LAT: THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL WILL INVESTIGATE KARL ROVE

[DeepModem Mom]

Low-key office launches high-profile inquiry
The Office of Special Counsel will investigate U.S. attorney firings and other political activities led by Karl Rove.
By Tom Hamburger, Times Staff Writer
April 23, 2007

Most of the time, an obscure federal investigative unit known as the Office of Special Counsel confines itself to monitoring the activities of relatively low-level government employees, stepping in with reprimands and other routine administrative actions for such offenses as discriminating against military personnel or engaging in prohibited political activities.

But the Office of Special Counsel is preparing to jump into one of the most sensitive and potentially explosive issues in Washington, launching a broad investigation into key elements of the White House political operations that for more than seven years have been headed by chief strategist Karl Rove.

The new investigation, which will examine the firing of at least one U.S. attorney, missing White House e-mails, and White House efforts to keep presidential appointees attuned to Republican political priorities, could create a substantial new problem for the Bush White House.

First, the inquiry comes from inside the administration, not from Democrats in Congress. Second, unlike the splintered inquiries being pressed on Capitol Hill, it is expected to be a unified investigation covering many facets of the political operation in which Rove played a leading part.

"We will take the evidence where it leads us," Scott J. Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel and a presidential appointee, said in an interview Monday. "We will not leave any stone unturned."...

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-probe24apr24,0,3535547.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. they are taking the administration down a person at a time

and this is great news

[grasswire]

2. Is this a trick?

A quick and slick "investigation" to corral the evidence and shut down a real inquiry?

Beware.

[aquart]

10. I think so.

<http://www.counterbias.com/307.html>

I didn't like what turned up on Google.

[loudsue]

26. Thanks for that link. Bloch is bush's wingnut in residence, and Rove is safe

if he's the one investigating. Same shit, different day with the bush administration.

:kick::kick::kick:

[robinlynne]

38. that would be my guess.

[L. Coyote]

44. PROBABLY a White House White Wash, but HEY, the LA Times has uncovered more

"The Los Angeles Times has learned that similar presentations were made by other White House staff members, including Rove, to other Cabinet agencies. During such presentations, employees said they got a not-so-subtle message about helping endangered Republicans. "

AND, where has this line of inquiry led:

"Whether legal or not, the multiple presentations revealed how widely and systematically the White House sought to deliver its list of electoral priorities.

"In the course of investigating the U.S. attorney matter and the PowerPoint presentations, Democratic congressional investigators discovered e-mails written by White House personnel using accounts maintained by the Republican National Committee.

"For example, they discovered that Jennings, a special assistant to the president and deputy director of political affairs in the White House, was using an e-mail with the domain name of "gwb43.com" that the RNC maintained."

It is like a jig-saw puzzle, one piece at a time, and the picture resolves fully.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

3. Presidential Appointee???

"The inquiry comes from inside the administration, not from Democrats in Congress."

Are we supposed to feel good when the head of the investigation was appointed by george himself?

[hvn_nbr_2]

31. Bush secretly changed the name of the office

It's no longer Office of Special Counsel. It's now the Office of Special Whitewash.

[tblue]

4. Oh happy day! Now, who is Scott J. Bloch and can we trust him? I sure as heck hope so.

Please let him be a straight shooter.

[aquart]

7. No. Not even close.

I will die of shock is this is a real investigation.

[maddezmom]

9. not a chance this is another "loyal bushie"

check some of the links here
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2820174#2820186

[Lex]

15. Ah ha! So he's "more receptive to whistle-blowers and

federal workers who have suffered unfair treatment."

That is a big :thumbsup:

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. I remember that name,

and it doesn't give me good vibes.

Log Cabin Calls On Scott Bloch, Office of Special Counsel, to Resign

Google for "scott bloch gay discrimination"

[Ellipsis]

17. Doesn't look good...

A trouble-plagued whistle-blower investigation at the Office of Special Counsel -- whose duties include shielding federal whistle-blowers -- hit another snag this week when employees accused the special counsel of intimidation in the probe.

