Bush got Iglesias fired: Gonzales's Chief of Staff resigns

[Elidor]

Kyle Sampson, Alberto Gonzales's Chief of Staff, is the one who communicated the firing, after Bush told him to:

Uh-oh ... Bush got Iglesias axed.

From the Times ...

The White House was deeply involved in the decision late last year to dismiss federal prosecutors, including some who had been criticized by Republican lawmakers, administration officials said Monday.

Last October, President Bush spoke with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales to pass along concerns by Republicans that some prosecutors were not aggressively addressing voter fraud, the White House said Monday. Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, was among the politicians who complained directly to the president, according to an administration official.

Perhaps as telling, according to the new Times article, Kyle Sampson, Alberto Gonzales's Chief of Staff and the guy who was actually in charge of drawing up the list ... well, he resigned today.

Believe me, his boss won't long outlast him.

And one other tidbit -- Sampson had a partner in assembling the list: then-White House Counsel Harriet Miers.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/012983.php

Here's the link to the Times story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/13/washington/13attorneys.html?_r=5&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=login

[saltpoint]

1. Is this a right-now story -- in tomorrow's NYTimes? (Mar. 13)

Gonzales' chief of staff is resigning... of his own volition or shoved out as a scapegoat, or what?

This is something with wheels.

[kath]

8. Yeppers, a right-now story. He resigned Monday (Mar 12) . A brief Google reveals

that the investigation was turning up info about Sampson's involvement late last week - Thursday and/or Friday.

[DesEtoiles]

9. and Sampson lied about it so that those testifying would give incomplete

information

[saltpoint]

15. Hi, kath, and thanks for that. I'm just now getting to this, and it's

damned exciting.

It suggests that our Attorny General has his finger caught in the pool filter.

The Bush administration is making headlines this week -- but not the kind they'd probably like.

[IChing]

14. The MSM will never reveal what this truly means to the American People

Great News, but this is something that reveals an attack on our democracy that is worst than 911.


maybe the matrix will be broken.

[saltpoint]

18. It seems as if this would have many repercussions, including riling up

the legal community across the country.

It's one thing to rile up peace activists or environmental activists, but legal folks have a polished chip on their shoulders which make them quite a bit more combative. Peace groups are rock-solid and determined and devoted, but lawyers are just as true-spirited, but keep their claws sharp and will take chunks of flesh out of their opponents. They're sharp-minded, quick-witted and very aware of what's going on with this firings scandal, seems to me.

Gonzales had been this president's personal counsel. It's clear he can't stop being that, and increasingly clear that he's gutting good people doing their jobs in the process.

He's got to go.

[IChing]

29. Nice point, you and I have witnessed history during the Nixon times

However the Supreme Court and federal judges is in whose pocket now?

My brother is a major lawyer, I studied at one time to be one,
the law now has been corrupted to call injustice justice, lie truth, by the federal appointments of Bush and Bush SR.
I really hope we have a chance or I would have left this country after the last election if we would have lost.


The time is getting crucial, for a power play on both sides, in a world nature, which is being played now
on corporate control vs. citizen control. The Medium is the Message" as I have pointed out at DU on my
posts here. http://www.marshallmcluhan.com/poster.html

The internet is our only outlet for freedom and the MSM is listening (Keith) as is the government.
hopefully this is an end the matrix but that will also destroy a lot of realities for americans
that require an examination of our nation's perceived consciousness and history.

Enough rambling.........I hope we win.

[saltpoint]

31. If that was rambling, IChing, the country could use a lot more of it.

Thank you for the brains and heart in that post.

I agree with you that a matrix has been decoded, although I'm still very new to this story and need to see how things began. If there was a leak from the inside, it is very significant. That's similar to what happened with Nixon -- his own people became divided against each other. Hunter S. Thompson described it this way: "In the end, Nixon's men turned on each other like rats in a slumfire."

That's one of my favorite sentences ever.

When the Attorney General's chief of staff resigns and the fingers are pointing to Bush in this matter, the next weeks are going to be sheer frenzy at the White House. I don't see them coming out of this looking very good at all.

[IChing]

33. Consolidation and a circling of wagons of the powers.

The media, who we know can not be trusted,
will spin this as business as usual
as the political game we have here in the states.

Some independent voices might be heard,
but those are really getting
their information from the net.
( There are some really good journalist
they just get put in the A-21 section of their paper.)

Meanwhile, like watergate, the trickle of truth will reach down to the masses.
But unlike the watergate times, the real truth, the real treason, the real story won't be told.

It is too shocking, it is too hideous, that if it would be told, the nation would be ripped out of
its shell just like Neo was in the Matrix..........They think we can't handle the truth, we are their children of their
control, but really the truth is, when you know the truth you should never go back to the lie.

Or Damn it, I just want to taste a steak........


Ok enough with the Matrix analogy.

The Rats are leaving the sinking ship, you are right,
but I still await the passengers (citizens) of the ship to awake.
because the gate is still locked in the third class section of the ship.

[saltpoint]

34. Very nicely stated.

Agree that the seas ahead are likely to be storm-tossed.

But it's worth the journey.

