U.S. attorney: 3 men arrested posed no threat to Obama

[The Sushi Bandit]

Source: Rocky Mountain News

The U.S. attorney for Colorado said authorities are "absolutely confident" three men arrested on weapons and drug charges posed no threat to presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Aurora police held a news conference Monday to announce the arrests and said that officers seized a bulletproof vest, two rifles - one of which was stolen; another with a hunting scope - plus ammunition, drugs and walkie-talkies.

Police Detective Marcus Dudley would not comment on reports of a plot, but said the case had "federal implications."

A CBS4 News report Monday indicated that authorities had arrested the men in connection with a possible plot to kill Obama at his Thursday night acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

But U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said in a statement: "We're aware of the matter discussed tonight by the Aurora Police Department. We can say this: We're absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the candidate, the Democratic National Convention, or the people of Colorado."



Read more: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/26/us-attorney-3-men-arrested-posed-no-threat-to/

[Xipe Totec]

1. Armed men were no threat to Obama: U.S. attorney

Source: Reuters

"We're absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the candidate, the Democratic National Convention (in Denver), or the people of Colorado," U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said in a statement.

ABC News quoted federal law enforcement officials saying the men, one of whom is alleged to have strong ties to a white supremacist gang, had admitted to a "crude" plan to use a rifle to kill Obama. Local media had reported the incident on Monday.

ABC News said the men had spoken of finding a high vantage point overlooking the football stadium, Invesco Field, in Denver where Obama is due to speak to the Democratic convention on Thursday night, and opening fire with scope-equipped rifles.

It quoted the sources saying that with wind movement and distance, such a shot would not have had a chance of succeeding, that the alleged plot was "crude" and that there was no immediate, credible danger to the candidate.

Local media had reported that police in the city of Aurora east of Denver found two rifles, ammunition, a bulletproof vest, walkie-talkies and methamphetamine in a rented pickup truck driven by one of the men during a traffic stop early Sunday morning.

ABC News also said the vehicle contained wigs and ski masks.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080826/ts_nm/usa_politics_denver_threat_dc_2

---

Sweet mother of God, I don't know what to do with these people... :nuke:

[niyad]

2. who appointed this nitwit to the US attorneys' office?

[skooooo]

3. Well they were caught pretty easily...nt

[Xipe Totec]

11. Yes, so now the US attorney is giving pointers on sniping

compensate for wind velocity, get closer to the target...

[skooooo]

13. ...don't forget the meth.

These guys were not going to succeed, bottom line. Thank god they were caught.

[atreides1]

17. Would you Put your ass on the line

To make that guarantee?

Even idiots can succeed at something given the right circumstances, look at the current occupant of the White House if you need an example!!!!!

[skooooo]

18. Put my "ass on the line?"

What is your problem???? I don't think people strung out on meth are competent enough to out think security. SO SORRY IF YOU DON'T AGREE. GUESS I WAS RIGHT IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE, HUH?

[tburnsten]

26. They were too strung out to ever have a chance

And have you ever fired a rifle at a long-range target? Three hundred meters is the farthest shot I have taken and made, with iron sights, but there is no chance some idiots strung out on meth would be capable of hitting someone at seven hundred and fifty yards while shooting downwards. They are dumb, and they will spend much time in prison now.

Long range shooting is very difficult and takes a lot of patience and skill, that methheads don't have the patience to develope. Saying they were no realistic threat is not the same as saying they are not a minor threat.

[RedLetterRev]

28. Exactly

Telling how and knowing how to do it are way, way, way different. Having seen tweakers up close, thank G'd in heaven that's all they were. As someone who is reasonably comfortable with firearms, I think those are fair statements to make. It's hard enough to pick off a varmint across my backyard which isn't that big. I couldn't imagine trying to pick off a human in a crowd, at a great distance, with a shitty weapon, AND on drugs. Those guys were total bozos, designed to get caught.

If Barack refuses to be intimidated or afraid, so shall I.

And when I say I am "reasonably" comfortable with firearms and before the anti-gun flames start, let me explain something. I was raised in and currently live far, far out in the country. While for 25 years I lived in the city and never owned a firearm of any sort, I do now and I have good reason, and good reason to have become reacquainted with them again. Please be patient while I explain.