The Office of Personnel Management's inspector general has been investigating allegations by current and former OSC employees that Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch retaliated against underlings who disagreed with his policies -- by, among other means, transferring them out of state -- and tossed out legitimate whistle-blower cases to reduce the office backlog. Bloch denies the accusations, saying that under his leadership the agency has grown more efficient and receptive to whistle-blowers.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/15/AR2007021501725.html

[tblue]

19. Okay. They wanna be that way? Fine. So we raise hell and we don't stop until they appoint a

person of integrity. Let's get it going in the blogosphere and in calls to Congress.

[Ellipsis]

23. I agree. ..more info on Bloch,

An Interview on Merit and the Prohibited Personnel Practices

http://www.mspb.gov/studies/rpt_02-06-07_proceeding/interview%201.htm


This is a little freaky if it's the same Scott J. Bloch

OLD THUNDER: A Life of Hilaire Belloc, by Joseph Pearce
Reviewed by Scott J. Bloch

http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2003/sep2003p17_1445.html

Hilaire Belloc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilaire_Belloc

http://www.hbelloc.org/

[Canuckistanian]

39. Fitzgerald was an appointee

And he did all right.

[ozymandius]

40. The Bush Cult is being investigated by its own recruiter.

Don't hold your breath.

[illinoisprogressive]

5. we can only hope something will come of this.

[Lex]

6. "the inquiry comes from inside the administration, not from Democrats in Congress."

Whoa. That's an interesting tidbit.

[aquart]

8. Now Bush can tell Congress to stuff it because of ongoing investigation.

At this moment, I am perfectly willing to believe that the investigation is Rove's idea.

[Lex]

13. I guess we'll see

how much flop-sweat that the turd blossom starts to sprout in the next day or so.

[Syrinx]

18. I think you are right

It fits Rove's MO perfectly. He's an evil genius.

When I first saw the subject line, I thought this was about PFitz. Oh well.

[grasswire]

22. precisely

They might even sequester evidence and refuse to release it to Congress. Wouldn't be the first time.

[HuffleClaw]

42. good point

ick

[babylonsister]

11. Be still my heart. Can this actually be possible? The "brain"?

Could the remaining AGs be a bit miffed at what happened to their cohorts?

[AtomicKitten]

14. sounds like the fox in charge of investigating the raid on the hen house

"We will not leave any stone unturned," said Scott Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel and presidential appointee. "Just can't remember where we left the stones. Seriously, they were right here a moment ago."

[saltpoint]

16. What's the buzz? Tell me what'sa happenin'.

Really?

This is actually going to happen?

[flyarm]

20. another white wash..look over there..nothing to see!! EOM

[MagickMuffin]

21. Who is Scott J. Bloch?!?!?

http://imgred.com/

In January 2004, George W. Bush's choice to head the Office of Special Counsel began his reign. Since then, Scott J. Bloch has not only ignored President Clinton's executive order - which the Bush administration said it supported and wanted continued - but Mr. Bloch has removed all protections for gay and lesbian federal employees and, by his actions, condoned and encouraged "prohibited personnel practices" against them. His record with "whistleblowers" is just as bad.

One of Mr. Bloch's first moves as Special Counsel - in February 2004 - was to remove from OSC complaint forms and its official web site all references to "sexual orientation." Is it any surprise that while at the University of Kansas, Bloch enrolled in the Integrated Humanities Program, a curriculum established in 1971 to counter the anti-war and women's movements and the growing demand for greater multiculturalism on campus? Is it any surprise that Mr. Bloch has bluntly refused to investigate any claims of "sexual harassment" involving gay or lesbian federal employees?

Is it any surprise that Mr. Bloch has ignored competitive recruitment practices by unilaterally hiring his investigators from among new graduates of Ave Maria Law School? Is it any surprise that Bloch hired Alan Hicks, his son's former headmaster, for a one-year, $112,000 position that produced one - that's one - four page memo? (Alan Hicks left his headmaster position after the cover-up of a predatory priest scandal had been exposed.)

