U.S. Attorney Firings Probe Moves Forward

Prosecutor Named To Pursue Possible Criminal Charges; Ouster In N.M. Cited As Most Troubling

(CBS/AP)  Attorney General Michael Mukasey named a prosecutor Monday to investigate whether Bush administration officials violated federal law in the firings of nine federal prosecutors. The scandal stripped the Justice Department of its leadership, damaged its credibility and sparked a historic showdown in court.

The decision to push ahead on a criminal inquiry follows the recommendation of an internal Justice Department investigation that harshly criticized Bush administration officials, members of Congress and their aides for the ousters, which many considered politically motivated.

Senators of both parties who led a congressional probe of the firing praised Mukasey's decision and cautioned President Bush against pardoning anyone involved in the scandal before as he leaves office in January.

"The American people will see any misuse of the pardon power or any grant of clemency or immunity to those from his administration involved in the U.S. attorney firing scandal as an admission of wrongdoing," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

Nora Dannehy, a career prosecutor from Connecticut, was named by Mukasey to direct the probe into what role the White House played in the firings of the nine prosecutors and whether any crimes were committed during the ensuing congressional investigation.

Bringing in a career prosecutor was the lead recommendation of an internal Justice Department report released Monday, and Mukasey determined it should be someone from outside Washington.

The report unsparingly criticized Bush administration officials, Republican members of Congress and their aides for the ousters.

In it, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine and Office of Professional Responsibility Director Marshall Jarrett described an almost total lack of involvement by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his deputy, Paul McNulty, in decisions to force out the nine federal prosecutors.

Monday's report, the result of a months' long investigation, was the latest to criticize Gonzales' management of the Justice Department during his 31 months as attorney general. Gonzales quit under fire in September 2007.

In a statement issued by his attorney, Gonzales said: "My family and I are glad to have the investigation of my conduct in this matter behind us and we look forward to moving on to new challenges."

Gonzales' attorney George Terwiller noted that the report found no unlawful conduct. "It seems rather odd," Terwilliger said, "that rather than bring the investigation to a close, the department would escalate the matter to the attention of a prosecutor."

U.S. attorneys are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president, but cannot be fired for improper reasons.

The report singled out the removal of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico - one of the nine - as the most troubling.

Republican political figures in New Mexico, including Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson, had complained about Iglesias' handling of voter fraud and public corruption cases, and that led to his firing, the report said.

Iglesias gave a subdued reaction to the Inspector General's report, which said that his firing was the most egregious example of political meddling, reports CBS News producer Stephanie Lambidakis.

"I support the findings of the Inspector General, I support the appointment of a prosecutor and I feel vindicated," Iglesias said. "My colleagues and I have always felt that there was White House involvement with Karl Rove and Harriet Miers for illegally removing the U.S. attorneys."

As for Mukasey asking for a 60-day status report from his newly-selected prosecutor, Iglesias says: "It's going to take a lot longer than 60-days. These are complicated cases. You're dealing with powerful people. I don't think there will be anything meaningful in 60-days."

Bud Cummins, a fired U.S. Attorney from Arkansas, spoke with CBS station KTHV in Little Rock. He said by phone that he is still a supporter of the administration, but adds that the White House owes an apology to 7 of the 9 fired US attorneys. He is not seeking an apology for himself, saying "life is too short to carry grudges."

"Everything (in the report) substantiates what I've said all along," Cummins told KTHV. "There was an absence of evidence about performance problems among the prosecutors. Those suggestions were pretext to cover-up and avoid explaining the firings."

Cummins blames Alberto Gonzales and his former Deputy, Paul McNulty, Lambidakis reports.

"The Attorney General has some unique responsibilities, but he failed," Cummins said. "He's a nice fellow but he was in the wrong job."

Spokesmen for Domenici and Wilson did not respond to requests for comment. Both are leaving Congress at the end of the year.

Fine and Jarrett recommended a prosecutor because the White House and Justice's Office of Legal Counsel had not fully cooperated with their probe. "Serious allegations involving potential criminal conduct have not been fully investigated or resolved," they wrote.

Potential crimes described in their report include lying to investigators, obstruction of justice and wire fraud.