My partner has a seizure-alert dog upon whom he absolutely depends for his freedom and mobility. We've invested a great deal of love, training, devotion and time into her, and she has rewarded us with complete devotion, unconditional love and timely alerts before he has a seizure. This alone makes it safe for him to drive and function in public, when otherwise he would be trapped, never knowing for sure when it was safe to be behind the wheel, or to operate the tractor, or any farm equipment.

She is more than just "a service animal" to us. She is our four-footed daughter. It would break our hearts if something happened to her and almost as bad, he would be forced to give up his freedom to drive again.

We live in a remote area where if there is something wild and rabid threatening her or our other two dogs, I can't "just call someone" and wait hours or days for them to show up and "take care of it". I may have to defend one of my furkids at a moment's notice. I have responsibility to her and responsibility to him to protect her.

Seizure alert dogs don't grow on trees; you can't just "go out and get another". You cannot train for this behavior; a dog will either volunteer the behavior or it never will. G'd gave this most beautiful and special blessing to us and it is up to me to love, care for and protect her. I cannot do that with a phone in a rural county that only has 10 LEO's total and no full-time animal control.

I'm just asking for folks please to understand.

[tburnsten]

32. There is no reason to explain

Some posters on board here seem to be very hung-up on the idea that all guns all the time are a bad thing, but I think that comes from a place of unfamiliarity and lack of understanding that for many people they are a neccessary tool with no realistic replacement. Not everyone can live in Manhattan or Boston.

Good job taking care of the furry little ones, I have a beagle puppy who hates being away from me and would be eaten alive by the aggressive rottweiler next door (never leashed or chained, I hear those rotten bastards letting their dogs fight all the time, no police response to our complaints yet) which is why I don't take him outside without something I can use to drive off or put down that big dog with. It has chased my pregnant fiance and pup away from her car and penned them inside the apartment before when she was on her way to the ER for pains, and since then, I have decided that dog is going to hit dirt hard if it attacks either of them again before we finalize buying our home. Some people don't understand the irreplaceable utility of a dependable firearm.

[RedLetterRev]

36. I appreciate that

I've seen the battles and am a bit shy about it. On some things, there aren't black-and-white answers; just an infinite rainbow of possiblities and things have to work themselves out to the situation.

Dunno where you are, but here in rural NC, aggressive rottweilers that chase down pregnant women (or chickens, or livestock) do tend to meet bad ends as well.

[tburnsten]

49. Central/near coastal Maine

Those people living next door are really testing their luck, loud loud loud all the time, I'm pretty sure at least one of the people in there is selling drugs, and I don't think it's the friendly kind because of a pair of wrong door incidents we have had this summer. One of them was around 7:30 or so in the morning and the guy was asking my fiance if some guy lived there, wouldn't take no for an answer, kept asking if she was sure he didn't. He kept that up until I walked into the living room and she asked me and I said no. Something about a man in uniform makes scumbags pestering a small lady a little more accepting of the word "NO".

So yeah, we are both thrilled we have found a good looking house in a good looking neighborhood, almost out of town. I don't blame you about being shy of the gungeon battles, they get very heated, very quickly, and it can be difficult for anyone to sound sane in the process. Lot of communication gets lost in translation too.

[benEzra]

45. Don't worry, you're not alone.

And when I say I am "reasonably" comfortable with firearms and before the anti-gun flames start, let me explain something. I was raised in and currently live far, far out in the country. While for 25 years I lived in the city and never owned a firearm of any sort, I do now and I have good reason, and good reason to have become reacquainted with them again. Please be patient while I explain.

Don't worry, you're not alone.



I shoot recreationally and competitively with a non-automatic civilian AK and an S&W 9mm.

BTW, I see you're in Yanceyville, NC? I have family in Roxboro, which isn't that far from there, I think.

[RedLetterRev]

57. Yup, only about 20 miles from here

I'm south of Yanceyville, actually, right below the gamelands. Not much neighbors here, except for deer, turkeys, and the like. Blue county which I like a lot. Good folks. When we moved in, my partner and I were shocked that nobody was shocked. Now, for rural, that's pretty durn cool. But we're country people who just took a detour through the city for a while. It's good to be back home.

For now, I've only got a single-shot .223 and a single-shot 20ga. For critter-gitters, I've never needed more than that; one shot is sufficient. I've paid for a CCW course, just waiting for the next class to come around (and the cash to purchase the required pistol). I'm more interested in the law and the safety course, but I would enjoy some range time. I haven't had much practice since I ETS'd lo, those many years ago. I used to be an excellent marksman. Other than critter abatement, there hasn't been much call.

