Another Congress, Another Monica

[babylonsister]

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/05/23/couricandco/entry2840953.shtml

Another Congress, Another Monica
Posted by Andrew Cohen

(AP/CBS)
Lawyer Andrew Cohen analyzes legal affairs for CBS News and CBSNews.com.

I'm not going to lie to you. I have absolutely no idea what former Justice Department official Monica Goodling is going to say this morning when she testifies about the U.S. attorney scandal before the House Judiciary Committee.

Some folks believe that she will cry. Others believe that she will accuse Attorney General Alberto Gonzales of knowing more about the prosecutor purge than he has let on so far. Others believe that she will take one for the White House like the "loyal Bushie" she is and protect her superiors. Bottom line? Your guess is as good as mine.

But what I can guarantee you is that she will not face perjury charges when her testimony is complete nor, in all likelihood, will any of the other unhappy folks who have come before her to Capitol Hill to tell their stories about the chaos within the Justice Department. Goodling is in good shape because she has been given "use immunity" for her testimony and thus, presumably, will testify accurately and honestly about her role in the affair.

And that's the key — she has to be honest. If the feds find out she wasn't, they can go after her just like before. So when she is asked, for example, who drew up the list of prosecutors to be fired she should be able to offer an answer that so far has eluded all of us.

Likewise, when she is asked to tell us what role Gonzales played in the run-up to the firings Goodling should be able to give us details that for whatever reason the attorney general is unable or unwilling to give us. For these reasons alone, her testimony will be both interesting and important and certainly capable of advancing the story far beyond where it has stood for the past week or so.

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