E-mails on attorneys’ firings could impact privilege case

[babylonsister]

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/e-mails-on-attorneys-firings-could-impact-privilege-case-2007-03-21.html

E-mails on attorneys’ firings could impact privilege case
By Susan Crabtree
March 22, 2007

As the White House prepares for a constitutional showdown over subpoenas of top administration aides to testify about the firings of U.S. attorneys, the viability of President Bush’s executive privilege argument may come down to the time-worn question: How much did the president know, and when did he know it?

Democratic sources say that investigators in Congress have taken note of a brief e-mail exchange, released by the administration Monday night, which touches on this topic. But the exchange raises more questions than it answers.

In an e-mail dated Nov. 15, 2006, Kyle Sampson, former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, asked then-White House Counsel Harriet Miers and her deputy, William Kelley, whether he had the green light to go forward with the firing plan.

Miers responded that she was “not sure whether this will be determined to require the boss’s attention.” Her e-mail ended with the words: “We will see. Thanks.”

Sampson, who resigned last week, responded with a critical question: “Who will determine whether whether this requires the President’s attention?”

The rest of the 3,000 documents the administration released Monday night do not answer that question. In fact, the documents appear to contain only one e-mail between mid-November and Dec. 4, which brings into question whether any e-mails between those dates contained information relating to the president’s role. The Department of Justice released additional documents yesterday afternoon, but they provided no additional information on the issue.

Democrats want to know what role, if any, President Bush played in the plan. They also want to know who pushed the plan and who signed off on the list of attorneys slated for firing.

more...

[AndyA]

1. Haven't you heard?

Every single White House e-mail dated during the missing period contained information of a highly sensitive nature, and to release it would be exposing national secrets to terrorists.

In fact, so confidential were those messages, that White House paper shredders and fireplaces have been working overtime ensuring all have been destroyed. Computer hard disks have been wiped clean of all data and reformatted to ensure this sensitive information does not get out.

Why do you hate America?

:sarcasm:

[ralis]

2. Don't ISP's have them?

I was under the impression that the ISP would have all those e-mails. Why not obtain them through the ISP! That is what this administration has been doing all along under the guise of National Security! After all the age old cry of the oppressor is about internal security!

Ralis