And a pleasure to undertake the adventure with fellow sailors.

I will look forward to your posts on DU, IChing.

[knowbody0]

2. no reason for resignation?

[Botany]

5. He wanted to spend more time with his family

or he will be the Albert's Scooter Libby and take the fall.

[NI4NI]

10. Judging by the fed prosecutor's testimony

they all had respect for the individual who had notified each of them by phone about their firing.
I'm not certain if it was Sampson, but maybe someone knew the dirty dealing and resigned in protest.
Here's hoping more will come out, especially since I heard KO report that many of the JOD's personnel are unhappy and believe that their department has been politicised.
Paul Krugman is asking questions about the efforts of other fed prosecutors not fired but investigating Democrats in Jersey, Kentucky, New Hampshire and other states.
Either way KKK should have never been involved with any suggestions or decisions in DOJ matters.

[Elidor]

19. You're probably thinking of Michael Battle, who made the actual calls to fire them

He resigned recently, too:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002713.php

But to suggest that Sampson resigned in protest, umm...this is a hardcore insider Bushite. If he had a shred of decency, he would not be working there. Even Battle waited until after he had fired them - until the story broke, in fact - to resign.

[NI4NI]

39. Yes. Battle was the name I heard, Thanx!

Not Sampson, it was Battle that the feds had mentioned and it was only just a gut reaction of mine that they felt that Battle was not supportive of the firings (maybe Battle knew he was fired too) But now since learning about Sampson, who I not heard mentioned of at the time, no doubt he's a bush butt kissing cronie. Our federal government has been hijacked at the most crucial levels.

[bleever]

3. Wowee wow wow.

Marshall encapsulates it:

Late Update: There's a sub-issue emerging in the canned US Attorneys scandal: the apparently central role of Republican claims of voter fraud and prosecutors unwillingness to bring indictments emerging from such alleged wrongdoing. Very longtime readers of this site will remember that this used to be something of a hobby horse of mine. And it's not surprising that it is now emerging as a key part of this story. The very short version of this story is that Republicans habitually make claims about voter fraud. But the charges are almost invariably bogus. And in most if not every case the claims are little more than stalking horses for voter suppression efforts. That may sound like a blanket charge. But I've reported on and written about this issue at great length. And there's simply no denying the truth of it. So this becomes a critical backdrop to understanding what happened in some of these cases. Why didn't the prosecutors pursue indictments when GOP operatives started yakking about voter fraud? Almost certainly because there just wasn't any evidence for it.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

4. Damn! The plot thickens. n/t

[Elidor]

6. No reason given for the resignation, but check this out

Justice Department officials said Monday that they had only learned recently about Mr. Sampson’s extensive e-mail and memos with Ms. Miers about the prosecutors. The communications were discovered Thursday when Mr. Sampson turned over the material to officials who were assembling documents in response to Congressional requests.

(snip)
House and Senate investigators have already made clear that they want to examine exactly what role the White House, Mr. Sampson, Ms. Miers (who left the administration in January), Mr. Rove and other senior officials played in the matter. Last week, six of the fired prosecutors testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Officials said Mr. Sampson, who once worked at the Bush White House interviewing candidates for United States attorney, was largely behind the effort at the Justice Department.


He resigned just ahead of the congressional investigation. Josh is right: that asshole Gonzales will soon receive his presidential medal of freedom.

Imagine the scene at Justice: they're gathering up documents asked for by congress relating to Sampson's dealings with Miers, and meanwhile he's cleaning out his desk. And keep in mind, Rove is also on record as having discussed Iglesias with Gonzales. Oh, yeah. This is gonna get up and walk.

Related story from the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/12/AR2007031201818.html

According to this, he resigned "after acknowledging that he did not tell Justice officials about the extent of his communications with the White House, leading them to provide incomplete information to Congress."

[saltpoint]

7. I wonder if this is a revelation discovered by Senate staff people

making investigative inquiries, or did someone from the inside leak it to say, a Judiciary Committee member?

It would be interesting to know the exact trail.

[robinlynne]

38. Waxman (and Leahy I think) asked for the documents.

[saltpoint]

40. Hi, robinlynne. Thank you for that information. I'm not sure but I'm

thinking maybe Leahy and Waxman have had one or two business lunches lately.

Things seem to be happening.

[robinlynne]

41. here's hoping they have many more!

[bleever]

11. More:

Perino said that "it doesn't appear the president was told about a list nor shown a list" of U.S. attorneys at any point in the discussions. She said White House political adviser Karl Rove had an early conversation with Miers about the idea of firing all chief prosecutors and did not think it was wise. (Whose idea was it? --ed.)

...

Bush "believes informally he may have mentioned it to the AG during the meeting discussing other matters," Perino said. "White House officials including the president did not direct DOJ to take any specific action with regards to any specific U.S. attorney."

...

The documents show that Sampson sent an e-mail to Miers in March 2005 ranking all 93 U.S. attorneys. Strong performers "exhibited loyalty" to the administration; low performers were "weak U.S. attorneys who have been ineffectual managers and prosecutors, chafed against Administration initiatives, etc." A third group merited no opinion.

