LOOKS LIKE THE WHOLE MESS WITH THE FIRED U.S. PROSECUTORS WAS FIRST HATCHED IN THE WHITE HOUSE-- BY ROVE, MIERS AND BUSH

Does it surprise you to know that the politically-inspired orders to fire the U.S. Attorneys came from... the White House? It shouldn't, not if you've been following the case at all. It may boggle the mind to know that each of these prosecutors is a Republican, each was hired by Bush, and each had been given high marks. With Bush busy getting boo-ed, heckled and played for a fool all over Latin America, Cheney picking a fight with Congress and Gonzales hiding under his desk hoping a new Paris Hilton sex tape is discovered to take the spotlight off his malfeasance-- and some unpleasant suggestions from Chuck Schumer-- one wonders which "administration officials" this morning's New York Times is referring to when they claim that "administration officials said Monday" that the White House was "deeply involved in the decision late last year to dismiss federal prosecutors" (including the prosecutors fired at the insistence of Jerry Lewis, Richard Hastings (AKA- "Doc"), Pete "Sneaky Pete" Domenici and Heather Wilson).

Turns out, last October Bush called his water boy valet Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to let him know that the brittle, testy-- and somewhat senile-- Domenici wanted the U.S. Attorney for New Mexico fired. Gonzales, who is certainly no modern day version of Elliot Richardson-- or even a Bill Ruckelshaus. The White House characters most involved, besides Bush, seem to have been Harriet Miers and-- surprise, surprise-- Karl Rove.

The role of the president, his former White House counsel and his chief political adviser in the prosecutor shakeup likely will only intensify the calls by Congress for a deeper investigation into the matter. The episode has erupted into the worse crisis of Mr. Gonzales’s tenure, and provoked charges that the dismissals were a political purge that threatened the historical independence of the Justice Department...

Mr. Rove’s role in expressing concerns about prosecutors had emerged in recent days. The White House acknowledged Sunday that Mr. Rove had passed on complaints to Mr. Gonzales and Ms. Miers about David C. Iglesias, who was dismissed as the United States attorney in New Mexico. Mr. Rove’s role surfaced after the McClatchy Newspapers reported that a Republican Party official in New Mexico had complained to Mr. Rove in 2005 and again a year later about Mr. Iglesias’s failure to indict Democrats in a voter fraud investigation.

With Bush already changing his story, Schumer says he'll subpoena Gonzales' ass if he doesn't voluntarily appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about why the 7 prosecutors were fired. Meanwhile Dan Eggen at the Washington Post is reporting that 2 years ago the White House floated the idea of firing all 93 U.S. Attorneys. The same article reveals what looks to me to be a far more sinister piece of the story:

The Gonzales aide in charge of the dismissals-- his chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson-- resigned yesterday, officials said, after acknowledging that he did not tell Justice officials about the extent of his communications with the White House, leading them to provide incomplete information to Congress.

Does that sound like a coverup operation has been... uncovered and that a scapegoat has been scaped? Congress had "requested the documents as part of an investigation into whether the firings were politically motivated," something that flies directly in the face of the lame lies the Regime has been trying to pass off that it was all "just a routine personnel matter." Had the Republicans still controlled the House and Senate, it would have gone no further. But, as Patrick Leahy reminds us this morning, they don't.

“The White House and the Attorney General have dodged Congress’s questions and ducked accountability as if they still were dealing with a rubberstamp Congress. They are discovering that those days are gone.

“I am outraged that the Attorney General was less than forthcoming with the Senate while under oath before the Judiciary Committee. It is deeply disturbing that this plan appears to have originated from high-ranking officials at the White House and executed in secret with a complicit Department of Justice.

“This is not how justice is served, nor is it how our system of checks and balances is designed to work. It is an abuse of power committed in secret to steer certain outcomes in our justice system, and then to dust over the tracks. The President of the United States and the Attorney General are responsible for setting the moral standard for this Administration. Apparently this matter does not bother them but it does bother me, and we will summon whoever we need in our hearings to get to the bottom of this.”

Schumer also wants to get to the bottom of this. It might not be as easy as it sounds. They could subpoena Gonzales (although he could ask them who they expect to enforce the subpoena; that's part of his job). Rove, on the other hand, can claim executive privilge and seperation of powers and refuse the subpoena, unless Bush orders him to go-- not likely since Bush takes his marching orders from... Rove. Schumer: "There's an emerging pattern that is extremely disturbing and everyday the sanctity of U.S. Attorneys as neutral enforcers of law without fear or favor is diminished. We will get to bottom of this." We will see, I suppose.


