February 28, 2008

Bye-Bye! The Last Gate Post Ever.

At least a few of our readers have figured it out already, but here goes: We've been winding things down at The Gate for the last couple of weeks, and today we formally say goodbye. Actually, we prefer John McLaughlin's way of doing things, so we say: Bye-bye!

It has truly been an honor and pleasure to write for and interact with you. (Even the Ron Paul fanatics who hate us because we don't cover him enough.)

The Gate would have turned a year old next month, but we're pretty proud of the more than 1,700 posts we've churned out. Most memorable for me -- Jane Roh -- was covering the U.S. attorney firings investigation, which culminated with the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in August, and liveblogging the David Petraeus/Ryan Crocker hearings in September. It's been an intense and rewarding experience, and I'll always be grateful for those opportunities.

And then there's our campaign coverage, where I've gotten some witty and insightful assists from fellow Deputy Managing Editor Irene Tsikitas. The abundant and frequently silly MSM campaign coverage wore us out at times, but it's been a real honor covering what is likely the most pivotal presidential election of my lifetime. (Won't miss liveblogging those debates, though.)

You can tell by the accompanying photo that we had lots of fun along the way, too. Thanks to our online graphics team, Ryan Merrill and Reuben Dalke, for gamely producing myriad image requests.

As for me, I am leaving National Journal and moving on. I will still be participating in the Horserace '08 weekly radio roundtable on the campaigns, so look for me on air and online. To keep up with my whereabouts and reporting, visit me on Facebook. If you want to weigh in on the demise of The Gate, e-mail thegate[at]nationaljournal.com.

Thanks for reading along. I enjoyed writing for you.

-JANE ROH

Posted at 3:27 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Campaigns, Iraq, WH 2008
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February 14, 2008

House GOP Walks Out Over Contempt Vote, FISA

UPDATED.

Enraged House Republicans staged a walkout from the floor after Democrats sought a contempt of Congress vote for White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers.

"We will not stand for this and we will not stay for this," said Minority Leader John Boehner, speaking from the House floor. "I would ask my House Republican colleagues and those who believe that we should be here protecting the American people to not vote on this bill. Let's just get up and leave."

And with that, a few dozen House GOP lawmakers got up and left. They convened on the Capitol steps to address the cameras.

Continue reading "House GOP Walks Out Over Contempt Vote, FISA"

Posted at 3:53 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Harriet Miers, Homeland Security, House, President Bush, Senate, Terrorism
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January 30, 2008

Mukasey Frustrates Again On Waterboarding

Attorney General Michael Mukasey fended off questions today on waterboarding, CIA destruction of interrogation tapes, the U.S. attorney firings and other high-profile issues in his first appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee since his contentious confirmation hearings three months ago.

Mukasey said the CIA does not conduct waterboarding now and that the committee would be privately informed should that change. Mukasey repeatedly declined to say if waterboarding -- an interrogation technique that causes suspects to believe they are drowning -- constitutes torture, or to confirm if it was used by the CIA.

"Given waterboarding is not part of the [interrogation] program and may never be added to the program, I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on its legality," he testified. Mukasey did suggest a standard where the brutality of an interrogator's action would be weighed against the value of information elicited to decide if the act constitutes torture. That position drew rebukes from several committee Democrats.

Continue reading "Mukasey Frustrates Again On Waterboarding"

Posted at 5:48 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, CIA, Constitution, Michael Mukasey, President Bush, Terrorism
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December 13, 2007

Senate Panel Holds Rove, Bolten In Contempt

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-7 today to hold former White House political adviser Karl Rove and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in contempt of Congress for non-compliance with subpoenas in the investigation of the U.S. attorney firings scandal.

"This is not a step I have wanted to take," Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement. But, he went on: "White House stonewalling is unilateralism at its worst, and it thwarts accountability. Executive privilege should not be invoked to prevent investigations into wrongdoing, and abusing it should have remedies and consequences."

Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., crossed party lines to vote with the committee's 10 Democrats in favor of the citations, though Specter acknowledged that the vote was "highly likely to be a meaningless act."

Continue reading "Senate Panel Holds Rove, Bolten In Contempt"

Posted at 7:10 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Karl Rove, Patrick Leahy, Senate
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ABA Journal Not Above Usual Magazine Stunts

It's a sort of truism in lawyering circles that if you become a household name, you're doing something very wrong. This week, the ABA Journal has several cases in point.

In an apparent bid to show that it can compete with general-interest rags in cover-shot gimmickry, the usually super-serious magazine of the American Bar Association has named former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as its 2007 Lawyer of the Year... and Gonzales' successor Michael Mukasey as 2008's Lawyer of the Year.

"The top legal story of 2007 was unquestionably the unraveling of support for the Bush administration's expansive view of presidential power during wartime, and with it, the slow-motion destruction" of Gonzales, ABA Journal's cover story reasons. "And now, all those problems have been dumped in the lap of the new AG.... How he'll deal with them -- in the middle of a presidential campaign, no less -- promises to make him the top legal newsmaker of 2008."

Certainly, Gonzales' collapse is one of the biggest stories of 2007. But Lawyer of the Year?

Continue reading "ABA Journal Not Above Usual Magazine Stunts"

Posted at 1:25 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Michael Mukasey, President Bush
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December 10, 2007

U.S. Attorney Firings: Where Are They Now?

The Los Angeles Times followed up on the nine federal prosecutors ousted in a politically tainted DOJ sweep last year. Most are on to new jobs in private firms, and several have been honored for standing up to the "loyal Bushies" who orchestrated their firings.

Reports the Times: Paul Charlton, "now a partner in a Phoenix law firm, says that as a group, the attorneys have fared much better than the department officials who orchestrated their demise."

Perhaps the best known of the bunch, David Iglesias, will be out with a book about the scandal next year.

Posted at 12:08 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration
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November 14, 2007

Bush Takes Swipe Over Gonzales Again As Mukasey Sworn In

President Bush could not resist expressing his anger at the unceremonious way in which longtime confidante Alberto Gonzales was disposed from his job -- even as the man who replaced him as U.S. attorney general, Michael Mukasey, was just feet away for his own formal swearing-in.

"Our new attorney general, Michael Mukasey, follows in the footsteps of a fine man and fine American, Al Gonzales," Bush said, as Mukasey and Chief Justice John Roberts stood by for the ceremony. "As White House counsel and attorney general in my administration, Al Gonzales worked tirelessly to make this country safer and to ensure all Americans receive equal justice in the eyes of the law," the president continued, thanking Gonzales and his family for their "service to our nation."

Few in Washington share Bush's high opinion of Gonzales, however, which is the reason why the former AG resigned in late August after months of bipartisan calls for his ouster. Bush has apparently not gotten over the slight to his longtime friend and to his own judgment. When he announced Mukasey's nomination in September, he also took time from praising his pick to indirectly chide critics over Gonzales.

Continue reading "Bush Takes Swipe Over Gonzales Again As Mukasey Sworn In"

Posted at 11:38 AM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Michael Mukasey, President Bush, Senate
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November 05, 2007

House Judiciary Cmte. Files Miers/Bolten Contempt Report

The House Judiciary Committee has filed an 862-page report [PDF] recommending that lawmakers find former White House counsel Harriet Miers and current Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in contempt for refusing to testify or provide documents in an investigation into the U.S. attorney firings of last year.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to bring a vote on the criminal contempt citation to the floor, though the timing of that has not been announced. If a simple majority of the House does find Miers and/or Bolten in contempt, the matter will be referred to D.C.'s U.S. attorney, Jeffrey Taylor. And herein lies yet another speed bump in congressional Democrats' quest to get to the bottom of those firings.

