NYT: Attorney General Is Closely Linked to Inquiry Figures

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 — Deep political ties between top White House aides and Attorney General John Ashcroft have put him into a delicate position as the Justice Department begins a full investigation into whether administration officials illegally disclosed the name of an undercover C.I.A. officer.

Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's top political adviser, whose possible role in the case has raised questions, was a paid consultant to three of Mr. Ashcroft's campaigns in Missouri, twice for governor and for United States senator, in the 1980's and 1990's, an associate of Mr. Rove said on Wednesday.

Jack Oliver, the deputy finance chairman of Mr. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, was the director of Mr. Ashcroft's 1994 Senate campaign, and later worked as Mr. Ashcroft's deputy chief of staff.

Those connections led Democrats on Wednesday to assert that Mr. Rove's connections to Mr. Ashcroft amounted to a clear conflict of interest and undermined the integrity of the investigation. The disclosures have also emboldened Democrats who have called for the appointment of an outside counsel.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2003/10/02/politics/02ASHC.html?hp

[NewYorkerfromMass]

1. Wow. This is the NYTimes we used to know and love

so.....go get 'em!!!!....and this is damn good reporting too:

"At the very least, the relationships have given new grist to the Democrats. "This is not like, `Oh, yeah, they're both Republicans, they've been in the same room together,' " said Roy Temple, the former executive director of the Missouri Democratic Party and the former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Mel Carnahan of Missouri. "Karl Rove was once part of John Ashcroft's political strategic team. You have both the actual conflict, and the appearance of conflict. It doesn't matter what's in the deep, dark recesses of their hearts. It stinks."

[dusty64]

2. My thoughts too.

I sounds like real journalism and it DOES'NT invole Clinton or Gore, hmm.

[grasswire]

3. Ha!

Reporter Bumiller's hubby is a classmate of George W. at Yale.

[baby_bear]

7. What's your point, grasswire?

Do you have any knowledge that Bumiller's husband liked or disliked W at Yale?

She is a good writer, in my opinion, but I don't know anything about her connections or persuasions.

s_m

[NewYorkerfromMass]

16. I have found her to be a serious ass kisser in the past, but....

she gets her digs in at Bush, especially when he acts in absurdly, glaringly clueless ways.
Also, this article is co-written so there is definitely a more serious non-editorial, more journalistic aspect to it.

[grasswire]

27. I agree....

...that Bumiller is generally a good reporter. All I know about her hubby's feelings about W is that Mr. and Mrs. Bumiller DID attend the recent class reunion at the WH, while many Yale classmates who disapprove of Bush declined to attend.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

29. You know Ms. Bumiller travels with the President everywhere

as part of the press team covering him. She's with the devil every day. Whether she likes it or not. And IMO her contempt for him is coming through more and more often.

[Cocoa]

4. Did Janet Reno have any conflicts like this?

I'd be interested to go back and see what the reasoning was for all the calls for an independent prosecutor back then.

I wonder if Senator Ashcroft himself had any opinion on that matter?

[Fridays Child]

20. Good question Cocoa. It would be a matter of record if Ashcroft...

...joined any calls for the use of an independent counsel during the Clinton years.

[kath]

21. Ashcroft thought ICs were GREAT for Clinton/Gore "scandals"

From Liberal Oasis (via Atrios):

http://www.liberaloasis.com/archives/092803.htm#100203

Let’s go to the videotape. October 4, 1997. CNN’s “Evans & Novak.”

(Robert Novak was off that day, sorry ironists).

The issue was allegations of fundraising violations by Al Gore:

ASHCROFT: The truth of the matter is that if the law's been violated, we should be able to ascertain that.

We can, if we have an independent person without a conflict of interest…

ROWLAND EVANS: …The attorney general has shaved down all the allegations that Vice President Gore apparently down to one single allegation -- which telephone he used to make these fundraising calls from.

Do you really think that alone is worthy of a special prosecutor?

ASHCROFT: …you know, a single allegation can be most worthy of a special prosecutor.

If you're abusing government property, if you're abusing your status in office, it can be a single fact that makes the difference on that.