UPDATE: PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY CALLS FOR GONZALES TO RESIGN-- OR BE FIRED

WASHINGTON, D.C.—People For the American Way, which two years ago helped lead opposition to the confirmation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, today called for his resignation or removal as the first step toward holding the White House and Department of Justice accountable to the rule of law, and urged Congress to expand its oversight of the administration.
“Each scandal sheds new light on the Bush administration’s abuse of power, violation of Americans’ civil liberties, and contempt for the Constitution,” said People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas. “Our nation’s top law enforcement official is in the middle of it, showing greater fidelity to the political interests of President Bush than to the public interest and the rule of law.”
Early last week, Congress heard testimony from eight U.S. attorneys who had been fired by the Bush administration, several of whom testified that their dismissals appeared politically motivated. Since then, news reports have linked that political pressure to the White House and President Bush himself.  In addition, the Department of Justice’s inspector general recently issued a report finding that the F.B.I., which is part of the Justice Department, had violated the law and abused its authority under the Patriot Act to obtain personal information about American citizens.
Neas said these are just the most recent in a series of developments that demonstrate Alberto Gonzales has failed to live up to his oath of office and act as the people’s lawyer, not the President’s.
“The Attorney General has demonstrated time and again that Americans can’t trust him-- or this administration-- to follow the law, or to uphold the Constitution,” said Neas. “There has to be some accountability here. It is in the nation’s best interest for the Attorney General to resign, and if he fails to do so, President Bush should remove him from office.”
People For the American Way was one of the most vocal opponents of Gonzales’ confirmation as Attorney General in early 2005, based in large part on his advocacy for overreaching presidential powers and his role as one of the chief architects of the administration’s policies on the torture of detainees, one of the most serious abuses of power by this administration. At the time, PFAW questioned Gonzales’ judgment and warned that the Constitution and rule of law could suffer if he were confirmed.
“PFAW’s review reveals a lawyer who too often allows his legal judgment to be driven by his close relationship with the President rather than adherence to the law or the Constitution.” Neas said at the time. “The risk that such lack of independence poses … is simply too great to warrant his confirmation.”
Such fears have now come to pass. Gonzales has repeatedly used his position to further the Bush administration’s agenda even when it conflicts with the rule of law and the interests of the American people. In addition to the problems noted above, Gonzales:
• Defended the Bush administration’s illegal domestic spying program, which operated in secrecy for years in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and was declared unconstitutional by a federal district court
• Continues to back the Bush administration’s authority to hold U.S. detainees without judicial review
• Showed disdain for congressional oversight that could protect Americans’ civil liberties
• Oversaw the Justice Department’s failure to fully enforce laws that protect every eligible American citizen’s right to vote
• Undermined checks and balances by asserting that the courts have no right to judge the executive branch’s national security policies
• Falsely suggested in testimony before Congress that the Constitution does not provide the right of habeas corpus

 
Neas announced that PFAW has begun circulating a petition demanding Gonzales’ departure.
PFAW is not alone in its call for Gonzales to leave office. On Sunday morning, the New York Times editorialized that he should resign or be removed. Also on Sunday, the third-ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership, Charles Schumer of New York, called on Gonzales to resign.
Criticism of Gonzales’ Justice Department has become increasingly bipartisan, with Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.), Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), former Congressman Bob Barr (R-Ga.), and others expressing disapproval.
One reason that criticism of Gonzales is growing is that the new Congress has shown a markedly stronger commitment to exercising its oversight responsibility than have previous ones.  For example, most of the U.S. attorney firings occurred on December 7, but it was not until last week’s congressional hearings that they gained widespread attention.
“The House and Senate should be commended for their return to oversight. Congressional oversight is an important part of the system of checks and balances, and until this Congress was sworn in, it had been sorely lacking. Congressional oversight is good for our democracy—it helps shine a spotlight on transgressions, ensure that problems are remedied, and bring accountability to government,” Neas said. “It is also important to be clear that this doesn’t stop here. Bush administration efforts to undermine civil liberties and the rule of law must be investigated, and those who have violated the law must be held accountable, whether Attorney General Gonzales steps down or not.”
PFAW’s efforts to bring about Gonzales’ departure are part of a larger campaign to restore constitutional liberties that have been undermined by the Bush administration. PFAW is working to end the administration’s illegal domestic spying program, restore habeas corpus protections, and bring about increased congressional oversight of the Bush administration’s activities in the area of constitutional liberties.