Transcripts, E-Mails Detail Campaign to Oust U.S. Attorney (Rove, Miers)

[cal04]

Source: Washington Post

Rove, Miers Transcripts Detail Campaign to Oust U.S. Attorney

The dismissal of New Mexico U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias in December 2006 followed extensive communication among lawyers and political aides in the White House who hashed over complaints about his work on public corruption cases against Democrats, according to newly released e-mails and transcripts of closed-door House testimony by former Bush counsel Harriet Miers and political chief Karl Rove.

A campaign to oust Iglesias intensified after state party officials and GOP members of the congressional delegation apparently concluded he was not pursuing the cases against Democrats in a way that would help then- Rep. Heather Wilson in a tight releection race, according to interviews and Bush White House e-mails released Tuesday by congressional investigators. The documents place the genesis of Iglesias's dismissal earlier than previously known.

The disclosures mark the end of a two-and-a-half year investigation by the House Judiciary Committee, which sued to gain access to Bush White House documents in a dispute that struck at the heart of a president's executive power. House members have reserved the right to hold a public hearing at which Rove, Miers, and other aides could appear this fall.

House Judiciary Chairman John M. Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) Tuesday characterized the role of Bush White House figures in the firing episode as improper and inappropriate.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/11/AR2009081102104.html?hpid=topnews

---

White House emails, Bush aide implicate Rove in firing of US Attorney
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/11/white-house-emails-implicate-rove/

[tomm2thumbs]

1. oh those nasty emails - aren't they supposed to self-destruct so no one can ever see them again?

I guess they were watching too many episodes of Mission Impossible.

[SKKY]

3. The "sticky" thing about e-mails is that, they pass through many, many...

...points on their way to a destination. Most likely, at least 2 but perhaps as many as 6 e-mail servers have a copy of any particular e-mail. And if a network is half-way maintained, backups are also done on those servers. Information Stores are just that, and they're very, very easy to back up.

[Soylent Brice]

2. K&R

[JayMusgrove]

4. Can all these results lead to a criminal charge against some of

the Bush dummies???

I sure hope so... Gonzo and Rove should spend a few years in jail, I think, at the least.

[JDPriestly]

5. Here we go. Did Rove say one thing to Congress (hope he was under oath)

although the e-mails and correspondence strongly suggest something else was the truth? In other words: Do these e-mails and correspondence indicate that Rove lied to Congress?

We don't have enough information to make that determination, but, gradually, it will come out.

[abq e streeter]

6. Time for a strongly worded letter, or a supboena to testify that's ignored with no consequences.

[snake in the grass]

7. Yeah,

that's about all we can expect, if anything at all. I'm so sick of the toothless lions in our party. It's beyond frustrating.

[Kingofalldems]

8. Republicans posing as Democrats are not amused

Expect to see the sarcastic "Is that in 24 business hrs?" post designed to stifle any discussion of Rove.

[steven johnson]

9. As Iglesias said two years ago: "... all roads lead to Rove"

So much for Rove not politicizing the Justice Department.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/11/us/politics/AP-US-Rove-Prosecutors.html

[Wednesdays]

10. K&R

:kick:

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. It is more than the firings.

The document dump includes e-mails from the White House to the RNC and back , showing that
Rove, working out of the WH, and others, working out of DOJ, were working with the RNC to plan election campaigns for governors. There is particular focus on Alabama.
The e-mail addresses prove the location of the people as they pass the election planning information back and forth.
That behavior was the source of investigation early in 2007, when there was much talk about how
the Bush Admin. has politicized the WH, Doj.

[L. Coyote]

19. This is why Bush had to fire Rove!

Deja DU: Has Rove's Egg Hatched? The Firing of KARL ROVE or Why His Family Needs Him Now.
Aug-16-07 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1591504

What constitutes a Hatch Act violation? ANY political activity on USG time, ANY.
It does not matter if it is a dot.gov or rnc.com e-mail if the person is on the clock,
at work in an official capacity. If anything at all is done on a CAMPAIGN it is a
Hatch Act violation. Read ILLEGAL. Read a CRIME. Read getting flushed!!