Continue reading "House Judiciary Cmte. Files Miers/Bolten Contempt Report"

Posted at 6:37 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Harriet Miers, House, Michael Mukasey, President Bush
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October 17, 2007

Liveblogging The Michael Mukasey Confirmation Hearing: Part II

[Liveblogging The Michael Mukasey Confirmation Hearing: Part I]

End note. Thanks to the schedule provided by the Judiciary Committee, we were under the impression that the witness round was today. It is tomorrow, and about that we have no complaints.

Patrick Leahy didn't yell at anyone today. That hasn't happened in a long time. He expressed hope this morning and in closing that Mukasey's confirmation will signal the beginning of a healing process at DOJ. The Democrats on this panel have been accused of partisan bloodlust in this saga, but you have to believe Leahy wants this chapter closed. It's been an exhausting nine months for the committee, and the tug of war with the White House is far from over. A new attorney general that has the confidence of Congress means one fewer battlefront.

C-SPAN3 is replaying the hearing throughout the day; watch it here.

4:32. Cardin, who is intimately familiar with Election Day shenanigans, doesn't give up. He asks about a Georgia voter ID law that was overturned two years ago after a federal judge likened it to the Jim Crow-era poll tax. Cardin is undoubtedly aware that the issue goes before the Supreme Court next year.

"I think if identification is made available and... every step is taken that allows everyone who is allowed to vote to" have access to the polls, "it seems to me that the comparison to the poll tax would be over the top," Mukasey responds.

But is it right when the "energy committed to weeding out the few" outweighs that used to ensure greater numbers to the polls, Cardin asks, conjuring Democrats' impression of the Republican Justice Department. "That shouldn't be what the Justice Department is doing, I hope you agree with that."

"I certainly do," Mukasey responds.

By the way, whatever party was responsible for the deceptive fliers and phone calls that threatened Cardin's Senate bid last year: Mukasey considers the tactics "flat-out fraud and pernicious fraud."

Continue reading "Liveblogging The Michael Mukasey Confirmation Hearing: Part II"

Posted at 5:00 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Michael Mukasey, President Bush, Senate
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Liveblogging The Michael Mukasey Confirmation Hearing: Part I

[Liveblogging The Michael Mukasey Confirmation Hearing: Part II]

12:20. Recess. So far, no big surprises, but plenty to reassure those who anguish over DOJ's loss of credibility under Gonzales. We'll resume with testimony from the witness panel -- fomer AG Dick Thornburgh among them -- later this afternoon in a new post.

12:11. "More recently, a statute called the USA Patriot Act has become the focus of a good deal of hysteria, some of it reflexive, much of it recreational," Mukasey wrote in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal in 2004.

Russ Feingold somewhat ridiculously asks if Mukasey believes that all critics of the Patriot Act engage in "recreational hysteria." He doesn't, of course, and acknowledges parts of it can be improved. Like most non-partisans on the act, Mukasey sees good and bad there. The point of the op-ed is best summarized in the second half of its title: "Before attacking the Patriot Act, try reading it."

12:02. "I'm going to assure you there isn't going to be any stonewalling," Mukasey says when Charles Grassley asks about the load of documents and testimony his panel has been denied by the administration. "I'm certainly going to review the clearance process simply to make sure that it is a clearance process and not just a black hole."

Continue reading "Liveblogging The Michael Mukasey Confirmation Hearing: Part I"

Posted at 12:22 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Michael Mukasey, President Bush, Senate
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October 11, 2007

Representing Alberto Gonzales

Formerly the highest-ranking law enforcement official in the nation, Alberto Gonzales knows the value of a good lawyer, and it appears he's putting that knowledge to use. AP reports that the former attorney general has hired George Terwilliger, a former Justice Department official who now serves as one of Washington's toughest white-collar crime defense attorneys, to represent him in the ongoing investigations into Gonzales' conduct at DOJ.

