Murray Waas reports more on Rove/Plame....Ashcroft involvement

[AnnInLa]

This article came out yesterday, so it may have been reported here...if this is a dupe, please excuse!

http://villagevoice.com/news/0533,waasweb1,66861,2.html

What Now, Karl?
Rove and Ashcroft face new allegations in the Valerie Plame affair
by Murray Waas
August 13th, 2005 2:39 PM






Rove consulted on three of Ashcroft’s political campaigns, earning $746,000.

Murray Waas will be writing more about the latest in the Plame affair at www.whateveralready.blogspot.com.
Justice Department officials made the crucial decision in late 2003 to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the leak of the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame in large part because investigators had begun to specifically question the veracity of accounts provided to them by White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, according to senior law enforcement officials.

Several of the federal investigators were also deeply concerned that then attorney general John Ashcroft was personally briefed regarding the details of at least one FBI interview with Rove, despite Ashcroft's own longstanding personal and political ties to Rove, the Voice has also learned. The same sources said Ashcroft was also told that investigators firmly believed that Rove had withheld important information from them during that FBI interview.

Those concerns by senior career law enforcement officials regarding the propriety of such briefings continuing, as Rove became more central to the investigation, also was instrumental in the naming of special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald.

Up until that point, the investigation had been conducted by a team of career prosecutors and FBI agents, some of whom believed Ashcroft should recuse himself. Democrats on Capitol Hill were calling for him to step down, but he did not. Then on December 30, 2003, Ashcroft unexpectedly recused himself from further overseeing the matter, and James B. Comey, then deputy attorney general, named Patrick J. Fitzgerald as the special prosecutor who would take over the case.

The Justice Department declined to publicly offer any explanation at the time for either the recusal or the naming of a special prosecutor—an appointment that would ultimately place in potential legal jeopardy senior advisers to the president of the United States, and lead to the jailing of a New York Times reporter.

much more at above link...a must read

[Erika]

1. Rove was paid $746,000 by Ashcroft!

Wow - and never a hint as why Ashcroft recused himself.

These people make Watergate seem like child's play.

[lancdem]

2. Interesting

But it looks like Waas doesn't know Comey picked a career DOJ person named Margolis to supervise Fitzgerald to create a firewall between Fitz snd the WH.

[AnnInLa]

3. Thank goodness it was Margolis that Comey appointed

I thought the article implied that Ashcroft was pressured to recuse, and the rest of his staff was "recused by the Justice Dept"

[G_j]

4. possibly why Ashcroft later resigned?

facinating story, I can't wait to see what happens next.

thanks for posting

[robertpaulsen]

5. Kicked and bookmarked.

Looks like a good read!

:kick:

[Independent_Liberal]

6. Kick!

[Olney Blue]

7. I will be glad when we finally hear from the Grand Jury on this.

[lovuian]

8. I believe Tenet had something very big on Ashcroft

which made him recuse himself and run scared and lets not forget his physical pancreatitis episode!!!

[Jackpine Radical]

12. That's one hell of an interesting notion.

Can you supply any details or hints?

[nashville_brook]

13. have to do with a certain plane crash? just wondering... Tenet would know

where lots of skelatons are.

[Jackpine Radical]

17. Aha. You speak of Carnahan of course.

When Ashcroft lost a Senate race against a dead man.

They got the timing down a little better in 2002, when Wellstone crashed with just enough time to be taken off the ballot.

[G_j]

9. kick

[lovuian]

10. This is a good one!!!

:kick:

[goforit]

11. I thought he recused himself due to a pancreaitis difficulties.

[Halliburton]

14. yeah i guess the justice dept. coup

caused those pancreatic difficulties.

[Mabus]

15. It was "pantsarereallytightinmyass", that is, another way of saying

his knickers were in a knot.

LOL

[Al-CIAda]

16. .

[DeepModem Mom]

18. kick

[Al-CIAda]

19. .

[Al-CIAda]

20. .