While researching Tim Griffin---the vote-caging, Rovian, just-resigned, Patriot Act implant
USA in Arkansas---and his vote caging e-mail that landed in the lap of Greg Palast, I noticed
that some of the e-mails had dot.gov addresses AND were being used to conduct campaign business.
This adds one huge illegal dimension to the mis-directed e-mails in addition to voter caging,
Hatch Act violations. Inquiry into the Hatch Act made me aware of the scope of the law's reach.

Here is the "catch-all" georgewbush.org e-mails site I was reading: .......

........

======================
Comments:
With Rove out, it is time to reexamine the e-mails issue in light of the "EVERYONE IS GUILTY" possibility!!!
How many Hatch Act violation are there?
How many other issues are nagging Karl Rove? The USA firings is also likely to have considerable fallout on his shiny dome.

However, the issue that just pushed Rove out is likely Hatch Act and Presidential Records Act violations.
In particular, Rove was the author of the PowerPoint presentation at issue in the Doan investigation.

Here follows a sampling of Rove problems ..............

[No Elephants]

32. Please see Reply 31.

[Alcibiades]

25. Wish I could rec your post

They are so busted.

[zeemike]

12. I don[t know if this is covered in the article but

Heather Wilson and Pete Dominichi both were recorded calling Iglasies and asking him to move on their issues....Dominichi ended the conversation by saying "that's to bad" and then hung up...after that he was fired.

[abq e streeter]

14. Fellow New Mexican here--wouldn't it be great to see Pete and Heather in prison?

Not out of revenge , but because they'd been tried and convicted in a a fair trial......they've both been caught on tape committing criminal acts; and as they're both "tough on crime" republicans, you'd think they'd volunteer to do time...

[zeemike]

21. Apparently none of that made the national news

not that i am surprised.
But they are under a separate justice system than us....to them it is all in the game.

[burrowowl]

24. I think Pete and Heather did get

some coverage on this in the LA Times back in the day!
I would love to see them indicted!

[XXXMADAM]

13. removed

[XXXMADAM]

15. Sextortions

At least 3 of the 9 fired prosecutors were indicting FBI/CIA politcal Sextortion cases.

Carol Lam in San Diego, Bogden in Las Vegas, the USDA in Maryland - http://www.yardbird.com/luna.htm

I don't know the case loads of the other DA's, it would be worth an investigative search.
What is Rove's relation with now imprisoned CIA FOGGO? Rove, Foggo, Cheney all lived in Dallas, Tx. at the time DC madam Palfrey joined Foggo, 1993, while she was on federal parole for Extortion.

xxx
http://fbicorruption.250free.com

[nashville_brook]

16. damn good questions.

[Joanne98]

17. Good catch XXX! Welcome to DU!

FBI internal BETA Report:
'A Summary of Dismissals Involving FBI Agents and Egregious Behavior'

It took two years for members of the U.S. Senate to learn that the FBI in 2000 conducted its own internal study on agent misconduct. The FBI then stonewalled for months to keep its report from the Senate, finally releasing it to the oversight committee several months before Jonathan Luna's death. Known as the Behavioral and Ethical Trends Analysis, or BETA, the report details a study conducted by the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences and Law Enforcement Ethics unit. The Ethics Unit has since been starved of funds by the FBI. The BETA report is described by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley as a "laundry list of horrors." Posted 5/1/05
To read more click here >>

To download Part 1 of the BETA report (2,400 k) click here >>

To download the Summary of Observations from the BETA report (300 k) click here >>

http://www.yardbird.com/luna_downloads/FBI_Beta_Report_Summary.pdf
on the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility

"OPR was created in 1976 and located in the FBI’s Inspection Division. Unlike today’s OPR, this entity was responsible only for investigating allegations of criminal action or other serious misconduct by FBI employees," the report explains. The report concludes the OPR, "has lost touch with its original mission and no longer effectively serves the Director and the FBI as a whole." Posted 5/2/05. To download the complete Bell Report (532 k) click here >>

Congress reports on FBI use of murderers as informants

Jonathan Luna's murder fell in a period that produced amazing revelations about deep, systemic and enduring scandalous behavior within the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department. Posted 2/17/05 To read more click here >>
To download full congressional report click here >>

Second FBI agent charged with aiding mob murders

For the second time in two and a half years, a FBI agent has been charged with helping FBI mob informants to commit murder. Posted 4-2-06 Read more >>





This page was last updated
5-29-09.

[cascadiance]

27. I have some grapevine info from the Nevada Prosecutor's office...

One theory I heard is that Bogden was fired in order to make room for Kyle Sampson to take his job there. It would be good to search through the data to see if that might be the case. There was surprise on both sides of the aisle there that he got reappointed by Obama as he was pretty pro-Bush. Carol Lam by contrast had changed her party affiliation from Republican to independent while serving as district Attorney.

And Foggo, Brent Wilkes, Porter Goss, etc. were all tied rather loosely to the Hookergate scandal also in the Watergate hotel, which had prostitutes involved with that.

[L. Coyote]

34. Daniel Bogden, Nevada. Getting too close to corporate gifts for a Republican Governor

Daniel Bogden, Nevada. Getting too close to corporate gifts for a Republican Governor
Aug-01-09 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3995574&mesg_id=3995916

Nevada federal prosecutor Daniel Bogden may have been undone by an explosive FBI probe of just re-elected Governor Jim Gibbons. Gibbons’ dealings with friend and defense contractor Warren Trepp are a part of the investigation. It isn’t hard to figure out why.

Among the dozens of e-mails is one allegedly sent days before Trepp and his wife prepared to set sail on a Caribbean cruise with (Governor) Gibbons and his wife. In it, Trepp's wife allegedly wrote to her husband: "Please don't forget to bring the money you promised Jim and Dawn." Trepp's reply, according to the Journal report, was: "Don't you ever send this kind of message to me! Erase this message from your computer right now!" Washington Post

There are other examples of Trepp’s cash and carry relationship with his friend and traveling companion, the governor. The possible resignation of Gov. Gibbons due to a scandal was apparently too much for the White House to bear. Senate testimony indicated that there was really no reason to remove Bogden other than to make room for a political appointee. Long service and an excellent record offered no protection for this loyal civil servant.

Another layer of protection for the governor was provided when intelligence czar, John D. Negrponte filed a statement saying any investigation of the Gov. Gibbons – Trepp connection would compromise vital national security interests.

Is this the security of knowing that you’ll be able to actually spend the walking around money your patron gave you during your Caribbean vacation together? Time will tell. Mar 12, 2007 http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0703/S00213.htm

[dixiegrrrrl]

36. If memory serves, Sampson was indeed going to be sent to Nev.

I remember that coming up when I was following Attorneygate very very closely in 2007/08.
At the time, TMP was doing almost all the heavy lifting on that story.

[Turbineguy]

18. It's interesting how this helped to derail her shot at SOTUS

as it should.

[JNelson6563]

20. K&R

:kick:

[Faygo Kid]

22. Shocked! Round up the usual suspects. No wonder he was everywhere on Faux tonight.

Talking about everything but this. Don't get your hopes up. He could kill any of us and walk away free. Karl Rove has a permanent "Get Out of Jail Free" card. If he didn't, the Dems would have done something before this "revelation" of the obvious.

Nothing to see here. Be on your way.

