Waxman Demands Info Linking White House To Cunningham Probe And Possible Attorney Firing

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/26/waxman-mzm-white-house/


Waxman Demands Info Linking White House To Cunningham Probe And Possible Attorney Firing

Last Monday, ThinkProgress questioned whether fired U.S. attorney Carol Lam was targeting the White House prior to her dismissal.

We noted the following information that stemmed from Lam’s investigation into former Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA): the White House awarded a one-month, $140,000 contract to MZM contractor Mitchell Wade, who had never previously held a federal contract. Two weeks after Wade got paid, he used a cashier’s check for exactly $140,000 to buy a boat for a now-imprisoned congressman (Cunningham) at a price that the congressman had pre-negotiated.

Today, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote a letter to White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten demanding “all contracts, subcontracts, and task orders between MZM, Inc. … and the Executive Office of the President“:

According to the Federal Procurement Data System, the Executive Office of the President awarded a one-month, $140,000 contract to MZM, Inc. in July 2002. This appears to have been the company’s first prime contract with the federal government, and it came only two months after MZM was placed on the General Services Administration’s Federal Supply Schedule. Published reports suggest that the contract was to provide computers and office furniture to the Office of the Vice President.

Subsequent investigations have uncovered serious inegularities, and in some cases criminal conduct, by MZM employees, members of Congress, and Bush Administration officials relating to MZM contracts with the federal government. To date, however, there has been no examination of the circumstances surrounding MZM’s initial federal contract and the role that White House officials played in the award and execution of the contract.

In the letter, Waxman requests that the White House provide documents relating to the White House-MZM contracts as soon as possible, but in no case later than Friday, April 6.

Read the full letter here:
http://oversight.house.gov/Documents/20070326161334-56043.pdf

[Old and In the Way]

1. I hope Bush is good at playing 8 dimensional chess.....

I'd say that looking at a dozen different checkmate scenario's and this is one game he can't decide not to play.

[MUAD_DIB]

2. Bush is not like Spok. He's more like Harry Mudd.

[cascadiance]

3. Ah! This news makes me feel good now!

I called Waxman's office when the firing news on Carol Lam first came out and shortly after a staffer called me up for details on the article, etc. and an email I subsequently sent to her which she forwarded on to the oversight committee! Looks like they're now picking up the ball on that! Yay!

[CrazyOrangeCat]

4. Very Cool!

:applause:

[babylonsister]

5. Good for you and your activism, calipendence! I'm impressed they

returned your call and followed through! :toast:

[cascadiance]

7. I'm still hoping Arnold gives an excuse to recall his butt...

... and perhaps then talk DiFi into running for governor as his replacement. Then when she wins, have her appoint Waxman to step in to serve out her term in the senate, and then be a shoo-in to be re-elected in 2112. I'd love him grilling potential judge nominations for SCOTUS!

[MsKandice01]

11. Great job!

Thank you!!

[youngdem]

6. Folks, THIS IS THE BIG STORY in this whole thing

The US Atty firings are illegal and immoral, and should result in changes in law to prevent this again, but THIS story involving MZM may bring down Cheney or Bush. It is SO CLEARLY a bribe, it is difficult to surmise differently.

Otherwise, WHY IN THE HELL would a contractor award the ENTIRE value of his contract to the Congressman who assisted him in receiving the contract in the form of a bribe (to purchase the Dukestir)? This is very clearly a fake bid meant as payola from the White House to a sitting Congressman, for purposes not yet clear. But I suspect what we have here is the government's version of multi-level marketing. Congressmen go out and round up contractors willing to pay bribes, and these small contracts are pass through bribes to the Congressmen through the contractors to both pay the Congressman his finder's fee for bringing the Bush Cabal a new bribe and to dirty the hands of all involved as does the Mafia before agreeing to further dealings. Without further bribes and inflated contracts to come, why would a contractor go through with performing bids for free? They wouldn't.

This is gonna get good. I have faith Waxman is gonna have someone's nuts in a vice REALLY soon. After all, when was the last time you saw a Bush official take the 5th instead of just lying to Congress? They've got A LOT to hide here.