Investigators said they do not have the complete story of the firing of Iglesias, blaming it on the refusal of Domenici, former White House adviser Karl Rove, former White House counsel Harriet Miers, former Justice Department official Monica Goodling and other key witnesses still to be interviewed.

The president's refusal to let Rove, Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten testify before Congress about the firings touched off a legal fight that is now before a federal appeals court. Most recently a judge ordered Miers to answer questions from the House Judiciary Committee about the firings.

Monday's report takes aim at Gonzales and McNulty, describing as "remarkable" their apparent ignorance of the reasons for the firing of prosecutor Daniel Bogden of Nevada.

Gonzales "bears primary responsibility" for the process of firing of the prosecutors and the turmoil that followed, the report said, adding that he "abdicated" his leadership role and was "remarkably unengaged."

The report concluded that Gonzales' chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, was the person most responsible for developing the plan to fire the prosecutors and said that Sampson's comments to Congress, the White House and others were misleading.

Sampson and others claimed at first that the prosecutors' poor performance inspired their firings. But the 358-page report found that Bud Cummins, the U.S. Attorney in Arkansas, was forced out to make way for Timothy Griffin, who had previously been Rove's deputy in the White House political office.

It also said the dismissal of Todd Graves, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, probably resulted from pressure from the office of Republican Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond. Bond was upset that Graves did not intervene in a dispute between the staffs of Bond and Republican Rep. Sam Graves, the prosecutor's brother, the report said.

A spokeswoman for Bond did not immediately return a call for comment.

Investigators found no evidence that Arizona U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton and U.S. Attorney Carol Lam of San Diego were fired for prosecuting Republican members of Congress.

Similarly, Justice Department officials had legitimate concerns about the work of two other prosecutors who were fired, Margaret Chiara of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Kevin Ryan of San Francisco, the report said.

[vincan-2009]

Maybe some real above board investigation will take place about this matter. Bush''s administration planned to take over the judicial offices with their republican rubber stampers. When many showed respect for the law and were impartial and fair, Bush and his whitehouse wanted them gone. They wanted them replaced with republican lackeys.

[antoniof123]

This one has legs that just keep going.

Wonder what they were thinking.

[bobnjersey]

[Gonzales "bears primary responsibility" for the process of firing of the prosecutors and the turmoil that followed, the report said, adding that he "abdicated" his leadership role and was "remarkably unengaged." ]

convene a commission, write a 197 page report, release it in 18 months, nothing will change, nobody will pay any price, and the wheels will just keep on turning.

[daryl733]

There must be an Enron virus that has gotten into our government and the White House and the Congress. It''s just like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae where these scandle''s are spreading. Mr.Bush and Mr. Vice President Richard Cheney will get away even if they have to use the Pardon power''s of the President. The other bandit''s that have stolen our tax payer''s money could care less about us taxpayer''s. Somebody needs to pay for this government and its corrupt activities. It will be passed on to the next President and Vice president to fixed. This is all about power and greed in the present administration and they do not give a dam about anything or anybody else and have just slipped out the door.

[daryl733]

There must be an Enron virus that has gotten into our government and the White House and the Congress. It''s just like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae where these scandle''s are spreading. Mr.Bush and Mr. Vice President Richard Cheney will get away even if they have to use the Pardon power''s of the President. The other bandit''s that have stolen our tax payer''s money could care less about us taxpayer''s. Somebody needs to pay for this government and its corrupt activities. It will be passed on to the next President and Vice president to fixed. This is all about power and greed in the present administration and they do not give a dam about anything or anybody else and have just slipped out the door.

[mcv57]

Under the authority of the U.S. Constitution, I demand the immediate arrest of:

1. The President of U.S.
2. The White House Administration
3. The Chair of SEC and executives
4. The entire U.S. Supreme Court
5. The disolve of the F.B.I.
6. The Secretary of Treasury and executives.
7. The Federal Reserve Chairman.
8. U.S. Senatorial and Congressional leaders who
host this financial Bail-Out Scheme.
9. All investment bank CEOs who are directly responsible for this insolvency. AND

10. U.S. ATTORNEY and its administration

with charges of TREASON and SUBVERSION OF THE SOVERIEGNTY OF THE UNITED STATES.

If none of my U.S. Congressional leaders will declare this vote of NO CONFIDENCE. I plead the U.S. military leaders to take siege of this totally corrupt government and declare marshal law; until a U.S. Constitution government may be restore.