Both sides of my family have been in NC since before the Rev War. We might be branch cousins :)

[Thor_MN]

46. I aggree they were not much of a threat, but what say you go 750 yards downrange

I slam 7 expressos and a couple RedBulls and start taking potshots at you...

I shouldn't be much of a threat to you, but would you really want to try it?

[tburnsten]

50. 750 yards? Depends on the money and your skill level

:headbang:

I don't know about that, but if you were gonna spark up some crystal meth for a few days ahead of time, get yourself on a nice long bender, then maybe. And I want to be east of you, 750 yards should be long enough to feel at least a little bit of the Coriolis effect. And i want to get PAID for it!

[Thor_MN]

64. Paid? I don't recall that these guys were going to pay Obama?

Plus, you don't get to know my skill level or how much (or if I even did) meth. You claim no big deal based on a reports of meth being found and the range. Are you will to put yourself in the cross hairs? How about having your family out there with you? Maybe some friends as well?

Point is, having slugs shot at you is a big deal, regardless of who is shooting them.

The guys were likely to shoot themselves in the foot, but they also could have pulled off their plans.

[Xipe Totec]

21. The pointers wouldn't be for the bozos in custody nt

[Ian David]

39. How can you hold a sniper rifle steady when you're tweaking?

You gonna tell me these guys were gonna go low-class and cheat by bench-resting?

[1monster]

40. Perhaps they would not have succeeded in making their target, but they would have injured/killed

who ever got in the way of their bullets.

And there is always that "lucky" shot.

Then, too, there is always a chance of a "magic" bullet...Just like the one that "hit" Kennedy and Connaly, then was found in pristine conditon on the gurney that carried Connaly...

[tburnsten]

63. Luck has nothing to do with an eight hundred yard shot

Skill and practice at long shots are the only two things that matter. If you have both of those, then luck can factor in. If you have never practiced shots over three hundred yards before, you will not make a 750 yard shot, lucky or not.

Of course if you are using a mortar or 105/120mm gun, than maybe luck would give you a hit ;-)

[bdamomma]

7. yea, exactly was he appointed by Rove and Gonzo.

[atreides1]

20. Yes he was

Troy Eid, former aid to former Governor Bill Owens, a true Republican, appointed by Bush.


His experience:

Eid had served in state government as director of the Department of Personnel and General Support Services. He is a shareholder in a Denver law firm, where he specializes in cases involving environmental issues, land development, Indian affairs and government affairs.

So no criminal law experience, what a surprise!!!

[tburnsten]

27. So what does criminal law have to do with this?

Those fools were no realistic threat to any one person, except the arresting officer and anyone in their direct vicinity. You go get blasted out of your mind on meth and try to shoot a man sized target at eight hundred yards. You will fail. Imagine the target has secret service protection as well as all available state and local law enforcement and probably FBI on scene as well. Obama was never in any danger from these assclowns except in their own minds.

[atreides1]

66. Everything

Lack of experience in criminal law shows that he wasn't exactly well qualified for the job.



You seem to have a lot of experience with meth, are you a former user or do you know someone who is?


"Obama was never in any danger from these assclowns except in their own minds."

I guess the same was said about JFK, and look how that turned out!!!

I don't recall reading where all of them were caught with meth, just one, and I don't remember where the article mentioned what level of experience with a rifle that any of these men had, do you?

You base a lot on imagination, JFK had all the same protection and it didn't stop the bullet, and he's was just as dead with the Secret Service, state and local law enforcement, and the FBI.

The thing is sometimes shit happens no matter what you do to prevent it, and even an amateur gets lucky, once!!!

[tburnsten]

67. 750 yards is quite a shot...

No I am not now nor was I ever a meth user, that is a problem that I really hope takes its time getting to Maine. It really does take more than luck to make a 750 yard rifle shot though. I'm not even sure what minute-of-angle skill and equipment setup you would need for a person that far away, especially considering they were planning on shooting downwards. A mild breeze at that distance would completely foil that plan. Kennedy's assassination was a little different, between the Marine shooter and the much shorter distance he was firing from.