[Tess49]

9. You're right. Holy Smokes! This stuff is coming out faster than

I can keep up wih it. During the Watergate hearings, my employers were literally glued to the radio. At the age of 22, I didn't understand their fascination with it. Happy to say, I've changed a bit since then, and I get it today. It seems like if I'm away from the computer for more than 3 hours, that all hell has broken out since I last logged on. I hope it keeps coming.

[Supersedeas]

21. If it sticks...then impeachment will be the logical next step

[Postman]

8. I say - Waxman for President of the Universe.....

The Republic just may yet be saved by this giant of gov't accountability.

[MsKandice01]

10. Yes!!!!! This is fabulous news!

GOODNESS, it feels great to have these Dems in positions of power. Waxman, Conyers, Leahy, go get 'em guys!

[texpatriot2004]

12. Thank you Rep. Waxman for the oversight! It way

overdue.

[19jet54]

13. Executive Privilege...

... won't work on this issue either - great job TEAM Congress!!!!

[unlawflcombatnt]

14. Excellent

I was wondering myself if the entire reason for removing 8 attorneys was simply to cover up the targeted removal of Lam, due to the possibility that her ongoing investigations might lead to someone higher up. Apparently it may lead all the way to the White House.

It appears likely now that the firing of the other 7 attorneys was simply to distract from Lam's firing. If they'd just fired Lam, it would have looked too obvious. If they'd fired all 93, it would have also looked suspicious, because it would have seemed like an obvious cover-up. Firing just 8 makes it look like it was done for some type of political reason, instead of obstructing an ongoing investigation by removing the involved U.S. attorney.

[gkhouston]

20. I think we'll eventually uncover "benefits" associated with the removal

of the other 7, but it looks like getting rid of Lam was urgent. I'm surprised Fitzgerald escaped the ax; either they thought his firing would be too noticeable or they wanted to keep him doing two jobs at once (in the hope that he'd be less effective at pursuing the CIA leak case) or both.

[niceypoo]

15. GONZOGATE is blowing up in their faces

Muhahahaha!

[Vinca]

16. Now tell me this isn't getting into criminal territory. nt

[The Wizard]

17. Imagining the facial expressions

in the White House when the name Waxman comes up is the cause of many smiles in this house. The Waxman name must be like the proverbial fingernails on the blackboard response. Cringe you bastards, cringe.

[IWantAChange]

18. Slow and patient - Waxman, Conyers and Leahy are building their case like prosecutors...

who build a foundation of evidence and 'possibilities' that in the end cannot be repudiated by mere talking points or innuendo.

[Kurovski]

19. K&R.(nt)

[russ1943]

22. Every (pres) one does it?

US Attorney’s job security isn’t/aren’t on the top of my
priority list, but this article (below)is informative
regarding the Repubs claims.

From his method acting against "politics," Rove went
on to his next, more banal talking point: There can be no
scandal because everyone's guilty. (This is a variation of the
old "it didn't start with Watergate" defense.)
"I would simply ask that everybody who's playing politics
with this, be asked to comment on what they think of the
removal of 123 U.S. attorneys during the previous
administration and see if they had the same, superheated
political rhetoric then that they've having now."
Instantly, this Rove talking point echoed out the squawk boxes
of conservative talk radio and through the parrot jungle of
the Washington press corps. 

Indeed, Presidents Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Reagan
replaced the 93 U.S. attorneys at the beginning of their
administration as part of the normal turnover involved in the
alternation of power. A report issued on Feb. 22 from the
Congressional Research Service revealed that between 1981 and
2006, only five of the 486 U.S. attorneys failed to finish
their four-year terms, and none were fired for political
reasons. Only three were fired for questionable behavior,
including one on "accusations that he bit a topless
dancer on the arm during a visit to an adult club after losing
a big drug case." In brief, Bush's firings were
unprecedented, and Rove's talking point was simply one among
several shifting explanations, starting with the initial false
talking point that those dismissed suffered from "low
performance." 
http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2007/03/22/attorneys/index.html


“one among several shifting explanations” ……………………..deja vu?