BUSH LAWYERS UP-Adds NINE NEW LAWYERS TO WH Counsel's Staff

[kpete]

Personnel Announcement

White House News


President George W. Bush today announced that he has named nine individuals to serve in his Administration:

The President has named J. Michael Farren to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President. Mr. Farren recently served as Corporate Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of the Xerox Corporation. Prior to this, he served as Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Campaign Manager for the Bush-Quayle Re-election Committee and Deputy Director of President George H.W. Bush's Transition Team. Mr. Farren received his bachelor's degree from Fairfield University, his master's degree from Trinity College, and his JD from the University of Connecticut.

The President has named William Burck to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Special Counsel to the President. Mr. Burck recently served as Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Staff Secretary at the White House. Earlier in his career, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Anthony M. Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Burck received his bachelor's degree from Yale University and his JD from Yale Law School.

The President has named Emmet Flood to be Deputy Assistant to the President and Special Counsel to the President. Mr. Flood recently was a Partner at Williams & Connolly, LLP. Prior to this, he served as a Law Clerk to Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States. Earlier in his career, he served as Law Clerk for Judge Ralph K. Winter, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Flood received his bachelor's degree from the University of Dallas and his JD from Yale Law School. He received his master's degree and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

The President has named Scott Coffina to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Coffina recently served as a Partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads in Philadelphia. Earlier in his career, he served as Assistant United States Attorney in United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and an Associate at Miller Alfano & Raspanti in Philadelphia. Mr. Coffina received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University and his JD from the University of Pennsylvania.

The President has named Amy F. Dunathan to be Associate Counsel to the President. Ms. Dunathan recently served as an Associate at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP. Earlier in her career, she served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and as Senior Republican Counsel at the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs. Ms. Dunathan received her bachelor's degree from Brown University and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

The President has named Francis Q. Hoang to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Hoang recently served as an Associate at Williams & Connolly LLP. Earlier in his career, he served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Deputy Chief of Police and SWAT Commander at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Mr. Hoang received his bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy, his master's degree from Washburn University and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

The President has named Al Lambert to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Lambert recently served as an Associate at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP. Earlier in his career, he served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Laurence H. Silberman, United States Court of Appeals, DC Circuit and Summer Associate at Patton Boggs, LLP. Mr. Lambert received his bachelor's degree from New York University and his JD from Harvard Law School.

The President has named Michael Purpura to be Associate Counsel to the President. Mr. Purpura recently served as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice. Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Purpura received his bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy and his JD from the Columbia University School of Law.

The President has named Kate Todd to be Associate Counsel to the President. Ms. Todd recently served as a Partner at Wiley Rein & Fielding, LLP. Earlier in her career, she served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States and a Law Clerk to the Honorable J. Michael Luttig of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Ms. Todd received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University and her JD from Harvard Law School.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070608-6.html

[blogslut]

1. kicky kicky

recommend

[Fridays Child]

2. Why does he need so many lawyers, and why...

...should we have to pay for them?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

33. It is to protect the Decider's freedoms when he declares

himself omnipotent... I fear that day is coming soon.

[dogday]

3. Remember the Republikans in 2004 talking bad about

lawyers and tort reform.... I have not heard a single word about it since... But I see now Bush loves his lawyers....

[PA Democrat]

19. Hey dogday, speaking of Republicans and tort reform, did you see this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1070813

[dogday]

20. Another example of the hypocrisy of the pukes

Thanks for the heads-up on this :hi:

[OnyxCollie]

36. Cheney was growling about lawyers and tort reform during the Vice Presidential debate.

He was angry those meddling trial lawyers nearly drove a stake through the heart of his beloved Halliburton.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64535-2005Jan10.html

Shortly before becoming VP, the cheney-helmed Halliburton acquired Dresser Industries and it took with it a slow-release surprise- asbestos claims from employees costing billions to settle. Halliburton's stock was in the toilet from cheney's blunder. Luckily, cheney was able to start multiple wars, offer no-bid contracts to Halliburton, and ta-dah! cheney saves face with the cool kids.

[soothsayer]

4. Send lawyers, guns, and money, for the sh__ has hit the fan...

[malaise]

5. Lawyer up

You criminal fucks.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. How many of them are Democrats?

Just kidding.

[formercia]

8. How many have Crusader connections?

Not kidding.

[DemReadingDU]

7. Nine!

Must have done something really really bad

[Az_lefty]

9. Has any President been brought up on charges after leaving office?

Maybe little lord pissypants can set the example.

[cui bono]

10. Again? Who's paying for these guys?

Doesn't he know it's a waste of money? Hasn't he seen how incompetent the lawyers he would hire are? Regent doesn't turn out the best of them you know. Oh wait, I forgot. Those were the lawyers he wanted to protect us. I'm sure the lawyers he hires to protect him will be top notch.

:eyes:

[deminks]

11. Why are taxpayers paying the defense of his future war crimes charges?

[Senator]

12. Uh oh ... Real Lawyers. Somebody's Terrified of Something.

There ain't no Reject Regent U. elves here. Not that it will do any good.

There's no "close reading" of any statute, treaty, or Constitution that can unring Quasimodo's bells.

Might we have finally gotten through to the Impeachophobes.

"All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come." -- Victor Hugo

--

[watrwefitinfor]

13. So are these his personal lawyers? I am confused.

Or are they more like the White House lawyers who were required by the courts to testify about President Clinton? Didn't the courts say the president had no privilege when talking to White House Counsel?

Anyone else remember that?

And if he has no privilege, why would little boots talk to them? Why isn't he hiring his own lawyers if he anticipates legal problems?

Wat

[pnorman]

14. "Didn't the courts say the president had no privilege when talking to White House Counsel?"

