Career Lawyer Gets Oversight of CIA Probe

[cal04]

David Margolis, a lawyer at the Justice Department for 40 years, was named Friday to oversee a special prosecutor's investigation of who in the Bush administration disclosed the name of an undercover CIAofficer.

Margolis, whose title is associate deputy attorney general, is taking the place of Deputy Attorney General James Comey, whose last day of work was Friday. Comey will be Lockheed Martin's new general counsel. Comey made the designation of Margolis. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has stepped aside from the probe because he was White House counsel when Valerie Plame's name was leaked in 2003 and he has testified to the grand jury investigating the unauthorized disclosure.

Comey gave broad discretion to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago when he was appointed to investigate the leak in December 2003. Margolis is not expected to alter Fitzgerald's mandate in what are likely to be the final months of his investigation. The grand jury ends its term in October. No one has been charged in the Plame case. However, it's known that Karl Rove, a top aide to
President Bush, and Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, discussed Plame with reporters before her name was first published by columnist Robert Novak in July 2003.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050812/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_probe_1

[MidwestTransplant]

1. This is probably a good thing.

Much better a career guy than a political appointee.

[jsamuel]

2. who gave him oversight?

and who is he?

[wishlist]

6. Apparently Comey gave him oversight. Here is Margolis' official bio:

He was apparently given oversight by Comey who is leaving.
Margolis has been involved with a number of high profile matters in the past including Iran/Contra, Ruby Ridge, Vince Foster death, involving various Administrations.

http://www.opm.gov/ses/dea02jus.asp

[wishlist]

3. Interesting- David Margolis boss was Jamie Gorelick in Clinton Admin

I googled him and found this RW rag Newsmax's article trashing Gorelick and Margolis last year:

"During the Travelgate investigation, yet another Clinton scandal, Gorelick’s associate deputy attorney general, David Margolis, apparently attempted to interfere with the prosecution of Billy Dale and Gary Wright by improperly divulging information disclosed at a grand jury proceeding to Democrat John Conyers. At the time, Conyers was chairman of the House Government Operations Committee.

Despite this glaring, egregious breach of the rules of criminal procedure by Margolis – which would benefit the Clinton White House – Gorelick took no action against Margolis and kept him on. Gorelick is an unabashed political operative to the end."

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/5/27/95207.shtml

[Rainscents]

4. If Newmax trashing this guy... Than, I like him!!!

[cal04]

5. I was just researching too. Iran Contra?

and Foster's death.
(In July 28, 1993, the day after the Foster ‘‘suicide’’ note was turned over to law enforcement authorities, then Deputy Attorney General Philip Heymann instructed Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis to ask the FBI to conduct a thorough and aggressive investigation into the discovery of the note)

The man who replaced Louis Freeh as FBI director that summer was Robert Mueller, a man whose name was way near the bottom of the list of people the FBI considered best for the job. But Mueller had qualities that put him at the very top of G.W. Bush's list. In the 1980s, Mueller was third in command in the FBI under under George Terwilliger. Mueller apparently put in a lot of overtime working to keep the Iran-Contra scheme under wraps, and then, once things got sticky for Reagan, helped the Dept. of Justice's Domestic Criminal Secition Chief Dave Margolis and International Criminal Section Chief Mark Richards limit liability for Reagan, and then Bush, Sr. According to political watchdog Al Martin, Mueller personally handled damage containment for Bush Sr. during Bush's potentially scandalous dealings with Jordanian coffee merchant Mansour Barbouti. Barbouti was involved in the illegal exportation of chemicals used in chemical weapons to both Iraq and Iran.

So, while on the FBI payroll technically, Mueller appeared to have worked in actuality as a master cover up artist for Republican presidents involved in scheming and intrigues. So...what better man could Bush, involved up to his eyebrows in scheming and intrigues, want? If Mueller could shield Bush, Sr. and Reagan from consequences while just the No. 3 man - just imagine the tracks he could sweep clean as FBI director!

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:eAFqIGxF8mkJ:www.democrats.com/view.cfm%3Fid%3D7506+david+margolis+and++Iran-Contra&hl=en&lr=lang_en

[jsamuel]

7. Ut Oh!!!

[wishlist]

9. Some writers say he was involved in suppression of Iran/ contra info

Several blogs have articles alleging that he was part of a Justice Dept suppression team that provided damage control for Reagan Administration by preventing info about Iran Contra from becoming public (supposedly with motive that national security could be compromised if certain info became public)

[Jazzgirl]

8. Sounds like a good thing to me.

This must be Comey's last in your face to the misdadministration. He might've left but Fitz still has total control.

