DOJ Official Ignored White House Guidance

[sabra]

Source: ABC News

Testimony Contradicted Gonzales in U.S. Attorney Matter, Sparked Controversy
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March 26, 2007 — The firestorm over the fired U.S. attorneys was sparked last month when a top Justice Department official ignored guidance from the White House and rejected advice from senior administration lawyers over his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The official, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, ignored White House Counsel Harriet Miers and senior lawyers in the Justice Department when he told the committee last month of specific reasons why the administration fired seven U.S. attorneys — and appeared to acknowledge for the first time that politics was behind one dismissal. McNulty's testimony directly conflicted with the approach Miers advised, according to an unreleased internal White House e-mail described to ABC News. According to that e-mail, sources said, Miers said the administration should take the firm position that it would not comment on personnel issues.

Until McNulty's testimony, administration officials had consistently refused to publicly say why specific attorneys were dismissed and insisted that the White House had complete authority to replace them. That was Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' approach when he testified before the committee in January.

But McNulty, who worked on Capitol Hill 12 years, believed he had little choice but to more fully discuss the circumstances of the attorneys' firings, according to a a senior Justice Department official familiar the circumstances. McNulty believed the senators would demand additional information, and he was confident he could draw on a long relationship with New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, in explaining in more detail, sources told ABC News.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2983066&page=1

[aquart]

1. Did she counsel him to lie?

[yellowcanine]

2. "Lie" is such an ugly word. She was just guiding the witness so as to make sure the

answers were worded in such a way as to answer the question without volunteering any information that wasn't asked that might only serve to generate additional difficult questions. I am sure that is what Harriet was doing and nothing more.:sarcasm:

[Paulie]

3. Why is the white house counsel participating in ANYTHING to do with the Justice Dept?

She's the personal lawyer to the president, not a member of the justice department.

[HuffleClaw]

4. 'guidance'!!!! what a nice word for 'lie your ass off'

sounds to me like mcnulty has some integrity or at least was aware enough to know that HAD he gone up there and lied and then been caught at it cheney and pals would have happily tossed him to the wolves. that said, cheney and pals are trying to demonize him now, but its empty posturing gladly.