Greg Palast: American Nightmare - Gonzales "Wrong And Illegal And Unethical"

[Hissyspit]

http://www.gregpalast.com/american-nightmare-gonzales-wrong-and-illegal-and-unethical

American Nightmare:
Gonzales “wrong and illegal and unethical”

Published August 28th, 2007 in Articles
by Greg Palast
Tuesday, August 28.

“What I’ve experienced in the last six months is the ugly side of the American dream.”

Last month, David Iglesias and I were looking out at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island where his dad had entered the US from Panama decades ago. It was a hard moment for the military lawyer who, immediately after Attorney General Alberto Gonzales fired Iglesias as US Attorney for New Mexico, returned to active military duty as a Naval Reserve JAG.

Captain Iglesias, cool and circumspect, added something I didn’t expect:

“They misjudged my character, I mean they really thought I was just going to roll over and give them what they wanted and when I didn’t, that I’d go away quietly but I just couldn’t do that. You know US Attorneys and the Justice Department have a history of not taking into consideration partisan politics. That should not be a factor. And what they tried to do is just wrong and illegal and unethical.”

When a federal prosecutor says something is illegal, it’s not just small talk. And the illegality wasn’t small. It’s called, “obstruction of justice,” and it’s a felony crime.

Specifically, Attorney General Gonzales, Iglesias told me, wanted him to bring what the prosecutor called “bogus voter fraud” cases. In effect, US Attorney Iglesias was under pressure from the boss to charge citizens with crimes they didn’t commit. Saddam did that. Stalin did that. But Iglesias would NOT do that - even at the behest of the Attorney General. Today, Captain Iglesias, reached by phone, told me, “I’m not going to file any bogus prosecutions.”

But it wasn’t just Gonzales whose acts were “unethical, wrong and illegal.“

It was Gonzales’ boss.

Iglesias says, “The evidence shows right now, is that (Republican Senator Pete) Domenici complained directly to President Bush. And that Bush then called Alberto Gonzales, the Attorney General, and complained about my alleged lack of vigorous enforcement of voter fraud laws.“

In other words, it went to the top. The Decider had decided to punish a prosecutor who wouldn’t prosecute innocents.

All day long I’ve heard Democrats dance with glee that they now have the scalp of Alberto Gonzales. They nailed the puppet. But what about the puppeteer? The question that remains is the same that Watergate prosecutors asked of Richard Nixon, “What did the President know and when did he know it?”

Or, to update it for Dubya, “What did the President know and how many times did Karl Rove have to explain it to him?”

- snip -

“This voter fraud thing is the bogey man,” says Iglesias.

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[Hissyspit]

1. .

[Hissyspit]

2. .

[L. Coyote]

3. David Iglesias is not going away! Gonzales is. Many have. TRUTH lives.

And the truth will send a few to jail still. It does not set everyone free.

[texpatriot2004]

4. "it was wrong and illegal and unethical" and the "voter fraud

thing is the bogey man"

Iglesias is right about all of this and he is also right that it didn't stop with Gonzo.

Very interesting when a prosecutor calls it this way.

[L. Coyote]

5. When will this translate into a general understanding that Florida 2000 was stolen?

That day is fast approaching. Imagine the panic on the other side of the aisle, because 2008 is also fast approaching, but not as fast!

[texpatriot2004]

7. Well, my first thought is that "voter fraud" is a different matter than

stealing elections. However, I will say that recently I had this thought about those who have the knowledge purposefully waiting until the perfect time to reveal the injustice that many of us have believed all along. Wouldn't that be interesting?

[XOKCowboy]

6. “What did the President know and how many times did Karl Rove have to explain it to him?”

Greg Palast sure knows how to turn a phrase doesn't he? I'd put a :rofl: in here someplace but it's too serious a matter to laugh at.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. This issue is so near and dear to my heart

My mom fought a horrible voter ID law until a few days before she died. The last few months of her life were spent worrying about how she could register to vote.

I just hate these people for what they did to my mother and to hundreds of thousands of other American citizens who are disenfranchised by these stupid hateful voter ID laws. And I applaud David Iglesias for speaking out.