[occams_taser]

Bush should be at the Hague at a war crimes tribunal.

[downsteamjim]

Bill Clinton sacked all of the U.S. Attorneys. He is a democrat so it''s okay.
Bush sacked a small per cent of the U.S. Attorneys. That makes it a scandal.
If Obama becomes President and he can fire as many U.S. Attorneys as he wants because he is a democrat.

[downsteamjim]

rafterman: Heavy on spin and light on logic.

[downsteamjim]

To rafterman: "There is nothing to have logic about" at least you are honest.

[stn_sage]

If none of my U.S. Congressional leaders will declare this vote of NO CONFIDENCE. I plead the U.S. military leaders to take siege of this totally corrupt government and declare marshal law; until a U.S. Constitution government may be restore.

Posted by mcv57 at 06:40 PM : Sep 29, 2008
--------------
Well, your heart is in the ''right place''! But, unfortunately you KNOW it won''t be done! I doubt you could find a military leader of high enough rank to pull it off!

And, it wouldn''t be particularly efficient, either!

Though, I do think that Congress should take some steps to make the executive branch act within the law!

Until the next election, and unless the public elects more honest reps and kicks out dishonest incumbents, we''re pretty much ''stuck'' with what we got!

[missingamerica]

Well, girls and boys, you can tell your grandchildren you lived through "The Great Rape Of America", or whatever the history books choose to call it.

Hopefully.

[stn_sage]

Posted by downsteamjim
------------
Rafterman1 is correct when he says there''s a big difference between Clinton''s and Bushes'' sacking of attorneys!

Every incoming president has the right to name his own federal district attorneys, that''s what Clinton chose to do. Bush could have done that too if he wanted to, and as far as I know, he did!

What you can''t do, is replace attorneys for blatant partisan political reasons! This is what Bush had his people do!

Attorneys were replaced because they refused to take legal action against Democrats, when a basis for that action didn''t exist!

It would be just as wrong and illegal if Democrats had done it!

I''m out of here.

[dimmu19]

Bill Clinton sacked all of the U.S. Attorneys. He is a democrat so it''''s okay.
Bush sacked a small per cent of the U.S. Attorneys. That makes it a scandal.
If Obama becomes President and he can fire as many U.S. Attorneys as he wants because he is a democrat.

Posted by downsteamjim at 09:00 PM : Sep 29, 2008


Hello moron. Being a democrat or republican has nothing to do with what happened. One did it when he came into office to get rid of the corruption and the other did it because the 9 wouldn''t follow his corrupt administration.

[donbl1]

Who cares.......

Maybe we should go back to Bubba''s firing of all 100 AAG''s.

There are a lot more things important right now than this which will end up a non issue.

[occams_taser]

The government is run by criminals, Democrat AND Republican. But there is no help from the private sector, because that too is run by criminals. Might as well elect Don Corleone President and CEO of the United States of Criminals.

[wkuinkc]

Sometimes the Republicans aid their clientele by special favors--like the rich man''s tax cut bill which was passed by the 80th Congress over my veto--or like their attempts to give away the Nation''s oil resources to all the big oil interests.

Sometimes the Republicans aid their special friends by doing nothing--by a philosophy of each man for himself and the devil take the hindmost. That''s why they''ve fought such measures as minimum wage laws, social security, and the protection of the right of labor unions to organize. All these things and others like them have been opposed by the Republicans.

Harry S Truman
October 6, 1952

[rafterman1]

===Maybe we should go back to Bubba''''s firing of all 100 AAG''''s.===
Posted by donbl1

The difference was explained twice, by me and even better by another guy, just a few posts down. Yet you repeat the same (false) right wing talking point. Unbelievable.

[formrusmcsgt]

The second of probably various criminal investigations into the chicanery of this administration.

Dubya will be cutting and pasting over Libby''s name on the pardon form by year end.

Just watch.

About time.

[upto1947]

This is a wast. Get over it. How long do we need to wast money on something that happen so long ago most don''t even know about it. WAST WAST WAST. Get a life.

[upto1947]

Warren Buffet is a no good greedy A&& H33L. Who would sell his kid for a dime. He needs to lose all his money and every ones money who is dumb enough to give him any.