In an ironic twist, Terwilliger was reportedly on the White House's short list of possible replacements for Gonzales when he exited the department last month.

In an interview with AP, Terwilliger warned that Gonzales' decision to hire him should not be read as an admission of guilt. "Investigations are conducted to find the facts," he said. "And the facts will show that Judge Gonzales acted honorably in all circumstances while holding positions of great responsibility and importance to maintaining the safety of the country."

Posted at 7:56 AM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration
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October 04, 2007

CIA Interrogations To Take Center Stage In Mukasey Hearings

UPDATED.

Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are incensed at the revelations in this morning's New York Times report outlining secret legal opinions the Bush administration has used to justify harsh interrogations techniques for terrorism suspects.

"It would be bad enough if this administration had disgraced itself and this country by engaging in cruel and degrading treatment of detainees. It is worse still that it enlisted the Justice Department in the effort to justify and cover up its activities," said Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, speaking on the floor of the Senate today.

Kennedy is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which yesterday announced that confirmation hearings for attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey would begin as early as two weeks from now. Chairman Patrick Leahy appeared to be signaling that he would not hold up Mukasey's hearings despite an ongoing confrontation with the White House over the NSA surveillance program and U.S. attorney firings scandal. While the revelations about DOJ possibly signing off on torture will probably not affect the hearing timeline, they will almost certainly have a huge impact on Mukasey's confirmation.

A congressional source with close knowledge of the committee said that "a lot of people are really, really angry" about the secret opinions. According to the Times report, the White House took backdoor measures to keep CIA interrogation techniques like "head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures" in play by way of secret DOJ memos asserting their legality -- even as it publicly bowed to demands by Congress and the Supreme Court to outlaw them.

Continue reading "CIA Interrogations To Take Center Stage In Mukasey Hearings"

Posted at 6:15 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, CIA, Congress, Constitution, Detainees, House, Michael Mukasey, Patrick Leahy, President Bush, Senate
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Wilson, Possibly Udall To Seek Domenici's Senate Seat

UPDATED.

After 35 years of service, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is announcing that he will retire when his term is up next year.

None of the networks are airing it, but according to an earlier draft of his announcement obtained by AP, the senator is revealing that he has "a progressive disease that can cause dysfunction in the parts of the brain important for organization, decision-making and control of mood and behavior." The statement said that the progression of the disease is unpredictable, but Domenici is "not willing to take a chance that the people who have so honored me with their trust for 40 years might not be served as well as they deserve in the United States Senate." (AP has more details on the condition, known as frontotemporal lobar degeneration, or FTLD.)

Speculation about who would replace him was well under way even before Domenici made it official. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., made known her intention to replace the aging senator earlier today. Now it looks as if Democratic Rep. Tom Udall could be her opponent.

Continue reading "Wilson, Possibly Udall To Seek Domenici's Senate Seat"

Posted at 6:10 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Senate
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September 27, 2007

Where's John Ashcroft? Part Deux

We've asked it before and we're asking it again: Where in the world is former Attorney General John Ashcroft?

Very busy, his people say, and apparently too busy to give his version of that mysterious bedside visit to the press. Humph.

Actually, Ashcroft did speak to the press today, but on a completely unrelated matter. He appeared at a press conference in New Jersey to talk about a federal investigation into five hip and knee surgical implant companies found to have bribed surgeons into using their products. The companies have agreed to hefty fines and monitoring under an agreement that allows them to avoid criminal prosecution, and Ashcroft will be the independent monitor for Indiana-based Zimmer, Inc.

Continue reading "Where's John Ashcroft? Part Deux"

Posted at 3:16 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, John Ashcroft
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September 17, 2007

Bush Nominates Mukasey For Attorney General, Still Sore Over Gonzales

UPDATED.

As expected, President Bush formally announced his nomination of retired federal judge Michael Mukasey to take the helm at the Department of Justice -- but not without an indirect jab at his critics over the resignation of the previous attorney general, Alberto Gonzales.

Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn this morning, Bush said, "When [Mukasey] takes his place at the Justice Department, he will succeed another fine judge." Recalling Gonzales' resume as a Texas Supreme Court judge, White House counsel and AG, Bush continued, "This honorable and decent man has served with distinction."

If that was a message to Gonzales' many critics in the Beltway, the president then narrowed his remarks to critics on Capitol Hill. "The attorney general takes on an important responsibility for the country. It is vital that the position be confirmed quickly. I urge the Senate to confirm Judge Mukasey promptly," he said.

Continue reading "Bush Nominates Mukasey For Attorney General, Still Sore Over Gonzales"

Posted at 12:48 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Arlen Specter, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, President Bush, Senate, Terrorism
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September 12, 2007

Gonzales May Be Out, But Has The Battle Just Begun?

UPDATED.

Remember Alberto Gonzales?

The attorney general hasn't left office yet, but ever since he handed in his resignation to President Bush, the furor over his handling of the attorney-firings scandal and a National Security Agency surveillance program has largely subsided, thanks to more recent news from Larry Craig and David Petraeus.

That doesn't mean congressional Democrats are going to drop their beefs with the Justice Department. On the contrary, Roll Call reported (subscription) earlier this week that "even if Bush nominates an otherwise noncontroversial attorney general," sources from both sides of the aisle "don't expect a speedy confirmation." The Democratic leadership is expected to press the administration for more information regarding ongoing DOJ investigations before considering Bush's nominee.

Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected out of hand one of the White House's rumored top choices to replace Gonzales, former Solicitor General Ted Olson. "I intend to do everything I can to prevent him from being confirmed as the next attorney general," Reid said in a statement. "Clearly if you made a list of consensus nominees, Olson wouldn’t appear on that list," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told the New York Times yesterday.

Continue reading "Gonzales May Be Out, But Has The Battle Just Begun?"

Posted at 5:33 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Charles Schumer, Congress, President Bush, Senate
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August 30, 2007

DOJ Inspector General Investigating Gonzales Testimony

The resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, effective Sept. 17, does not mean he will be able to wash his hands of the intense scrutiny he has faced in office.

Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine affirmed today in a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy that his office was investigating the possibility that Gonzales may have perjured himself multiple times in recent testimony before Leahy's committee and others.

Continue reading "DOJ Inspector General Investigating Gonzales Testimony"

Posted at 3:20 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Patrick Leahy, Senate
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August 29, 2007

Daydreaming About Gonzales' Successor

The obits on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales are borderline gleeful, and for that reason it will be a good day indeed when Washington no longer has Al Gonzales to kick around anymore. There's little disagreement on how good Gonzales was at his job (not very) or whether he stayed on the job too long (he did). Now Washington insiders are playing their second-favorite sport: the speculation-a-thon.

Will President Bush really move DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff over to DOJ? Will there be an ugly nomination battle? And what will become of Gonzales, the man known affectionately (and not so affectionately) as Gonzo?

Continue reading "Daydreaming About Gonzales' Successor"

Posted at 9:46 AM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Harriet Miers, President Bush
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August 28, 2007

Paging John Ashcroft

Now that Alberto Gonzales is on his way out of the DOJ, will John Ashcroft finally come out and talk about that dramatic night in his hospital room?

A few pundits are joking that Gonzales' poor performance as attorney general succeeded in making Ashcroft look good. The former AG was the regular butt of jokes because of his old-fashioned brand of patriotism and religious devoutness, which is pretty unfair. We've said it before and we'll say it again: a few people out there might owe Mr. Ashcroft an apology.

Continue reading "Paging John Ashcroft"

Posted at 1:01 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, John Ashcroft
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August 27, 2007

Alberto Gonzales Resigns; Chertoff Floated As Replacement

UPDATED.