On edit....that was before I read the above post. Hmmmmm...I hope Fitz can maintain total independence!

[Up2Late]

10. So, is this the Skull and Bone guy that everyone was talking about?

I agree with the poster above, If "Newsmax" is trashing him, he MUST be O.K. for us.

[wishlist]

11. No, that was Robert McCallum. Apparently Margolis got picked instead

Looks like Comey got his preferred person Margolis instead of McCallum to fill in until a permanent replacement for Comey is made. Maybe Comey felt that Bush buddy McCallum was too much of a conflict of interest whereas Margolis could be considered more independent, having worked under several Administrations and not tagged as a Bush insider.

[goforit]

22. Not for this brazen group. Iran contra/Foster from previous post

looks suspicious at best.

One eye open!

[wishlist]

12. Interesting about Bush wanting Timothy Flanagan for Comey's job

Margolis is just a temporary appointment by Comey to fill in until the permanent replacement is made for Comey that requires Senate confirmation. Bush may have more problems than he expected though with the guy he nominated to replace Comey since Bush's pick has ties to Jack Abramoff who just got indicted.

"President Bush has nominated Timothy E. Flanigan, once Gonzales' deputy in the White House, to take Comey's job. Alice Fisher has been nominated to lead the criminal division.

Neither has been confirmed. Flanigan faced tough questioning in his Senate confirmation hearing about his role in allowing aggressive interrogation techniques be used on detainees from Afghanistan and Iraq and his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff."

This is in the original article we are discussing

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050812/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_probe_1

[tableturner]

13. Margolis will keep Treasongate oversight.....

Comey's original charge conferred "plenary" (total) power relative to the Treasongate oversight, including the power to pass on his assignment of the oversight, along with the plenary power that comes with it. Flanigan is taking Comey's normal Justice Department job, but not the Treasongate oversight. Margolis now has the same powers Comey had, including the power to pass on the oversight to a successor, if that should be needed. The GAO is on record with a legal opinion codifying the strong powers, and that opinion also authorized a non-interruptible source of funding.

This is good news, but the only real news is the name of Comey's replacement, since the powers question was addressed at the inception of Comey's oversight appointment. Quite a few of us on this board found out about this because someone earlier this week linked to a legal analysis explaining the actual situation, an analysis that made liberal use of quotes from the verbiage of the oversight order. I cannot find the link, but I'm sure someone reading this will be able to do so.

[wishlist]

14. Sounds like about as good as we could expect under circumstances

Thanks for clarifying that Comey's replacement will not take the place of Margolis.

[lostnfound]

16. Not good news -- a coverup professional.

Rove might be taken down, but the big picture of why the Bush administration wanted to out a CIA front company, BrewsterJennings & Associates, that was monitoring its buddies at ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia and/or uncovered nuclear smuggler AQKhan in Pakistan, will be BURIED.

[MarkTwain]

15. Career Lawyer Gets Oversight of CIA Probe (Oh Karl !)

Aug 12, 10:20 PM EDT

Career Lawyer Gets Oversight of CIA Probe

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- David Margolis, a lawyer at the Justice Department for 40 years, was named Friday to oversee a special prosecutor's investigation of who in the Bush administration disclosed the name of an undercover CIA officer.

Margolis, whose title is associate deputy attorney general, is taking the place of Deputy Attorney General James Comey, whose last day of work was Friday. Comey will be Lockheed Martin's new general counsel.

Comey made the designation of Margolis. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has stepped aside from the probe because he was White House counsel when Valerie Plame's name was leaked in 2003 and he has testified to the grand jury investigating the unauthorized disclosure.

Comey gave broad discretion to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago when he was appointed to investigate the leak in December 2003. Margolis is not expected to alter Fitzgerald's mandate in what are likely to be the final months of his investigation. The grand jury ends its term in October.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CIA_LEAK_PROBE?SITE=1010WINS&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-08-12-19-43-44

.... Indictments soon, per chance ?

[truthisfreedom]

17. *yawn* it's all good. Fitzgerald is the last American hero du jour, if

you know what i mean. don't worry, people. he's done his work already. we're way ahead of the game.

[moodforaday]

18. Career Lawyer Gets Oversight of CIA Probe (Plame affair)

(So, who is this David Margolis, any info?)

