Investigating the Gonzales era

[babsbunny]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-report30-2008sep30,0,93150.story

A report on the firings of nine U.S. attorneys is scathing in its portrayal of ex-Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales.
September 30, 2008

U.S. Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey wisely has accepted a recommendation by two watchdog agencies that he name a special prosecutor to determine whether laws were broken in the firing of nine U.S. attorneys. But even if there is no finding of criminality, the report released Monday by the Justice Department's office of inspector general and office of professional responsibility is a devastating judgment on one of the worst attorneys general of modern times: Alberto R. Gonzales.

It was in January 2007 that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) complained that the Justice Department under Gonzales had asked several U.S. attorneys to resign before the end of their terms "not based on any allegation of misconduct." She noted in particular that Carol Lamof San Diego had supervised the corruption investigation of Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe) and was rumored to be pursuing other politically sensitive probes. In an Op-Ed article that the report attributes to ghostwriters, Gonzales said the fired prosecutors had "lost my confidence." In fact, the hit list was compiled by Gonzales' aide, D. Kyle Sampson, who described prosecutors who should be retained as "loyal Bushies."

[spanone]

1. when they finally get around to investigating bu$h* & cheney, it will be breathtaking

[Subdivisions]

2. See what gets past us when we're distracted and divided? n/t

[EFerrari]

3. I haven't got all the details straight yet, but am pretty sure

that the reason Torquemada had to be Attorney General after Ashcroft was that he was made to sign off on the illegal wiretapping paper when neither Ashcroft nor Comey would sign. The thinking was, if he was AG when the investigation was finally on, it would be harder to finger him because he was NOW AG.