Senator (R-Obviously) Apologizes for Calls to U.S. Attorney About...

[Gogi]

Federal Probe

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/16834215.htm

[Wilms]

1. Here ya go.

Senator apologizes for calling U.S. attorney about federal probe

By Marisa Taylor

McClatchy Newspapers

Mar. 04, 2007

WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Pete Domenici apologized Sunday for calling the U.S. attorney he helped install in New Mexico to inquire about the timing of an ongoing federal corruption case involving at least one Democrat.

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias told McClatchy Newspapers last week that he believed the call was timed in mid-October to pressure him to rush the investigation before the November elections to benefit Republicans. Iglesias, who stepped down Wednesday, added that he believed he was fired because he resisted and did not speed up the case.

Domenici said in his statement that he never pressured or threatened Iglesias.

"In retrospect, I regret making that call and I apologize," he said. "However, at no time in that conversation or any other conversation with Mr. Iglesias did I ever tell him what course of action I thought he should take on any legal matter."

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/16834215.htm

[rurallib]

2. Isn't this kind of - uh - illegal or something?

[Jack Rabbit]

3. A lot will deoend on Igelsias; testimony before the committee

Dominici is a member of the committee. If Igelsias has a different sotry, this could get interesting.

[Lena inRI]

4. Apologizing? . . More like backstabbing. . .

before Attorney Iglesias tells all next Tuesday. . .oh, what a wonderful day that will be. . .get your popcorn ready!
:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[gratuitous]

5. And we're supposed to say, "Well, that's okay."

One of the cornerstones of our system and our country is faith in the administration of justice. There have been plenty of miscarriages and wrongful convictions, perhaps even wrongful executions, but we keep trying to do better. To have a Senator (and why hasn't Heather Wilson responded to inquiries?) personally call a U.S. Attorney to insist on a politically-motivated acceleration of a prosecution to the benefit of his party is way, way beyond the pale.

I don't think resignation is too harsh a demand for such a blatant attempt by Domenici to corrupt the system.