In early October 2004, five Democratic members of Congress called on President Bush to "take the necessary action" against Mr. Bloch who, they correctly asserted, continues to refuse "to enforce anti-discrimination protections for federal workers contradicts Bush administration policy to uphold former President Clinton's executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation."

Scott J. Bloch and the Office of Special Counsel betrayed the trust of all federal employees. What gay or lesbian employee would feel safe coming forward with a complaint? What "whistleblower" would feel safe coming forward with allegations when the Special Counsel himself is so demonstrably devious and corrupt?

http://www.counterbias.com/307.html

Sounds like MORE PARTISAN POLITICS to me... I hope the Democrats call FOUL on this obvious Obstruction of Justice!

[BuyingThyme]

24. Here's the Washington Post article; it goes right to the Hatch Act:

Is this big news? I can't tell.

GSA Briefing Now Part Of Wider Investigation

By Scott Higham and Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, April 24, 2007; Page A03

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is expanding its investigation of a January videoconference, conducted by Karl Rove's deputy for General Services Administration appointees, to look at whether the political dealings of the White House have violated the Hatch Act, its chairman said last night.

Not long into its investigation of the presentation, Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch said, his office had collected "a sufficient amount of evidence" that merited a deeper examination of whether the White House was running afoul of the law.

J. Scott Jennings conducted the Jan. 26 videoconference in the political affairs office at the White House. His PowerPoint presentation, to as many as 40 Republican GSA political appointees, contained slides describing Democratic seats that the GOP planned to target in the next election and Republican seats that needed to be protected.

...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042301995.html

[DeepModem Mom]

25. Thanks, BuyingThyme! nt

[rumpel]

27. oh oh, is this to preempt congressional inquiries?

can they seize evidence and not release docs under the guise of an investigation?

This smells to high heaven - again.

[hlthe2b]

28. This smacks of a Rove diversionary tactic...

Waxman, Conyers, Leahy and others in COngress: keep your eye on the ball and do not let the press get by with focusing on this as a TRUE investigation. Predictably, it will exonerate Rove, because that is exactly why it was launched (I'm willing to bet).

[blogslut]

29. Nixon "investigated" his own administration too

Just ask John Dean ;)

[Hubert Flottz]

30. I'll believe it when I see Karl in jail for life!

[jasmeel]

32. Please let there be justice. n/t

[hang a left]

33. Bloch is a major Bushie!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x740920

[meldroc]

34. Congress should appoint their own special prosecutor.

That's what needs to be done - looks like this one's a Kool-Aid drinking Bushie.

[Gregorian]

35. NO STONE UNTURNED.

Oh, I like it! Now WE have a slogan.

[TwilightGardener]

36. Thom Hartmann just talked about this and seems hopeful that there will be

evidence that Rove broke the law (Hatch Act). If he's hopeful, then I am hopeful.

[Lex]

37. kick

:kick:

[progressoid]

41. Shit - That's almost as good as appointing Kissinger to head the 9/11 commission.

[rndmprsn]

43. F#CK ALL OF THESE EXCUSES FOR PEOPLE!

bring it on MF!

[Nia Zuri]

45. This will be an "ongoing investigation"

shielding them from testifying tocongress, releasing documents etc. Oh christ!

[halobeam]

46. how do you come to that conclusion?

is there a link you can provide that will help me understand this, they way you are understanding it?

[krkaufman]

47. firebreak

Main Entry: fire·break
Pronunciation: -"brAk
Function: noun
: a barrier of cleared or plowed land intended to check a forest or grass fire

It is very possible that this will be a token effort intended to generate a report exonerating Rove of any wrongdoing, as a firebreak against future scandals and investigations. "Nothing to see here, move along."

I won't have faith that Rove is going down until I see Turdblossom in 'cuffs.

[lonestarnot]

48. Red Rover Red Rover send Gannon right over.

Heh!

[spanone]

49. Fox // Henhouse