I don't recall that although I hadn't been following it all that closely then. But I'd sure would like to get confirmation of it. I anticipate a day real soon when that issue will come up. And there's a certain throat I'd like to ram that down.

pnorman

[WiseButAngrySara]

16. Maybe this will clarify if it's what you're referring to?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=clinton+white+house+attorney+privileges&spell=1

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/06/01/clinton.exec.priv/

Clinton Drops Executive Privilege Appeal
Starr welcomes the White House's shift in tactics

Documents filed with the high court urged the Supreme Court not to speed up review of an attorney-client privilege and dropped any claim to executive privilege.
Clinton met with his White House and private lawyers Monday morning to go over the new legal strategy.
In dropping plans to appeal the executive privilege decision, the White House will argue that U.S. District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson in fact had ruled that the privilege exists in principle, even though she agreed with Starr's request that both Blumenthal and Lindsey must testify.
Meanwhile, in a separate legal motion later Monday, the Justice and Treasury departments filed a notice to appeal a lower court ruling denying a so-called Secret Service "protective function privilege."
The White House was facing political criticism that an appeal would be simply a means of delaying Starr's investigation. The sources said the leading scenario was to drop the appeal of executive privilege issues but pursue a more narrow appeal on grounds that some of the conversations at issue were protected by attorney-client privilege.
Such an approach would lessen comparisons to Richard Nixon's appeal on executive privilege in the Watergate investigation, but an appeal on attorney-client privilege could still slow the investigation for months.
Starr won the executive privilege fight at the District Court level; Judge Johnson ruled that conversations between a president and top aides can be shielded by executive privilege but that in this case Starr's investigatory need for the information outweighs the privilege.

http://rpc.senate.gov/_files/72898Courts.pdf

Courts Insist Clinton White House Obey Law
Administration Has Lost Every Case Claiming Privilege

The Office of the President is a part of the federal government, consisting of
government employees doing government business, and neither legal authority nor
policy nor experience suggests that a federal government entity can maintain the
ordinary commonlaw attorney-client privilege to withhold information relating to
a federal criminal offense....
uThe public interest in honest government and in exposing wrongdoing by
government officials, as well as the tradition and practice ... of government
lawyers reporting evidence of federal criminal offenses whenever such evidence
comes to them, lead to the conclusion that a government attorney may not invoke
the attorney-client privilege in response to grand jury questions seeking information
relating to the possible commission of a federal crime. ***
'With-respect to investigation of federal criminal offenses committed by those in
government, government attorneys stand in a far different position from members
of the private barl Their duty is not to defend clients against criminal charges, and
it is not to protect wrongdoers from public exposure. The constitutional
responsibility of the President and all members of the Executive Branch is to 'take
Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.'"
The Clinton Administration keeps trying to withhold evidence from Federal grand
juries, but the Federal courts keep ordering the White House to hand over the evidence and
produce the witnesses. In fact, the Clinton Administration has lost every one of its
"privilege" cases. The latest loss was yesterday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia Circuit refused to allow the White House to claim attorney-client privilege so as to
prevent presidential advisor Bruce Lindsey from testifying.

[pnorman]

18. Thank you! I can use that!

I LOVE my DU Community!

pnorman
PS:

[WiseButAngrySara]

22. Me too! (and PS: I also support Cindy! ) ....n/t

[watrwefitinfor]

21. Yes, I believe your second example is the precedence I was thinking of.

So if there is no privilege with these "government" attorneys for crimes, what does it serve him to hire all these White House Counsels? Does it just take that many to replace Harriet?

Thank you, Sara.

Wat

(on edit: faulty keyboard, good excuse as any)

[WiseButAngrySara]

23. LOL! Maybe it takes that many to absolve the damage Gonzo

alone has done? I don't know, but keep us posted if you find out. I would assume that it would take 1/1,000,000,000 of an attorney to replace Harriet!

[MissWaverly]

28. I find it maddening that Clinton was hounded for a minor offense

while Bushco sits enthroned, above the law, oh, sure every once in a while they throw an underling under the bus to satisfy cries
for some accountability.

[WiseButAngrySara]

30. It is maddening to the extent of being insanity causing it is

so obviously unfair!

[MissWaverly]

31. Yes, that is quite true

esp. when you have the hollowing out of government for special interests

[Richard Steele]

25. Honest, law-abiding folks generally need that many lawyers, right?

Right.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

15. JUST ANOTHER PAYOFF TO REGENT LAW SCHOOL

LITLE PAYOLA GOES A LONG WAY.

[Eurobabe]

32. No Regent flunkies on this list, they're pretty much all Ivy Leaguers

Methinks Asshat knows he's in deep shit.

[WiseButAngrySara]

17. Interesting. Pass the popcorn and k(pete)nr! ....n/t

[applegrove]

24. The lawyers are they to drag out any investigation. They'll put up roadblock

upon roadblock and run down the clock to the 2008 election. Actually..that could be a good thing. You know if the investigations don't come to fruition until election season 2008. Then the real story could come out just in time for the elections.

Otherwise..they might come out in the next few months.

This could be good. Assuming Congress has supeona power and will win in the end...

Perhaps I am too hopeful.

[jazzjunkysue]

26. This is that great part of the film where the bad guy knows he's cornered

and they've got the evidence and the sheriff jumps in the car and slams the door, hits the siren and takes off. Cut to empty waterside wearhouse.


:popcorn:

[proud patriot]

27. A bunch of yes men won't help ya bush

:grr:

[rucky]

29. And *WE* Get To Pay For Them.

:mad:

[L. Coyote]

34. K&R

[Blue_In_AK]

35. Interesting that he would hire top-notch lawyers

to represent HIM, but stacked the justice department, which is supposed to represent US, with Regency grads. Just another example of his arrogance.