[pirmin3]

How come they launch a probe only when they''re up for election?? I''d like to know what they do the rest of the time besides flogging the bishop.

[jjp735i]

Why bother? Even if some one is found guilty, it is always someone low on the pole. Why did this take so long? Someone had to finish scrubbing emails?

[hhroams]

Current attorney general Mucasey actually participated in the coverup, he needs to step down.

[hhroams]

Old Dubya is like Santa Claus, he making a list and checking it twice(the pardons list that is), first name is Bush(pardon himself), Cheney, Gonzales, Miers, Rummy, Rove, Libby, Gates, Petraeus, Odierno, Crocker, Ashcraft, and 900 other people.

[chimpyout]

Don''t expect too much from this "investigation," since Mulkasey refused to look into the matter of "justice" department hirings being conditional upon a candidate''s previous service to republitard ideals (even way back in college)
Exceptionally good candidates who were not bush-type zealots were told to take a hike. This was blatantly (egregiously, lawyers would say) illegal, but the neocons got away with it.

[hhroams]

Gonzales was never more than an incompetent *a*s*s* kisser who wasn''t qualified to carry the bags of a real attorney. "Berto" as Bush called him was a token Hispanic in the Bush administration just like Harriet Miers was a token women, both who were so far out of their areas of capabilities that it was a shame for them to be there.

[bks59]

a-a-h, just bundle it with Alaska''s troopergate, they both will end the same, it is a shame! repubnoxious''s make their own rules and have their own reality.

[hhroams]

Mulkasey is another yes-man appointed by Bush to cover up until the end of his administration, so that maybe Schrub & Darth and Rovie won''t get indicted after they are out of office.

They are all running scared now because after 1/20/09 old Dubya can''t stifle investigations or give them pardons. There are probably a 100 people at risk of being indicted-----Gonzales, Miers, Rove, Bartlett, Sampson, Sen. Bond, Sen. Domenici, Bolten, Bush, Cheney, are just the tip of the iceberg.

[hhroams]

The only difference between Gonzales and Mulkasey is the Mulkasey looks more like what an attorney general should look like, both are incompetents.

[leftyintexas]

BYE BYE republiCONS!!

[tbuckl]

Thomas Jefferson was so right when he said the following, I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by all future generations, under the name of funding, is but swindling the state of being yet to come on a large scale. Now the American banking system and its Barbaric CEOs have taken the American people to the clearers. Thomas Jefferson correctly used the word SWINDLING when writing his thoughts about banks and aristocratic tyrants that would infect our soceity. He knew these aristocratic tyrants would infest our soceity just like they did so many centuries ago. I wish he had been wrong, because I am starting to think something else he said may also be true. "The tree of liberty must from time to time be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."

Attorney General Michael Mukasey is going to investigate the coruption that MAY BE within our government, he needs to arrest all those criminals involved starting with the President of the United States, but lets not forget the Congress as a whole. I know this will not happen, the fox is watching over the henhouse, and guess what all the hens have been eaten by the greedy government fox.

[mascarponi-2009]

Vote caging is an illegal tactic to suppress minorities from voting by having their names purged from voter rolls when they fail to respond to registered mail sent to their homes.

The Republican National Committee signed a consent decree in 1986 stating it would not engage in the practice after it was caught suppressing votes in 1981 and 1986.

Last July, in a letter to then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, and Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, said, "caging is a reprehensible voter suppression tactic, and it may also violate federal law and the terms of applicable judicially enforceable consent decrees."

Senators Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, and Whitehouse have called for a Justice Department probe into the practice, which has not been initiated thus far.

Documents released last year showed that Republican operatives engaged in a widespread effort to "cage" votes during the 2004 presidential election in battleground states, such as New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Ohio, where George W. Bush was trailing his Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry.

The efforts to purge voters from registration rolls were spearheaded by Tim Griffin, a former Republican National Committee opposition researcher and close friend of Karl Rove.

[mascarponi-2009]

.
.
--- GOP VOTE SHENANIGANS ---

From the history of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, we know vote fraud has been a very successful issue for the Republican Party. The more vote fraud they commit, the more successful they are.

That''s why it was no surprise when Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, co-chairman of the John McCain campaign in Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit to try to prevent thousands of state voters from casting their ballots.

Republicans used similar tactics in Florida in 2000 and in Ohio in 2004 to remove thousands of voters from the rolls based on confusion over names, addresses and clerical records.