Describing his career trajectory as "a remarkable journey," U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced he was finally stepping down after months of bipartisan calls for his resignation.

"Yesterday, I met with President Bush and informed him of my decision to conclude my government services as attorney general of the United States effective September 17," Gonzales said at a 10:30 a.m. EDT press conference. "It has been one of my greatest privileges to lead the Department of Justice."

The timing of Gonzales' announcement, late in the summer while Congress and the president are away, succeeded in taking the Beltway by surprise. Together, Gonzales and Bush had formed a two-man chorus of defiance, insisting the AG would not resign in the face of what they termed a political witch hunt. Neither Gonzales nor Bush publicly wavered on the matter, despite a mountain of damning testimony -- much of it the AG's own -- portraying him as an out-of-touch, ineffectual leader of the nation's criminal justice system.

Continue reading "Alberto Gonzales Resigns; Chertoff Floated As Replacement"

Posted at 5:10 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Paul Clement, President Bush
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August 21, 2007

Cheney Removes Himself -- Again -- From Executive Branch

CORRECTED.

Less than two months after Dick Cheney reversed course on the claim under a congressional threat and much ridicule, the vice president is once again severing himself from the executive branch of government -- this time to defy a subpoena.

In June, Cheney's lawyers whipped out a novel -- and almost certainly wrong -- claim that as the Senate's tiebreaker, his office actually belongs in the legislative branch. At the time, he was resisting an executive order renewed by President Bush that their offices hand over reports on classified data to the National Archives. Red-faced officials eventually said they would back off of the bizarre claim.

But yesterday it resurfaced, in a letter [PDF] to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy.

Continue reading "Cheney Removes Himself -- Again -- From Executive Branch"

Posted at 5:40 PM
Posted to: Arlen Specter, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Dick Cheney, Patrick Leahy, President Bush, Senate
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August 16, 2007

Ashcroft Was 'In No Condition' For Gonzales, Card Visit

Newly released notes from FBI Director Robert Mueller indicate two White House aides ignored the health concerns of then-Attorney General John Ashcroft as they tried to pressure the AG to sign off on President Bush's secret, possibly unconstitutional domestic spying program.

In the notes [PDF], obtained by the House Judiciary Committee and released today, Mueller seems to have been angered by then-White House Chief of Staff Andy Card and former counsel Alberto Gonzales, who insisted on seeing Ashcroft in his hospital room while the AG was recovering from gall bladder surgery and acute pancreatitis. Mueller says he was tipped off to the visit by then-Deputy AG James Comey, who assumed acting AG powers during his boss' illness.

Having reached Mueller while he was dining with his wife and daughter, Comey said that Ashcroft was "in no condition to see them, much less make decision [sic] to authorize continuation of the program." As is consistent with their sworn testimony, Comey requested Mueller's presence at the hospital to "witness" Ashcroft's condition.

Continue reading "Ashcroft Was 'In No Condition' For Gonzales, Card Visit"

Posted at 6:41 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Constitution, Dick Cheney, Homeland Security, James Comey, John Ashcroft, President Bush, Robert Mueller
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August 14, 2007

Final Verdict On Rove May Never Come

The passage of time has a way of bringing legends back down to earth. But when you're as inscrutable, provocative and, yes, mythic a figure as Karl Rove, the process by which history judges will probably meet no end.

Since Sunday's surprise announcement that he would resign, the man who essentially got George W. Bush to the White House has been besieged by postmortems that seek to take him down a peg. The purported evidence most frequently on offer is that Rove was unable to secure for Republicans control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections.

Opines the Washington Post: Rove "should be judged on his own terms: as the would-be architect of a long-lasting Republican majority.... The GOP's wipeout in 2006 would suggest that Mr. Rove did not achieve this goal, notwithstanding his brave parting words about Republican victory in 2008."