So my own view is that there are plenty of things which should have caused , a long time ago, to appoint a special prosecutor, an independent investigator.

We asked for that on March the 13th of this year in letters from Republican members on the Judiciary Committee. And she's in a bad position…

…The man who signs her check is the man that she's investigating, and she hasn't been very aggressive about it.

[Fridays Child]

23. Excellent find, kath. Why don't you start a thread on it?

His stated position re: the use of an independent counsel should be discussed.

[kath]

24. Too new to start a thread

I haven't been posting here long (though I've lurked for quite awhile), and don't know how to start a thread and don't think I'm allowed to. (Also don't have much time to lurk OR post this week)

Feel free to start a thread on it yourself if you want.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Repuglican...

[Fridays Child]

28. Allow me, please,

:-)

And welcome to DU. Hope you post often! :hi:

[Cocoa]

25. Thank you!

So Ashcroft thinks that "abusing government property" in a fundraising scandal is worthy of an independent counsel.

So I guess we know what his opinion will be on abusing classified information in a national security scandal.

I'm sure the highest law enforcement official in the country will immediately see the need for a special counsel in this case.

[goforit]

5. OMG!!!!.......Karl Rove ran Ashcroft's campaign???....

Too many "evil" people are from Missouri!!!

Ken Lay/ Rush Limbo/ John Ashcroft/ Kit Bond/ Jim Talent/.....

And how many more????

I guess ROVE failed the last time due to Ashcroft loosing
the race to Mel Carnahan whom mysteriously die in.....


Guess what?.....A Plane Crash!!!!!!!

[drscm]

6. Please. I agree that somehow some Missourians have spawned

some real asses, but don't paint all of us with the same brush.

[goforit]

9. Sorry ...didn't mean to insult you.....But this is uncanny!!!

;-)

[0007]

14. Truman wasn't evil!

Of course its questionable if we're talking about the big bomb.

[LearnedHand]

10. I love what Robin Williams said about Asscrack:

"Don't forget, folks, this is a man who lost to a DEAD man! 'Let's see. Ashcroft? Dead man? Ashcroft? Dead Man? Sorry, John, we're voting for the dead man, 'cause he scares us less than YOU!'"

[AndyTiedye]

12. Whoathought Asscroft would Lose an Election to a Corpse

so in a soon-to-be-typical affront to democracy, Bush* appointed him AG.

[Nottingham]

8. The Longer Bush pushes this off the Worst its gonna get

:bounce: I love it

[dArKeR]

11. Puts him in a position to shread all the documents which you all know

he's doing!

And shouldn't there be an investigation of why it took 2 months, whatever, to have an investigation? Are people in our country reall this stupid? Are the Democrats that much of spineless wimps?

[radfringe]

13. found this paragraph interesting

On Wednesday the administration worked to ensure that no Republicans in Congress broke ranks and called for an independent inquiry, and it sought to portray the former diplomat at the center of the case as a partisan Democrat.

[leetrisck]

15. If an independent prosecutor is appointed

he/she will be appointed by Ashcroft. What is worse? Can you see Ken Starr, Danforth(MO), Henry Kissinger - can't you just see that 3 judge panel or Ashcroft appointing an independent prosecutor? The Repukes have complete control including the Courts, so what is the answer here?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

17. The new tone Bush brought to DC is.....

silence.

[goforit]

18. If Rove ran Ashcroft's 3 campaigns, Could Rove have been

responsible for the death of Mel Carnahan his opponent???

I am now even more suspicious.

[UpInArms]

19. after Mel Carnahan's plane crashed

Ashcroft said that he would cease "campaigning" against him out of "honoring" a good man's reputation.

within days - AssKKKrap was back out there denigrating Carnahan and the state of Missouri was highly offended - we petitioned Jean to step up and take the election if we got it for Mel - she did (and was a hideous disappointment) -

AssKKKrap is the nastiest most gawd-awful bigoted piece of lying pondscum that has had the opportunity to walk on two extremities.

[goforit]

22. You have said it all in a nutshell!!!

Couldn't agree with ya more!!!

[0007]

26. btt

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