[atreides1]

15. Guess???

[HubertHeaver]

48. Monica?

[OwnedByFerrets]

4. Who is more dangerous....the alleged snipers or

the idiot U.S. Attorney Troy Eid.

[EFerrari]

43. I'd go with anyone in the inJustice Department. n/t

[Turbineguy]

5. Oh thank goodness!

I was beginning to think I couldn't trust republicans! Now my mind is at ease.

[pinto]

6. meth induced...that's the bottom line, imho. A high vantage point in wigs and ski masks?

Yeah, nobody's gonna notice...

:eyes:

[Wilber_Stool]

8. They're certainly

more dangerous than the Miami Seven. And they've been tried twice.

[Magleetis]

9. Look at the pic

when you go to this page:

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/co/

No wonder he said there was no credible threat. Who does he think he is fooling?

[billyoc]

10. Four spaced out speed freaks with guns. More a threat to the general public than anyone specific.

[potone]

12. I find this very worrying.

I know a number of people who simply take it for granted that Obama will be assassinated either before the election or before his inauguration, if elected. I am not so pessimistic, but for heaven's sake, these threats have to be taken seriously. Who cares if the plot was "crude"? All a plot has to be is successful, especially with people who don't much care if they are caught.

[tburnsten]

29. Having a shitty plan doesn't make it OK

but the fact that they intended to assassinate him alone doesn't mean he was in any real danger. Those guys were meth freaks, and planning on attempting a very long shot even for a highly skilled shooter. They weren't going to succeed. He would be in greater danger from a child throwing a temper tantrum and flinging objects at him.

These clowns will spend a lot of time in prison, and have no life or future when they are eventually released.

[zeemike]

62. How does everyone seem to know that they were meth freaks?

Just because they found meth in the car does not mean that they were strung out on it.
And do not be surprised if you find out that they bonded our of jail, 50K is not that much to raise, 5k cash would do it and they just might get time served and be out before Obama takes office.
The DA has already said they were no problem.
But likely we will never know what happens to them because this story will bo down the memory hole in a month or so.

[tburnsten]

65. Look at their faces. One jumped out a sixth story window.

And the AG did NOT say they were no problem, but that Obama was not in any danger. Huge difference. And no one in their right mind associates with meth in any way, because everyone who does turns into a meth freak sooner or later (sooner).

[zeemike]

69. JW Booth jumped to the stage and broke his leg too

Desperate people do desperate things.
And in my younger days I used speed...especialy when I was out all night and had to go to work in the morning...so not every one gets strung out on drugs.
I did all kinds of drugs in my day but I haven't used them in 25 years. And I know quite a few others like me.
What I am saying is just because I am paranoid does not mean that they are not out to get him.

[CitizenPatriot]

14. the trustworthy illegally politicized DoJ

wow. thanks for putting our minds at ease. with you at the helm, we can rest easy.

Now, are you guys going to do your F*cking jobs or what? When will you start working for the people, to uphold the constitution? CRIMINALS. LIARS. PERPETRATORS OF ELECTION FRAUD 2000, 2004, 2006

[shadowknows69]

16. So if you have a bad plan to assassinate someone it's ok?

[skooooo]

19. Who said it was "OK?"

Honestly, can some people not read on here?? Because a few of us have a different take or opinion about the matter leads you to think we are saying it's OK???? Grow a brain.

[cyndensco]

25. Yeah, the cops did seem to dismiss the threat.

Because their "crude" plan could not bring its desired effect, it was not a credible threat? I don't get that.

[Igel]

60. It's a common enough failing.

You get a group of people. They get something like weapons. They have some sort of plan.

They're idiots. The plan's unworkable, they don't have the skill, and the weapons are sometimes inappropriate. It still makes it a conspiracy; it's still bad; it's still illegal. It gets prosecuted. Still not a credible threat. You sort of pity the fools as you throw them in jail; the lost, the losers, the clueless, too embedded in their hate, paranoia, and sick fantasies to be considered fully well.

Now, 'credible threat' is a squishy phrase. When they nab some group of wannabe terrorists that want to kill random people, and it makes the DHS look good, even if it's described (properly) by the government as 'no credible threat', we laugh in derision. What? A silly plan? They'd never do it, it's all showmanship by the government. Not to mention partisans that exaggerate the threat: Sure, there probably are real threats, but most aren't to be taken all *that* seriously. Still: Terra! Terra!

RW promptly responds that the left is soft on terror.

When it's no more a credible threat but it's against a politician we like, 'no credible threat' is what's funny. What? The plan's unworkable? Well, things happen that are unworkable. They don't have the skill? A lucky shot would do it. It's a conspiracy, dammit, and needs to be investigated--the threat must be considered credible until proven beyond an unreasonable doubt that it would certainly have failed. Tin-foil! Tin-foil!

LW promptly replies that the RW is soft on terror.

Sounds far too familar to me. The only difference is the polarity.

[gratuitous]

22. Yeah, crude

That high up. With a rifle. Cross winds. Distance. Moving target. What are the chances of hitting the broad side of a barn? I mean, this is Denver, not Dallas. "No chance" of assassinating Obama.

Right.

[whistle]

23. Is this some Bush appointed U.S. attorney screened by Monic Goodling-a-ding?

[tburnsten]

24. Yeah, methheads don't have the patience or ability

to hold a proper sight picture to hit a man-sized target at eight hundred yards, but they might have been able to ding the PA system or lights overhead in the attempt. Depending on just how methed out they were at the time they might have wounded someone in the arena, but they had no chance of succeeding. They will now rot in jail for a good amount of time, and probably get right back into meth within a week of their release.

[Ian David]

38. That's because only Kryptonite can harm Obama.

[slackmaster]

30. I'm glad they caught the idiots before someone got hurt

They clearly intended no good.

[mr_hat]

31. They shoulda been brown.

Then we'd have had a threat.

[tburnsten]

33. Really?

:tinfoilhat: It's time to move into the shelter buddy :tinfoilhat:

[KingOfLostSouls]

34. Troy Eid: B*sh Appointee

http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogs.com/colorado_political_news/2005/02/troy_eid_nomina.html



yup, a bush appointee covering up for people wanting to take out the next president.

[KingOfLostSouls]

35. US Attorney Eid had a much different reaction

when it was john mccain's CAMPAIGN, not mccain himself, who was threatened


http://newsdaily.com/stories/n22360864-usa-mccain-threat/



"Ramsey stated that his father was in Vietnam during the same time as Sen. McCain, and that the government takes care of Sen. McCain, but not his father," the affidavit said.

"A death threat is not a legitimate form of political expression," said U.S. Attorney Troy Eid. He added that federal prosecutors had not verified that Ramsey's father had actually served in Vietnam.

[chromotone]

42. They don't even try to hide it anymore...!!!

What a contrast:

McCain: "A death threat is not a legitimate form of political expression."
Obama: "We're absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the candidate."

Could the contrast be more stark...???

[tburnsten]

52. The difference there

Is that the first fellow was threatening to assassinate someone, whereas the group of jokers in this story were actually in the process of attempting to kill someone, but their plan was so horribly flawed and pathetic and the actors are such loser meth addicts that the attempt itself is almost laughable. He was probably acting as attorney general explaining why he was prosecuting the one fellow for making a death threat, whereas in this case he is trying to reassure people that Senator Obama was in no straight-faced danger at any point during this "attempt".

[KingOfLostSouls]

53. freeper?

the guy in the mccain one was already behind bars. thats not a legitimate threat


the guys going after obama were loaded, carrying weapons, bullet proof vests, the works.


no credible threat my ass.

[tburnsten]

54. Right. Already behind bars. Being tried. No longer a threat.

The meth heads who want to kill Obama are a little different, because even though they too are behind bars, they also just got picked up and they did have weapons and they did have a (very fuddled) plan of action, and this guy wants to keep his job and keep the public from thinking that the local law enforcement, FBI, and Secret Service were not on top of the attempt the entire time. I am not making any excuses, I'm just saying from a human perspective that what an attorney general says about a guy he has in jail for making death threats and what he says about a group of drug addicts that were just arrested for an imminent assassination attempt on the Democratic Candidate are not going to be the same. Right now he is probably thinking "damage control" whereas with the other guy he had the luxury of explaining why he was prosecuting him for making death threats, and why death threats are not protected political speech. Not really the same bag of cats.

Thanks for the freeper comment though, very mature.

[fascisthunter]

37. Right Wing AG Covering Up for Right Wing Terrorists

There you go America..... remember this, because some of us will NEVER forget it.