[myrna minx]

23. K&R n/t

[lovuian]

26. Why is this man still walking free

arrest him

[cascadiance]

28. Just do it!

[Individualist]

29. DLC doesn't want neocons to be held accountable.

[cal04]

30. A Vindication for Iglesias?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/211507

Newly revealed e-mails may show that Karl Rove and the Bush White House had a more active role in the 2006 U.S. attorney firings than previously disclosed.
By Michael Isikoff | Newsweek Web Exclusive

The former federal prosecutor at the center of the controversy over the 2006 U.S. attorney firings said today that he feels fully vindicated by newly disclosed e-mails from the Bush White House showing that Karl Rove and his deputies were actively involved in arranging his dismissal from the Justice Department. "This confirms my worst nightmares," David Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney in New Mexico, said in an interview with NEWSWEEK. "There were improper and potentially illegal—as in criminally illegal—reasons for my removal."

His comments came shortly after the House Judiciary Committee released hundreds of pages of interview transcripts of Bush White House officials and internal e-mails that were obtained by the panel earlier this year and kept confidential until today. The material suggests, at a minimum, an often aggressive effort by Rove's office for more than a year and a half to have Iglesias removed as the chief federal prosecutor in New Mexico following a barrage of complaints from Republican Party officials and members of Congress that he was not doing enough to prosecute voter-fraud cases and bring indictments that would hurt Democrats and boost the GOP's prospects in the key swing state.

Iglesias said today that he was "surprised" last month when Rove insisted in a rare joint interview to reporters from The New York Times and The Washington Post that he was merely a "conduit" of complaints about Iglesias, rather than a driving force behind the decision to fire the prosecutor. "This doesn't sound like he was merely a conduit," Iglesias said about the newly released e-mails and testimony. "This sounds like he had a very active role."

Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, did not return a phone call seeking comment. But Rep. Lamar Smith, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, dismissed the significance of the new material. "Despite all evidence to the contrary, House Democrats continue to falsely accuse former Bush administration official Karl Rove of wrongdoing in the dismissal of several U.S. Attorneys," said Smith in a statement. "But the interviews reveal no evidence of wrongdoing in the firings."

(snip)
In perhaps the most significant passage in the new material, former White House counsel Harriet Miers—questioned by the judiciary committee for the first time in June—described getting a phone call from a "very upset" Rove telling her that Iglesias was "a serious problem and he wanted something done about it."

[No Elephants]

31. 21/2 years to figure out Iglesias told the truth? Don't hold your breath about Hatch

Act violations, either,

We've known for a long time that aRove, others used various government agencies (and taxpayer money) to help Republicans, included Bush, get re-elected 2002 to 2008. http://havenworks.com/law/hatch-act/



RE: 2006-Excerpts from a juicy WSJ article (yes, I said WSJ)--read the whole thing at the link.

"Mr. Bloch's investigation of the White House political operation began after a Rove deputy gave a series of political presentations to government agencies on Republican prospects in specific congressional races. Mr. Bloch's office wants to know whether such presentations violated the Hatch Act, a law forbidding the use of federal resources to back candidates for office.

The Office of Special Counsel has set up a task force of lawyers and investigators, led by Mr. Bloch's deputy, James Byrne, to determine which agencies got political briefings from the White House. The agency plans to interview officials at more than 20 agencies and is examining White House emails and documents.

In one email, sent by the U.S. drug-control office and disclosed this summer, an official quotes Mr. Rove as being pleased that officials at the Commerce, Transportation and Agriculture departments went "above and beyond" the call of duty in arranging appearances by cabinet members at Republican campaign events.


Mr. Rove has resigned from the White House and is no longer under jurisdiction of the Office of Special Counsel. His attorney, Robert Luskin, declined to comment.

The special counsel's probe has already found one alleged violation, at the General Services Administration, where Rove deputies gave a presentation on Jan. 26. At the end of the presentation, according to a report by Mr. Bloch's office on the incident, GSA Administrator Lurita Doan asked, "How can we help our candidates?" Twenty participants in the meeting recalled substantially the same words, the report said."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119621772122306160.html

See also http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/28/rove-powerpoint-doan/


Will anyone prosecute anyone for ANYthing, or will we look only forward?