Fair enough. But there's one very important point here that isn't lost on longtime Rove observers: He's always worked for Bush, not the other way around. The confluence of events that led to the midterm defeat -- deafness on the Iraq war, a base discontented after scandal and betrayal -- originated from the Oval Office and Capitol Hill, not the mind of one political consultant, as well-placed and influential as he was.

Continue reading "Final Verdict On Rove May Never Come"

Posted at 1:01 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Iraq, Karl Rove, Middle East, President Bush, WH 2008
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August 01, 2007

Rove Will Not Testify In Attorney Firings Probe

UPDATED.

On the eve of Karl Rove's deadline to answer a congressional subpoena to testify in the attorney firings probe, White House counsel Fred Fielding informed the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday that, "as an immediate adviser to the president," Bush's top political adviser would not be appearing before the panel.

The executive privilege claim has also been applied to J. Scott Jennings, deputy director of political affairs for the White House, who had been asked to provide documents and testimony to the committee investigating the firing of nine U.S. attorneys.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has made a copy of Fielding's letter [PDF] and the chairman's response available on his Web site.

Posted at 5:51 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal, Karl Rove
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July 31, 2007

House Dems Push Gonzales Impeachment; Specter Unhappy With WH Response

UPDATED.

Democratic Rep. Jay Inslee today laid out a case for forcibly removing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales from office, after filing a resolution [PDF] that would kick off preliminary impeachment proceedings.

"Americans of all stripes believe that we deserve an attorney general who will not allow the politicization of the judicial system," said the former prosecutor, flanked by other former officers of the law turned legislators. The attorney general should "respect the laws of privacy" and "be forthright with the American people and U.S. Congress," Inslee added.

If the resolution receives a simple majority, the House Judiciary Committee will conduct an investigation into whether Gonzales has committed any impeachable offenses, such as perjury.

The months-long investigation into the politically tinged firings of U.S. attorneys last year, and a related one into a secret surveillance program considered by many in DOJ to be illegal, has cast Gonzales in an unflattering light. He was elevated to the job from White House counsel in February 2005.

Democrats and Republicans alike have pushed for Gonzales to be fired or resign, but both the attorney general and President Bush, a longtime friend and career benefactor, have refused to give in. The White House has also ignored congressional subpoenas in the ongoing investigations.

Calling impeachment a "last resort," Inslee said that Congress' and the public's loss of faith in Gonzales was harmful to the judicial system and therefore to democracy. "Accordingly, I am here today with a number of colleagues to call on the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether articles of impeachment are appropriately lodged against the attorney general," the Washington lawmaker said.

Continue reading "House Dems Push Gonzales Impeachment; Specter Unhappy With WH Response"

Posted at 6:52 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Arlen Specter, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, House, James Comey, John Ashcroft, Patrick Leahy, President Bush, Robert Mueller, Senate
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July 30, 2007

Rep. Inslee To Push For Gonzales Impeachment Tomorrow

Washington Democrat Jay Inslee plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday, House sources confirmed.

The move comes one day after the New York Times editorial board urged Congress to consider impeaching the nation's top cop if lawmakers continue to hit a dead end in their effort to cast light on a spate of U.S. attorney firings last year as well as internal DOJ strife over warrantless surveillance.

It was not clear whether Inslee consulted with the Democratic leadership. A spokeswoman for the House Judiciary Committee said she could not comment on the impeachment push, and calls to Inslee's and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's offices were not immediately returned.

Continue reading "Rep. Inslee To Push For Gonzales Impeachment Tomorrow"

Posted at 6:02 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, House, President Bush
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July 27, 2007

Bush Still Backing Gonzales

In the noon briefing, a reporter asked if President Bush believes Alberto Gonzales still has credibility, to which White House press secretary Tony Snow said simply, "Yes." It doesn't look like the attorney general is going anywhere. See the latest developments in the saga, and an earlier post on why Gonzales is here to stay.

Posted at 12:52 PM
Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, President Bush
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