[jody]

41. IMO one should wait until more facts are in before engaging in tinfoil hat speculation. Given the

questionable statements so far, IMO it's unlikely the suspects were capable of assassinating anyone.

[thoughtanarchist]

44. It's a bit fishy I think...

That the story seems to have been subdued and pushed through the news cycle much more quickly than such a sensational event would normally warrant. Am I misreading?

[tburnsten]

51. They probably don't want to detract from the convention

too much. Plus the guys were honestly clowns, they are now in custody and will remain there for a very long time.

[MasonJar]

47. SINCE HE IS STILL THERE, HE IS OBVIOUSLY NOT ONE OF THE

ATTORNEYS FIRED BY BUSH.

[Supersedeas]

55. men with guns, with a longing to assassinate a Dem Presidential candidate...just boys being boys

under the Mukasey Doctrine...let the 'bad' press be their punishment

[Zhade]

56. How ironic that, on the night of clinton's speech, there actually ARE snipers.

Unlike at Tuzla.

[ileus]

58. too damn dumb to be much of a threat to anyone but themselves.

[angstlessk]

59. remember the 7 in Miami who were arrested?? in a TERROR PLOT to blow up the Chicago Towers

they were much less of a threat to the Chicago Towers and the people of Chicago than these clowns were to Obama..and that was in the news for WEEKS, if not MONTHS! come to find out, they did not have the money or the wherewithall to do anything if not for the 'informant' feeding them money and supplies!!! :grr:

[struggle4progress]

71. Remember Richard Humphreys, sentenced to three years for joking about a "burning bush"?

Sentence upheld for man who threatened president

By The Associated Press
12.23.03

ST. LOUIS — ....

... the 8th Circuit ordered that 51-year-old Humphreys, who the court found is afflicted with a bipolar disorder that is treatable with medication, serve his prison sentence in a federal medical center ...

Humphreys has said he arrived in Watertown, S.D., on March 8, 2001, and got into a barroom discussion with a truck driver about Christians who drink too much. Realizing Bush was to visit Sioux Falls the next day, a bartender told police Humphreys talked about a "burning Bush" and the prospect of someone pouring a flammable liquid on Bush and lighting it.

"I said God might speak to the world through a burning Bush ... I had said that before and I thought it was funny. It was prophetizing," Humphreys testified, acting as his own attorney with occasional help from a public defender.

Humphreys said his trip to South Dakota was the fourth of his "discipleship journeys" dating to 1993 and was meant to promote Christianity through controversial acts or unusual public statements ...

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=12391

[go west young man]

61. Link to actual interviews at Channel 4 denvers website.

http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/obama.plot.assassination.2.803689.html

This attorney won't seek federal charges against them because "he" feels they are not a creible threat. I find that incredible. Can you say "good job Brownie' Because I think we have another one?

[tburnsten]

68. Oh he isn't seeking federal charges?

That completely changes things, and I would like to rescind my defense of his comments. I didn't know the bastard was planning on letting them skate!

[struggle4progress]

70. Eid must have a usefully questionable background: it took forever to vet and confirm him

Troy Eid Nomination for U.S. Attorney Held Up
Republican Troy Eid’s nomination to be the next U.S. Attorney for Colorado appears to have hit a little hiccup

As we previously reported here at Colorado Pols, Senator Wayne Allard only nominated Eid, a confidant of Governor Bill Owens, because of political pressure. Allard preferred to nominate only his friend Stu VanMeveren, the outgoing Larimer County District Attorney, but caved in and nominated Eid as well (in addition to outgoing Arapahoe County D.A. Jim Peters, who was only nominated as a smoke screen) after Owens and other national Republicans pressured him to do so. Including Eid in the list that Allard submitted to the White House for approval basically ensured the selection of the big GOP attorney, whose immigrant success story (Eid’s father immigrated from Egypt with little money) sits well with national Republicans.

But now the mandatory background check on Eid has hit a few snags, with the FBI asking around about some questionable lobbying decisions he may have been a part of. Eid left his job as Governor Owens’ counsel to become a shareholder at the national law firm of Greenberg Traurig, for which he was an aggressive rainmaker. In recent days and weeks, former partners of the firm’s Denver office, clients, rivals, and state agency employees have all been questioned about Eid, and now word is that the FBI may even be contemplating the rare move of asking Governor Owens for an interview regarding Eid’s lobbying activities. One of the questions they might ask: Was Eid making lobbying deals at the same time he was drawing a state paycheck?