[L. Coyote]

33. Deja DUs: Rove’s politicization of USG included $$$ = billions

Spending USG taxpayer money for political gain was part of the politicization!

"head of the General Services Administration, Doan oversees $500 billion dollars worth of federal assets."

Lurita Doan (GSA Administrator) clearly violated the Hatch Act...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VePqzIrR-ao&e

What is truly alarming is that GSA has $60 BILLION to spread around, and the "unspoken directive" of the PPT is, spend the money to re-elect our guys. In other words, put the money where we get political mileage. A lot of that spending was no-bid contracting. A lot of investigation is needed about patronage abuse, not to mention the a la Abramoff kick-back possibilities and the campaign donations. We need to know who got the contracts and how much they paid back to the GOP, be it campaign contributions, lobbyist funneled contributions, or kick-backs.

================
FROM: Special Counsel Probe Into Rove’s Politicization Of Government Advances
Jun-16-07 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1124705

In April, the Office of Special Counsel launched what the LA Times described as a "broad investigation into key elements of the White House political operations that for more than six years have been headed by chief strategist Karl Rove." The OSC, generally a fairly obscure federal investigative unit that reviews Hatch Act violations and charges of discrimination in the federal workforce, suggested the probe would encompass quite a bit, including the U.S. Attorney purge, missing White House e-mails, and the Bush gang's efforts to politicize presidential appointees.

"This is a big deal," Paul C. Light, a New York University expert on the executive branch, said of OSC's plan. "It is a significant moment for the administration and Karl Rove. It speaks to the growing sense that there is a nexus at the White House that explains what's going on in these disparate investigations."

more at:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/014654.php


Special Counsel Probe Into Rove’s Politicization Of Government Advances

The Office of Special Counsel, which has already recommended that GSA chief Lurita Doan be suspended or fired for participating in partisan activities while on the job, is now moving forward with its investigation of nearly 20 other administration agencies.

....

=============
FROM: Lurita Doan Finally Forced Out At GSA = "asked to submit my resignation"
Apr-29-08 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3225488

(The Politico) Lurita Doan, head of the General Services Administration, was forced to offer her resignation tonight, according to an e-mail she sent out this evening.

Doan was appointed in late May, 2006, becoming the first woman to serve as GSA Administrator. With 12,000 empioyees and a $20 billion annual budget, GSA has responsibilty for overseeing the thousands of building and properties owned by the federal government.

Doan became the subject of congressional scrutiny last year for allegedly using GSA to help Republican lawmakers win re-election. ......

================
Bill Moyers Journal: The Case of Lurita Doan and the GSA, Rep. Henry Waxman

The Case of Lurita Doan and the GSA
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2008/02/the_curious_case_of_lurita_doa.html

You may have been familiar with the scrutiny of Blackwater¹s mercenary army, or followed the troubles with oversight at the State Department, but chances are you hadn't heard of Lurita Doan. She isn't exactly a household name. So it might be surprising that, as head of the General Services Administration, Doan oversees $500 billion dollars worth of federal assets.

On the JOURNAL, Rep. Henry Waxman explains how an investigation that started with leaks about possible favoritism in awarding government contracts eventually uncovered documents and testimony that convinced Waxman that Doan had violated the Hatch Act, a law prohibiting federal employees from using government resources for partisan purposes. Waxman was so shocked by what the Committee found that he took the unusual step of asking Doan to resign at the end of the hearings. The Office of Special Counsel, which conducted a separate investigation of Doan, concluded that Doan should be "disciplined to the fullest extent for her serious violation of the Hatch Act and insensitivity to cooperating fully and honestly in the course of our investigation." Yet today Doan still heads the GSA.

[L. Coyote]

35. Fact Sheet Cataloging Many Lies Told By Bush Admin Re: Firing US Attorneys (w/quotes & sources!)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x463761