Career Lawyer Gets Oversight of CIA Probe

WASHINGTON - David Margolis, a lawyer at the Justice Department for 40 years, was named Friday to oversee a special prosecutor's investigation of who in the Bush administration disclosed the name of an undercover
CIA officer.
ADVERTISEMENT

Margolis, whose title is associate deputy attorney general, is taking the place of Deputy Attorney General James Comey, whose last day of work was Friday. Comey will be Lockheed Martin's new general counsel.

Comey made the designation of Margolis. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has stepped aside from the probe because he was White House counsel when Valerie Plame's name was leaked in 2003 and he has testified to the grand jury investigating the unauthorized disclosure.

Comey gave broad discretion to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago when he was appointed to investigate the leak in December 2003. Margolis is not expected to alter Fitzgerald's mandate in what are likely to be the final months of his investigation. The grand jury ends its term in October.

No one has been charged in the Plame case. However, it's known that Karl Rove, a top aide to President Bush, and Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, discussed Plame with reporters before her name was first published by columnist Robert Novak in July 2003.

(contd)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050812/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_leak_probe_1

[goforit]

19. No one has been charged. And may never be.

[KaryninMiami]

20. Not much on him- I found this (assume this must be him)

http://www.opm.gov/ses/dea02jus.asp

Anyone else find anything on him?

David Margolis
Associate Deputy Attorney General
Office of the Deputy Attorney General

Throughout his extraordinary public service, Mr. Margolis has served with honor and distinction. He has become the Department of Justice’s embodiment of integrity, determination, and judgment. Of particular note, he set up the process by which the Department’s disciplinary system for its lawyers has been opened to public scrutiny thereby fostering public confidence and at the same time assuring that the important privacy rights of federal employees are protected. In addition, Mr. Margolis was instrumental in helping to develop and implement one of the Department’s most important ethical initiatives, the formation of the Professional Responsibility Advisory Board, which provides Department attorneys with consistent training and guidance on professional responsibility issues. It is a measure both of Mr. Margolis’ integrity and of the high esteem in which he is held within the Department that Mr. Margolis was selected to be the Professional Responsibility Advisory Board’s first chairperson.

[Jackpine Radical]

21. And there, Peeps, is da bottom line:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has stepped aside from the probe because he was White House counsel when Valerie Plame's name was leaked in 2003 and he has testified to the grand jury investigating the unauthorized disclosure.


Margolis is not expected to alter Fitzgerald's mandate in what are likely to be the final months of his investigation.

[lovuian]

23. You can guarantee that Margolis will be giving the scoop to

Cheney and Bush but as for getting in the middle of this!!! I seriously doubt he will want too!!!

[goforit]

24. I just hope * keeps his mihop ideas at bay.

But I wouldn't doubt Cheney getting in the middle of this.
His name is all over it.
He scews over anyone who crosses his path.

[dooner]

25. AP: New Attorney Steps in to Probe Plame Case

New attorney steps in to probe Plame case
Associated Press, 8/13/2005

WASHINGTON (AP) - David Margolis, a lawyer at the Justice Department for 40 years, was named Friday to oversee a special prosecutor's investigation of who in the Bush administration disclosed the name of an undercover CIA officer.

Margolis is taking the place of Deputy Attorney General James Comey, whose last day of work was Friday. Comey will be Lockheed Martin's new general counsel.

Comey designated Margolis as his replacement. (snip) Margolis is not expected to alter Fitzgerald's mandate. The grand jury ends its term in October.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050813/3062324.asp

[DELUSIONAL]

26. Fitzgerald is still on the job -- the headline was rather misleading

[dooner]

28. yes true... it's Fitzgerald's new boss. n/t

[daleo]

27. Not expected to alter Fitzgerald's mandate, but it bears watching.

"Comey gave broad discretion to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago when he was appointed to investigate the leak in December 2003. Margolis is not expected to alter Fitzgerald's mandate. The grand jury ends its term in October."

[Kagemusha]

29. Isn't anyone surprised that this is a career man,

and not a political appointee like Judge Roberts?

[baby_bear]

30. Guess it could mean Alberto Gonzales has some cajones

and maybe even some respect for the law- and -gasp - some independence from the White House.

Oh my.

b_b

[SuperWonk]

31. Fitz is still in charge...

And he will get to the bottom of it... eventually.

Until then, this is a dead story.