[Elidor]

12. Bush "believes informally he may have mentioned it to the AG

Bush to Gonzales: "Fire this one, too."

No wonder they don't have time to find Osama or run the war in Iraq: they're too busy orchestrating the complete and utter politicization of the US justice system from the farking Oval Office! I shouldn't be surprised, but for sheer pettiness and malicious disregard of the greater good, they've outdone themselves yet again.

[bleever]

13. "Believing informally"

means maybe he believes it, but not under oath, even though nobody said anything about being under oath yet.

Maybe formally, he doesn't believe it.


Maybe it depends on what he believes "believe" means.

[Elidor]

21. A classic non-denial

Apparently Bush doesn't feel comfortable just outright denying it, which is pretty amazing when you think about it. I'd bet a week's pay he couldn't lie about it to a prosecutor without choking on his words.

[bleever]

22. A classic "tell".

Unless under penalty of perjury, I deny this completely.

Serious lack of finesse, indicating despair and panic.

Outlook: not favorable.

[Jack Rabbit]

16. Impeach. Indict. Imprison.

Liberty Leading the People (1830) by Eugène Delacroix
From the website of the University of Southern California

[Fridays Child]

17. I wonder if there were any complaints to the White House about...

...the failure of Ohio's U.S. attorneys to investigate voter fraud in that state, after the 2004 "election." And wasn't a prosecutor who was investigating Abramoff also fired? What did that have to do with supposed voter fraud investigations?

[fooj]

20. It's not ALL Dick. After all, Little Lord Pissypants IS the decider, eh?

[Elidor]

23. SNAP!

:rofl:

[Stephanie]

24. "according to an administration official" - so this is their cover story

the reality must be much, much worse. I think they were after Fitzgerald.

[AtomicKitten]

25. Olbermann revealed the WH admitted they OK'd the

general overall firings - but not the specific firings, trying to distance themselves from it.

[tavalon]

26. And the chickens come home to roost. ............

:popcorn:

Okay, either we need to move the popcorn smiley further up the list or I need to memorize that one. I have a feeling I'm going to be getting mighty sick of popcorn before this is over.

[Elidor]

27. Josh drops new bombshells

Gonna Be A Long Night Update: The Post also got a piece of the Monday document dump. And their piece is now up too. Many of the key points are the same as what appears in the Times. But key new details are also included. Perhaps the most important of which is this: the Patriot Act provision allowing the Attorney General to appoint US Attorneys by fiat was at the heart of this. The Post quotes an email from the now resigned Sampson in which he tells Miers: "I am only in favor of executing on a plan to push some USAs out if we really are ready and willing to put in the time necessary to select candidates and get them appointed. It will be counterproductive to DOJ operations if we push USAs out and then don't have replacements ready to roll immediately. I strongly recommend that as a matter of administration, we utilize the new statutory provisions that authorize the AG to make USA appointments. we can give far less deference to home state senators and thereby get 1.) our preferred person appointed and 2.) do it far faster and more efficiently at less political costs to the White House."

And here's the piece in the Post story which should lead to Sen. Domenici's departure from the senate ...

One e-mail from Miers's deputy, William Kelley, on the day of the Dec. 7 firings said Domenici's chief of staff "is happy as a clam" about Iglesias. Sampson wrote in an e-mail a week later: "Domenici is going to send over names tomorrow (not even waiting for Iglesias's body to cool)."

As has happened so many times in the last six years, the maximal version of this story -- which seemed logical six weeks ago but which I couldn't get myself to believe -- turns out to be true. Indeed, it's worse. We now know that Gonzales, McNulty and Moschella each lied to Congress. We know that the purge was a plan that began at the White House -- and it was overseen by two of President Bush's closest lieutenants in Washington -- Miers and Gonzales. Sampson is the second resignation. There will certainly be more.

And remember this key point: The 'document dump' is meant to get bad news out of the way fast. But it's always a hedge. It never includes the really bad stuff. And if you're not in deep crisis mode, ya' never do it on a Monday.

[SpiralHawk]

37. No wonder republicon Domenici has hired a top criminal attorney

Like so many other republicons, he is a criminal

[saltpoint]

28. So. Against the backdrop of this story, a reporter needs to ask Bush

what his definition of an "activist judge" is.

I bet it's changed some from 2 years ago.

[Tom Joad]

30. Saturday Night Massacre, Deja Vu all over again.

Nixon thing, gotta know your early 70's history.
Different circumstances ... nixon fired people not doing his bidding in keeping the lid on watergate burglary investigation... outcome might be the same. I think this will really push bush to depths of unpopularity.

I doubt if the Dems would impeach him though. Dems in congress trust Bush. (they just removed a provision in spending bill saying that he must come to congress to authorize attack on Iran)

[saltpoint]

32. Kick. I'm getting psyched up to see this story play out.

[NMDemDist2]

35. of course Bushit told him to, after Rove told Chimpie what to say

this doesn't change the story at all in my mind :shrug:

Rove's little paw prints are still all over it IMO

[Vinca]

36. Guess they didn't contemplate Sampson turning over the emails.

:rofl: