divorcing her when she was in the hospital fighting cancer.

Such nice guys!!!!

[last121868]

Things have gotten so bad in Bush land, that it is making Ashcroft look sane and competent.
Posted by omega39


LOL!!

I guess when you compare a totally rotten apple to an apple with a worm, the apple with the worm looks pretty good!!
Posted by im4honesty at 09:39 AM : May 16, 2007
2xLOL!!!!
Will the madness ever end?

[cozzicon]

No words.

[pepperp1]

What a little slime ball. Lordy, what is this man signing for this President now that he is the AG. Congress needs to move and have this man removed enough with the political football of his inadequacies, if he would make a midnight run to a hospital bed and try to have an ill drugged AG sign documents without authority, against his will and the judgment of the DOJ that the program was illegal, then just imagine what ELSE is this sycophant signing for Bush Cheney that we do not yet know about%u2026%u2026%u2026..I believe we should be very alarmed.

[blindersoff]

I'm waiting for the usual suspects to defend this. Tony Snow ought to be ashamed, his brain works even though he had an appendectomy, though I thought it was pancreatic cancer or something that John Ashcroft had, but the medication clearly made him not at 100%, which is why he had his deputy attorney general standing in his place and he should have been contacted if any last minute signatures were needed. I find it ironic President Bush may not have known about this beforehand,which should tell the people who still disbelieve that Cheney is not the real president how delusional they are.

[changeit4]

Run, you ***!

Let them run from each other... they just better hope we the people don't catch them first! Don't try to hide behind the rule of law now, you crooks. You threw it under the bus, and now there's nowhere left to hide.

It is my sincere hope that our Constitution, our nation, and our government can recover from the blight of this administration's tenure.

[antoniof123]

I have never seen it this bad all I can think of is something I learned in school when I was a kid I don't remember which founding father said it but it went something like this.

This country will not fall by the might of a sword but by someone carring the constitution in one hand and the bible in the other.

Sounds pretty close to what we have doesn't it.

[tejasdemo]

How much more evidence do we need to impeach the Bush administration ?

The answer is none.

[changeit4]

Run, you ***!

Let them run from each other... into each other, scrambling like roaches when the truth is heard. They just better hope we the people don't catch them first! Don't try to hide behind the rule of law now, you crooks. You threw it under the bus, and now there's nowhere left to hide.

It is my sincere hope that our Constitution, our nation, and our government can recover from the blight of this administration's tenure.

[incog-nito]

President Bush is to issue a statement: "In spite of all the evidence against him, I have full and complete confidence in Alberto Gonzales. He has been a trusted and loyal friend to me personally."

[afmca]

That Gonzo - what a great American. Full of integrity. He was probably pinching Ashcroft's pain medication tubing while trying to "persuade" him to condone an assault on the Constitution.

[missingamerica]

You get the neocon approach, yet?

Do something evil, get caught, say "We could have handled that better.", repeat...endlessly, until the people get so accustomed to them doing evil they just let it slide out of weariness.

I think if the rules hadn't changed since Aaron Burr's day they'd be going down left and right in duels...

[incog-nito]

President Bush is to issue a statement shortly: "In spite of all the evidence against him, I have full and complete confidence in Alberto Gonzales. He has been a trusted and loyal friend to me personally, and is someone I would feel comfortable having a BBQ and a beer with."

[jetlizhan]

what's wrong with this Gonzales guy? i think all this big shot job has gone to his head and he doesn't know what the he-l-l he's doing. get him outta there.

[tbweb]

All these negative events are too numerous to keep up with, I lost track, where are we now? As soon as we try and get into one, another one pops up and replaces it. We need to hire Google to create a special version of its search engine dedicated to the Bush administration just to be able to keep track of all this. I'm sure even this is not the end of it, maybe just the tip of the iceberg, oh yeah that tip melted when they ignored Global Warming, well then maybe its the middle of the iceberg! LOL

[adventurepa]

When is enough- enough?
Really, this has gone to far already.
Gonzo needs to step down.
What needs to happen for him to be fired?

[bobnjersey]

["Because he had an appendectomy, his brain didn't work?" Snow said of Ashcroft.]

tony has apparently never heard of pharmaceuticals ... those things they dispense during and following major surgery.

he knows better ... which makes him all that much more of a hired liar.

[bm6005]

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! What a frickin' government this is!!! Ashcroft was a facist so what can we consider Gonzo to be?!!

[king77shaw]

the supposed "war on terror" is a complete farce - it's only purpose is to consolidate power, control and wealth into the hands of an elite few - blinded by false fear, the American people are buying right into it - the rich get richer and the middle class is quickly becoming the working poor ... don't be fooled any longer

[king77shaw]

everyone should listen to Thom Hartmann

http://www.airamerica.com/listen/

top notch progressive talk ! you can stream his daily show for free noon-3pm EST %u2026
excellent no nonsense talk radio, very nourishing ..

[clemenhagen1]

"Because he had an appendectomy, his brain didn't work?" Snow said of Ashcroft.

Nice try, Tony. The man lies in bed, literally on his death-bed, and you defend the weasels Gonzales and Card heading off to brow-beat a sick man into signing and unconstitutional program? President Bush possesses zero scruples, as evidenced by what "his favorite turdblossom" Rove has done over the years. This serves as simply more proof of how absolutely callous and cold this administration can be. The ends justify the means, and politics trumps all other concerns. The Bush Administration: never let an opportunity pass to trash the constitution, pose for a politically opportune photo-op, or pressure a deathly ill man. Quite a sight to behold, my fellow patriots.

[jerr11]

Typical of this administration and of Republicans in general:

In Gonzalez they have a law breaker for our top law enforcer.

In Wolfowitz, a corrupt politician in charge of an organization trying to stamp out corruption in the world.

In Mark Foley, a pedophile in charge of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.

In George Bush, an AWOL coward who hid out in Alabama during the Vietnam war a "WAR PRESIDENT.".

In ******** Cheney (aka Deferment Cheney) a draft dodger, the war's greatest cheerleader.

This is the biggest array of scumbags in one place since Nazi Germany.

[king77shaw]

everyone should listen to Thom Hartmann

http://www.airamerica.com/listen/

top notch progressive talk ! you can stream his daily show for free noon-3pm EST %u2026
excellent no nonsense talk radio, very nourishing ..

[king77shaw]

everyone should listen to Thom Hartmann

http://www.airamerica.com/listen/

top notch progressive talk ! you can stream his daily show for free noon-3pm EST %u2026
excellent no nonsense talk radio, very nourishing ..

[king77shaw]

everyone should listen to Thom Hartmann

http://www.airamerica.com/listen/

top notch progressive talk ! you can stream his daily show for free noon-3pm EST %u2026
excellent no nonsense talk radio, very nourishing ..

[pepperp1]

What a little slime ball. Lordy, what is this man signing for this President now that he is the AG. Congress needs to move and have this man removed enough with the political football of his inadequacies, if he would make a midnight run to a hospital bed and try to have an ill drugged AG sign documents without authority, against his will and the judgment of the DOJ that the program was illegal, then just imagine what ELSE is this sycophant signing for Bush Cheney that we do not yet know about%u2026%u2026%u2026..I believe we should be very alarmed.

[lochlan-2009]

Impeach Bush and Cheney!!!

Where the F(*&k is my representation!!!!!

[yamuttya]

jerr 11- could not agree with you more. W and co. have guaranteed USSA will be a target for generations. A real bunch a wankers.

[alphaa10-2009]

Now the spectacle of Sneaky Gonzales browbeating Ashcroft-- on his hospital bed, no less-- finally comes out.

Apparently, even John Ashcroft and Bob Mueller understood more about the law than Gonzales-- a horrific indictment of the incompetence of some Bush political appointees. Heckuva job, Gonzales!

Ashcroft and Mueller fundamentally questioned the Gonzales brief on NSA spying, but Gonzales' answer was not to defend his point of view, but to attack his critics. Now, this scandal about a political vendetta on US attorneys becomes clearer-- the idea arose with Gonzales, himself. The MO fits, exactly.

This episode reveales Gonzales as an unprincipled, deceitful flak whose incompetent understanding of law and government puts all of us at risk.

[david1737]

"Because he had an appendectomy, his brain didn't work?" Snow said of Ashcroft. "

And that's why Card and Gonzo chose this particular moment to try and influence his decisions? Because he was incapable of rational thought...Good one guys!

[bareemperor]

And anyone wonders why we have a rubber-stamp Congress...
Threats, bullying, coersion

While the patient is drugged and in pain...
NeoCons are traitors.

[jimridley-2009]

Does it really surprise anyone that the Bush administration would badger a sick man in the hospital to sign off on an illegal policy? Bush sets the tone for this adminstration's cowardice and dishonesty. We have never had a more dishonest and cowardly president than W. I just wonder how long it will take America to re-gain its dignity and standing in the world. Immediately after 9/11 we had the support and sympathy of virtually the enitre world. In less than a year President Simpleton had succeeded in turning nearly the entire world against us. The sad irony of President Nitwit's war on terror is that we are less safe than before 9/11. How can any reasonable person not want Bush and Cheney impeached?

[david1737]

Family Values! Enough said.

[inventagod2]

If everything Bu$h has said in the past six years was a lie, what about that 9/11 demolition?
Was that the biggest lie ever?

[walt1944-2009]

Several weeks ago, astronomers had discovered an earth-like planet orbiting a star 40 billion miles away. How about if we load a space ship with the entire Bush family, including George W., along with every "Bush baby" and Republican neo-con in Washington, point it in the direction of that planet and let fly. That way George W can become the "Ming the Merciless" of a whole new world that he can name "George" after himself, naturally and he can declare war on any inhabitants he finds there, calling them "terrrrorists"!

[lorinkundert]

Good plan with the new planet, but a good dictator needs an opposition so we should also send the libs there too so the rest of us here can clean things up.

[incog-nito]

Bush: "I have full and complete confidence in Alberto Gonzales. After all, he has been doing exactly what Rove, I mean myself, wants and expects him to do."

[yamuttya]

It's truly amazing how this administration fails to learn from the past, and how W. appears to be sleepwalking towards a place beside Nixon in the hall of shame. Both Republicans, both shamelessly manipulative and both apparently stubborn and tone deaf.
Why do people vote for these losers ?
They truly bring out the worst in America, a country that once held the world in awe of it's greatness, now a place of fanatics, religious zealots, gun whackos and hatred , fear etc.
Republicans have ruined America with their intolerance and greed. A great shame of epic proportions.
Can America put itself back together ?
We need an FDR or Churchill, not more of this right wing madness.

[canyoutellme-2009]

It would be interesting to see how the republiCON trolls like SinginRick and others defend these new allegations.

Just like Tony Snow tried.... "just because he had an appendectomy means his brain wasn't working?" or something to that effect... give me a break.. he was in a hospital bed.. SICK.. and probably drugged up for the pain! You're going to sign something this important while incapacitated?? GIVE ME A BREAK! TONY SNOW, YOU NEED TO RESIGN NOW for being an idiot!

As to Gonzales - what more PROOF do you need now to see he's a slimeball? He obviously wasn't doing this on his own... the President HAS to be behind this.

RESIGN NOW!! OR BE FORCED OUT!

[inventagod2]

The pictures of Gonzo and Asshcroft look like they both either swallowed canaries, or are trying not to barf...
It must suck being Republicons these days.

[bobnjersey]

[It's truly amazing how this administration fails to learn from the past, and how W. appears to be sleepwalking towards a place beside Nixon in the hall of shame. Both Republicans, both shamelessly manipulative and both apparently stubborn and tone deaf ... Why do people vote for these losers ?]
[Posted by yamuttya at 01:27 PM : May 16, 2007]

and they're both 'authoritarian' personalities ... this explains their actions and their perspective.

for a complete analysis (of the manipulators and the manipulated) see john dean's new book 'conservatives without conscience' ... great stuff.

[nyckate]

It never fails - everytime I think that Bush and his can sink no lower down into the sewer there they go proving me wrong yet again - Gonzalez himself raced off to try and get a critically ill, semi-conscious Ashcroft to sign on the dotted line.

Chuck Hagel is right- Gonazlez has no credibility and is a hinderance to the nation - if he had an ounce of decency he'd resign for the good of the AG office, the government and the nation. But then again, he's an inside-Bush guy - they have no decency, morals, ethics or values - that's what makes them George's Inner Circle.

[gramto7]

Where again was the outrage over Clinton's 'echelon' program???
Posted by badaxmofo


Echelon is the name for a global surveillance network consisting of ground stations, satellites, and other listening posts, which collectively intercept and analyze worldwide electronic communications. The signals intelligence agencies of five nations%u2014the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) of the United Kingdom, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) of Canada, the Defense Signals Directorate (DSD) of Australia, and the Government Communications and Security Bureau (GCSB) of New Zealand%u2014all participate, with NSA as the controlling agency.