That CRAAAAAAAAZY conspiracy theory: the mass firings of US Attorneys

[MovieMogul]

From Salon:

One more question about James Comey’s extraordinary testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday: If Comey is wrong – if Andy Card and Alberto Gonzales didn’t try to take advantage of a desperately ill and disoriented John Ashcroft to get authorization for a warrantless wiretap program the Justice Department had already rejected; if FBI Director Robert Mueller wasn’t so worried about what Card and Gonzales were doing that he didn’t order his agents to keep them from removing Comey from Ashcroft’s hospital room – then why isn’t anyone denying Comey’s account today?

As the New York Times reported this morning, spokesmen for Ashcroft, Mueller and the Department of Justice have all declined to comment on Comey’s accusations, and Card didn’t respond to a reporter’s inquiries about them.

At the White House today, Tony Snow said that Comey had given “his side of what transpired that day.” But if there’s some other “side” of the story, Snow didn’t give any hint as to what it might be. And really, why should he even bother? As Media Matters notes, the mainstream media thinks so little of this story that CBS and ABC didn’t even mention Comey’s testimony during their evening newscasts Tuesday night.

[BrainGlutton]

The DOJ now says to the Senate: We don’t have the e-mails you subpoenaed, Karl Rove’s lawyer does.

Story here.

In the subpoena, Leahy had demanded all documents in the possession of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who investigated Rove in connection with the disclosure of the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

But Assistant Attorney General Richard Hertling, Gonzales’ top link to Congress, told Leahy a search was conducted and turned up nothing.

“None of those records are responsive to the committee’s subpoena. The electronic media was returned to Mr. Rove’s counsel, Mr. Robert Luskin, in a sealed condition,” Hertling said.

WTF??!!

How could the DOJ have had this stuff, and let it out of its hands without keeping any copies?!

[jayjay]

Okay, now they’re fiddling with evidence. Isn’t that a prosecutable crime?

[Merijeek]

@BrainGlutton

How could the DOJ have had this stuff, and let it out of its hands without keeping any copies?!

And somehow they were found, printed, and sealed without anyone reading them? Sure…

-Joe

[gonzomax]

@jayjay

Okay, now they’re fiddling with evidence. Isn’t that a prosecutable crime?

No for them it’s a sport.

[BrainGlutton]

Goodling is now refusing to turn over documents subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee.

[elucidator]

Any way we can get Jesus to issue the subpoena?

[BrainGlutton]

Goodling will be testifying before the committee again tomorrow. (Assuming she decides to show up.) And David Iglesias will be up shortly thereafter.

[BrainGlutton]

According to Kos, it now appears that when Gonzalez appointed Tim Griffin as a USA, he backdated the appointment (from 12/18/06 to 12/15/06).

So why would Alberto Gonzales backdate the Tim Griffin appointment from a Monday to a Friday?

Because Alberto Gonzales and Senator Pryor had a conversation on December 15 at which Pryor asked for reasons why Cummins was resigning and indicated he did not support Griffin for USA. It appears that, after that conversation, they quickly made Griffin’s appointment a done deal, only later submitting the paperwork for it. By backdating the appointment, they got Griffin appointed without making it look like they were using the PATRIOT provision specifically to get around the Senate. Which, of course, they were.

Would that be a crime?

[BrainGlutton]

Goodling now admits she “crossed the line” in asking political questions of Justice Department applicants; but she denies any significant role in the firings.

She also says Deputy AG Paul McNulty misled Congress.

[elucidator]

But she didn’t mean to! Doesn’t that count for something? And the merciless badgering by Rep. Bobby Scott (D - Big Meany!) of this sweet naif is just wrong! What, she’s expected to know all this law stuff, or something? And the way the Congressmen snickered at her Hello, Kitty! briefcase, well, it rends my heart, I tell ya.

[elucidator]

But we have, at last, the brave and honest…and yes, chivalrous!..Rep Feeney (R- Feh!)…

…You described yourself as a quiet girl. Millions of Americans are proud to have someone like you serving in government. I hope Congress can stop with this circus.

Apparently the Congressmen believes Americans have confused her with Reese Witherspoon, in Legally Blonde.

[Cervaise]

Millions of Americans are proud to have someone like you serving in government.

Millions of Americans think cavemen ate dinosaur steaks. What’s his point?

[Squink]

@BrainGlutton

Goodling now admits she “crossed the line”

Now the senate committee needs to find a Liberal judge willing to cancel Ms. Goodling’s immunity. There might be a Republican or two who’d complain about such an act ‘crossing the line’, but in this case, one good turn surely deserves another. Conservative America needs an object lesson in ‘justice run Amok’ here.

[elucidator]

Squink, aren’t you paying attention? She said she didn’t mean to!

[BrainGlutton]

She also says she never discussed the firings with Rove or Miers.

[elucidator]

Well, that’s entirely plausible, according to all testimony, nobody ever discussed anything with anybody, at any time.

[jayjay]

@BrainGlutton

She also says she never discussed the firings with Rove or Miers.

Just to bump this into the ridiculous and obviously either false or carefully parsed, she said that she’d never had a conversation with either Rove or Miers. Which would either mean that the White House/DoJ liaison never once spoke to the White House Counsel or they never spoke, which doesn’t rule out e-mail.

[Merijeek]

@elucidator

Well, that’s entirely plausible, according to all testimony, nobody ever discussed anything with anybody, at any time.

That’s not true. According to Gonzo all sorts of people discussed stuff with all sorts of other people. He just doesn’t know who or what.

The only thing he’s sure about is it sure wasn’t him.

-Joe

[BrainGlutton]

The FReeper thread on Goodling’s testimony is priceless! (And even they are disgusted with Gonzalez.)

Democratic Underground has 15 ongoing threads on it at last count, which should surprise no one.