McClatchy: U.S. attorney worried 'gloves would come off' over criticism of ouster

[Pirate Smile]

U.S. attorney worried 'gloves would come off' over criticism of ouster

By Marisa Taylor
McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON A high-ranking Justice Department official told one of the U.S. attorneys fired by the Bush administration that if any of them continued to criticize the administration for their ousters, previously undisclosed details about the reasons they were fired might be released, two of the ousted prosecutors told McClatchy Newspapers.

While the U.S. attorney who got the call regarded the tone of the conversation as congenial, not intimidating, the prosecutor nonetheless passed the message on to five other fired U.S. attorneys. One of them interpreted the reported comments by Michael Elston, the chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, as a threat.

-snip-
The two prosecutors who described the call demanded anonymity because, they said, they didn’t want to antagonize the Justice Department further.

-snip-
Six of the eight ousted U.S. attorneys have been subpoenaed to testify Tuesday before the House of Representatives. Four will appear voluntarily before the Senate after a liberal public-interest group Monday asked for the Senate ethics committee to investigate Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., for calling the U.S. attorney in New Mexico, who was later fired, during a corruption investigation of at least one Democrat.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/16840449.htm

[CoffeeCat]

1. Who cares if the "gloves come off"....

I am so sick and tired of feeling like this country is held
hostage by the threats, intimidation and blackmail of the
Bushthugs.

We are watching out country slide into Fascism, as these
warmongers murder innocents and prepare to invade other
countries.

Geez, people!!! If you've got the goods on these classless
bastards--spill the beans and ignore their threats! Their
threats only work if you keep quiet and allow them to
destroy this country!

Why don't these people have recording devices on their phones?

Someone please---just expose these bastards and their evil
corrupt ways--so we can have our country back, all ready!!!

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. Good ole boy mafia.

I know you don't want to hear it, but that's why things will remain the same at the local and state level. To much political intimidation, and the little guy really has no where to go for help.

[Supersedeas]

14. Domestic Spying with a Gloves coming Off Twist - McNultied

[Bonobo]

2. High crimes and misdemeanors! Treason!

[bananas]

3. Threatening a prosecutor is a felony, isn't it? nt

[gratuitous]

13. Well, for little nobodies like you and me it is

But if the President does it, that means it's not against the law. The President can threaten anyone he wants.

Nixonian logic for another Nixonian maniac.

[Fresh_Start]

4. blackmail=crime

please let this axe hit Gonzalez squarely.....

[John Q. Citizen]

5. Impeach! Impeach Gonzales first.

[agincourt]

6. Translation:

We will tell lies about you that the sheeple will believe. We probably got Michelle Malkin and Cal Thomas typing up your incompetency report now.

[loudsue]

7. BLACKMAIL is a crime. Michael Elston just committed one.

Jail the bastard! Set a precedent!

:kick:

[Ian David]

8. I bet The NSA wiretapped the prosecutors to get dirt on them. n/t

[rodeodance]

9. umm.. lets see if the Dem Ethics committee will touch this also!

[SpiralHawk]

10. republicon thuggery and corruption - standard operating procedure

republicons thy name is CORRUPTION. If this were Old Testament times they would all be taken out to the edge of town and stoned.

[HamdenRice]

12. That's why the subpoena is so important! It gives them cover

We normally think of the subpoena as forcing a reluctant witness to testify. But in political cases like this the subpoena can be a way of giving a willing witness "cover" to spill the beans.

The DOJ can threaten and bluster all it wants, but because the Democrats in congress subpoenaed the US attorneys, their threats become irrelevant.