The cover story this time is that Van Hollen claims to be concerned because the names or addresses of many new voters who have registered since 2006 don''t match state driver license records or other bureaucratic sources.

There are many innocent explanations for such discrepancies. Sometimes numbers are transposed by clerical error or names are recorded differently because of nicknames or middle initials.

Differences in addresses are particularly common among low-income voters who move frequently.

CONTINUED AT ARTICLE:
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/306692
.
.

[mascarponi-2009]

Since this election will probably be close and hinge on the "Battle States", we now observe that VOTING FRAUD in those crucial states will be the next GOP strategy to steal the election.

Read the Article:
"Why the Debates Won''t Matter"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-kaplan/why-the-debates-wont-matt_b_130104.html

[gop_will_win]

This is a waste of taxpayer money since Bush will pardon them all anyways liberals! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[habu99-2009]

This "investigation" will produce little. Bush''s lickspittle goons will hide under any rock they can, claiming executive privilege the entire way. KKKarl Rove will manage to avoid having his fat behind thrown in jail because all the incriminating emails were "lost" when the Bush White House hired JoeBobBubbaWayne''s computer company to manage their data backup. Billions of dollars thrown away in Iraq and yet the White House supposedly couldn''t afford new backup media and had to "re-use" existing ones, erasing all that felonious evidence in the process. An accident? Not on your life.

For completely subverting the Constitution of the United States, the separation of powers and the rule of law-Mission Accomplished for Chimpy Bush.

[lilbrother4]

"This is a waste of taxpayer money since Bush will pardon them all anyways liberals! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Posted by gop_will_win

why do you have so little faith in the american way, gop? it doesn''t sound very patriotic to me.

[roghil]

I don''t get it. These guys were Presidential appointees. They serve at the whim of the President. Every President has replaced a significant number of them when they took office. If the President one day decides he doesn''t like the way they part their hair, he can fire them and replace them with anyone he wants. Nothing criminal about that.

[briannorwood]

Just think...in a little over three months, our national nightmare will be over!

I think the nation should throw a giant party on January 20th, 2009. We''ll call it "The Great Bush Bash!"

[briannorwood]

"I don''t get it" -- RogHil

Well, friend, let me explain it to you. The U.S. Justice Department is there to serve you, NOT the president. As the highest law enforcement branch in the country, it must remain apolitical.

When attorney''s are fired because they would not act in an unfair manner in an attempt to swing election results, we all loose.

[impeach__w]

Gonzales "bears primary responsibility" for the process of firing of the prosecutors and the turmoil that followed, the report said, adding that he "abdicated" his leadership role and was "remarkably unengaged."


So if the president Bush "Abdicates" his responsibility to protect the constitution or lead the armed forces, and becomes "unengaged" in for example : wiretapping or torture does he think he is not primarily responsibile? The Law will show he responsible and accountable. May he and his administration rot in prison.

[usclimey]

By the time this investigation concludes Shrub and Darth are guilty of Treason, they''''ll be safely enclaved in their waterfront mansions in Dubai, out of reach of extradition, surrounded by Blackwater Security and Razor Wire......LOL

Posted by singinrich

I really can''t see Laura liking Dubai too much. She and the girls get left behind in this theory?

[impeach__w]

I think he meant his Bolivian Ranch....

[babooph]

But ,without breaking the law,how could all those incompetent Christirns be put in charge??

[rmonroe401]

gop_will_win,

Yes, its just hilarious that the idiots we put in power abuse it regularly. I can''t stop laughing, its so freaking funny! Im on the floor cracking up right now. Idiot

[TommyCraig]

These individuals deserved to get fired for failing to do their job. They are Presidential appointees and are left up to the President to whether or not they remain in position. Clinton fired all of the appointees in his term and so have other Presidents from both parties. This is a non-issue brought to the front for political purpose.
I wish these political hacks would worry more about their country than about their personal adgenda.

[TommyCraig]

"When attorney''''s are fired because they would not act in an unfair manner in an attempt to swing election results, we all loose".
Posted by briannorwood at 12:20 PM : Sep 30, 2008
Actually, they wouldn''t act in a fair manor. All they had to do was their job. But by refusing to do it (which favored one party over the other), they failed.