By Kenneth J. Theisen, 3/26/07
The unfolding scandal in the
Justice Department’s dismissal of several U.S. prosecutors revealed several
more problems for the Bush regime over the weekend. To begin with, Attorney General Gonzales has
been caught in another contradiction with the release of new documents and
e-mails.
Earlier this month on March
13th, Gonzales announced that he never participated in any discussions nor did
he see any documents about the firings. At a news conference he said, “I
never saw documents. We never had a discussion about where things stood. What I
knew was that there was ongoing effort that was led by Mr. Sampson, vetted
through the Department of Justice, to ascertain where we could make
improvements in U.S.
attorney performances around the country.”
But in an apparent
contradiction, new documents released last Friday show that he presided at a high-level
meeting on November 27, 2006 with senior Justice Department aides about the
firings. At that meeting he approved a detailed
plan for the firings. As if that was not
bad enough, one of those key aides, Monica Goodling, has stated through her
attorney that she will refuse to answer questions before the Senate, invoking
her 5th amendment protection against self-incrimination. Until she recently took a leave of absence,
Goodling was senior counsel to the Attorney General and his White House
liaison. The documents and e-mails
released on Friday indicate that she attended numerous meetings about the
firings.
Goodling’s attorney’s
statement is an indication that the Bush regime is starting to have problems
keeping its people in line. On Monday shortly
before the statement, Justice Department spokesperson Tasia Scolinos denied
rumors that Justice Department aides would refuse to testify.
And what must be very scary
for the regime is the fact that Kyle Sampson, the regime’s designated “fall
guy” is to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Sampson
was the top Gonzales aide who was forced to resign earlier this month. His attorney says he is eager to tell his
side of the story. According to Senator
Patrick Leahy, “”we find so many e-mails that contradict what the attorney
general has said, contradict what the deputy attorney general has said,
contradict what the White House has said. Mr. Sampson’s right in the middle of
it. We’re going to ask him under oath. … I want him to say exactly what
happened.”
The Bush administration, after
forcing Sampson’s resignation, claimed he withheld information from Justice
Department officials and that is why they “inadvertently” misled Congress in
earlier testimony. But his attorney denies this and has stated that others in
the Justice Department were fully aware of discussions with the White House
about the firings. His testimony on Thursday must be very worrying for the
regime.
Several key lawmakers have
cast Gonzales as the main villain in the Bush regime in this latest abuse of
power and he may be the new fall guy if things become too hot. But in the
meantime, the White House continues to stand behind the Attorney General. In
last Saturday’s radio address, President Bush declared his confidence in his
aide and friend who has been by his side for the last dozen years. He also
attacked Democrats by stating they were attempting to “waste time and
provoke an unnecessary confrontation” by requiring his aides to testify
under oath before Congress regarding the firings.
But Bush, Karl Rove, Harriet
Miers, and perhaps others at the top levels of the regime were all involved as
deeply as Gonzales and the details of this are what the regime wants to keep
from Congress and the public.
WorldCantWait.org will
continue to cover this developing scandal.
Check out the following previous articles:
Congress Issues Subpoenas in Attorneys” Firing Scandal: Is a Constitutional Crisis Developing?
The
Bush regime stories on the firing of U.S. Attorneys continue to unravel