The Greenberg Traurig firm is known nationally for bare-knuckled lobbying tactics, and a recent scandal over shake downs over an Indian casino forced the firm to get rid of their top earner in Washington D.C., Jack Abramoff, also dubbed “Casino Jack.” Take a gander at some of those stories by the Washington Post, The Hill, Indianz.com, and Obligation, Inc.

Those revelations and subsequent press coverage got the FBI interested in digging a little deeper than normal with Eid, to make sure his background doesn’t have the same sticky warts. The implications, however, are interesting, and Eid has dealt with Indian lobbying clients before ...

http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogs.com/colorado_political_news/2005/02/troy_eid_nomina.html <edit: apologies! this duplicates KoS's link #34>

Anybody Seen the U.S. Attorney?
Posted by Colorado Pols on March 30, 2005 at 04:05 PM

Colorado’s next U.S. Attorney would normally have been appointed by now, but even though friends of Troy Eid insist that he will still be named to the position there haven’t been any signs that an announcement is on the way. Eid has gone so far as to let it be known who will be his number two when the selection becomes official, but the FBI background check on Governor Bill Owens’ former legal counsel still continues - leading many in the US Attorney's Office to doubt if Eid will be nominated at all ...

http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogs.com/colorado_political_news/2005/03/anybody_seen_th.html

Friday, January 27, 2006
Troy Eid Drops U.S. Attorney Bid

Troy Eid, Gov. Bill Owens’ former counsel, has asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration as candidate for U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.

Citing a too-long selection process that has taken a toll on work and family, a second candidate dropped out of contention for Colorado U.S. attorney. “I would simply say the process has taken too long,” Troy Eid, former counsel to Gov. Bill Owens, said Thursday. “It has affected my family and clients, and I think it’s the best move.”

Eid now works for Greenberg Traurig, the law firm tied to the Jack Abramoff - Michael Scanlon scandal ...

http://www.5280.com/blog/?p=1571

U.S. attorney hunt stalls
White House pick for Colo. post isn't on Allard's short list
Katie Kerwin Mccrimmon And Gary Gerhardt, Rocky Mountain News
Saturday, January 28, 2006

Troy Eid, former legal counsel to Gov. Bill Owens, said it was an honor to be considered, but that he withdrew his name this week because the process was taking too long.

"That's it. That's the bottom line," Eid said. "I have a very urgent matter that is taking and will take a considerable amount of my time. If the timing had been a little different, the result would have been different."

Eid, who works in the Denver office of the national lobbying firm Greenberg Traurig has been named to the firm's national committee to implement reforms in the wake of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Abramoff recently pleaded guilty to fraud and bribery charges and Greenberg Traurig fired him. Eid did not work with Abramoff and was hired about the time that Abramoff left the firm ...

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4423113,00.html

Bush picks attorney for Colo.
Salazar and Allard support Eid, whom Senate must OK
M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News
Saturday, June 10, 2006

WASHINGTON - President Bush has picked Troy Eid, a former legal counsel to Gov. Bill Owens, to be the next U.S. Attorney for Colorado, the state's two U.S. Senate offices confirmed Friday.

The Department of Justice notified Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Loveland, and Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Denver, that Eid has been picked to fill a vacancy that has been left open since John Suthers left the job in December 2004 to become state attorney general.

Eid, whose wife Allison Eid recently took a seat on the Colorado Supreme Court, had been rumored to be the leading candidate since March, when Eid announced he was suspending his campaign to join the University of Colorado Board of Regents ...

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4764502,00.html

Eid confirmed as U.S. attorney
Associated Press Friday, August 4, 2006

DENVER — Attorney Troy Eid, husband of a state Supreme Court justice and a former adviser to Gov. Bill Owens, was confirmed late Thursday to be U.S. attorney for Colorado, Sen. Wayne Allard said ...

Troy Eid had withdrawn his name from consideration for U.S. attorney in January, saying the selection process had taken too long, and announced his candidacy for University of Colorado regent. He suspended that campaign after hearing from the White House that it was prepared to resume work on the nomination. He was nominated in June.

http://m.dailycamera.com/news/2006/Aug/04/eid-confirmed-as-us-attorney/

Nothing like the threat of unpleasant revelations to keep a Bush appointee following the Bushbot path