The Bush Administration's Stubborn Stonewall Stands in the Way of the Truth (DNC Release)

[MaineDem]

Washington, DC - Despite calls from the American people to tell the truth about
the firing of US Attorneys, the Bush Administration instead continues to
stonewall. From a continuous stream of conflicting evidence, contradictory
statements from Attorney General Gonzales and other key Administration
officials, to a top aide now announcing plans to take the fifth in front of
Congress rather than answer serious questions, it is clear that the only way to
get to the truth is for Bush Administration officials to testify publicly and
under oath rather than in a backroom. According to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll,
Americans "said by nearly 3-to-1 that Congress should issue subpoenas to force
White House officials to testify." Furthermore, "by 68%-26%, those surveyed say
the president should drop the claim of executive privilege in this case." Today, 3/27/07,
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-26-poll-bush-aides_N.htm]

"The way the answers keep changing suggests that the Administration is hiding
something it doesn't want the American people to know," said Democratic National
Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. "Given the Bush White House's chronic
pattern of misleading and the now constant stream of conflicting information in
this widening scandal, it is clear that the only way to get to the truth is for
Bush Administration officials to testify in public and under oath. Democrats
believe that U.S. Attorneys should be free from political pressure and have the
resources they need to prosecute criminals and aggressively pursue corruption."

A Chronology Of Stonewalling And Inconsistencies

Gonzales Said He Approved Recommendations But Was Not Involved In Identifying
Attorneys. “Saying he wanted to be ‘more precise’ about what he had done, Atty.
Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales acknowledged Monday that he had a role in approving an
aide's recommendation to dismiss several U.S. attorneys last year, but he denied
that he was involved in the process of identifying which individual prosecutors
should be replaced.” Gonzales remarks were made during an interview with NBC
News. The Los Angeles Times also noted that the “differences between his public
words and the private e-mail traffic have added to concerns about Gonzales among
members of Congress, a growing number of whom are losing confidence in his
management of the Justice Department and are urging him to resign.” Times, 3/27/07, http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-gonzales2
7mar27,1,7313966.story?coll=la-news-politics-national&track=crosspromo]

* Documents Show Gonzales Met With Senior Advisors 10 Days Before Attorney
Firings. “A newly revealed document shows U.S. Attorney Alberto R. Gonzales met
with senior advisers 10 days before last year's removal of seven U.S. attorneys.
Gonzales had said March 13 that he had not taken part in any discussions about
the removals but had general knowledge his aides were working on changes.” 3/24/07, http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20070324-081112-7851r]

Key GOP Senators Questioned Gonzales’ Credibility. “Three key Republican
senators sharply questioned his truthfulness over the firings last fall of eight
federal prosecutors. Two more Democrats on Sunday joined the list of lawmakers
calling for Gonzales' ouster. * Stopping short of demanding Gonzales'
resignation, Sen. Arlen Specter cited a Nov. 27 calendar entry placing the
attorney general at a Justice Department meeting to discuss the dismissals.
Those documents ‘appear to contradict’ Gonzales' earlier statements that he
never participated in such conversations, said Specter, top Republican on the
Senate Judiciary Committee that oversees the Justice Department. * Sen. Lindsey
Graham, R-S.C., said Gonzales has been ‘wounded’ by the firings. ‘He has said
some things that just don't add up,’ said Graham, who also is on the Senate
Judiciary panel. And Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said the Justice Department has
continually changed its story about the dismissals.” tp://dwb.fresnobee.com/24hour/front/story/3585305p-12844215c.html]

White House Spokeswoman Admits Inconsistency In Defending White House Stance On
Testimony And Transcript From Top Aides. During the White House briefing
yesterday, Bush spokeswoman Dan Perino once again defended the notion that Karl
Rove and other top aides should be able to talk to Congress without a written
transcript. She also called the White House’s offer to hold these
meetings “quite generous and extraordinarily open.” But after she was asked
about new documents showing Alberto Gonzales approved the U.S. Attorney firings,
Perino referred to transcripts of Gonzales’ remarks on CNN that she claimed
exonerated Gonzales. A reporter at the briefing noted that Perino’s defense of
Gonzales “illustrates perfectly why a transcript is necessary.” Perino
replied, “I see your point.” She later admitted, “I understand that some people
would think that that is not a good idea, and I understand the inconsistency of
my own statement of referring back to a transcript.” (Center for American Progress,
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/26/whitehouse-transcripts-inconsistency/; White
House Press Briefing, 3/26/07,
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070326-1.html)

Evidence Shows RNC Email Accounts Used By White House Officials To Discuss
Prosecutor Firings. “A Democratic House committee chairman yesterday told the
Republican National Committee and the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign to retain copies
of all e-mails sent or received by White House officials using e-mail accounts
under their control, raising the political stakes in the congressional inquiry
into U.S. attorneys' firings. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) said his broadly
written request was based on evidence that White House officials -- particularly
aides to top political adviser Karl Rove -- have used their politically related
e-mail accounts to hide the conduct of official business regarding the
prosecutor firings and other matters being investigated by Congress.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/[br />2007/03/26/AR2007032601979.html]

Key Gonzales Aide Will Refuse To Testify; Will Invoke The Fifth Amendment. “A
key aide to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales will invoke the Fifth Amendment
rather than answer lawmakers’ questions about the firings of eight U.S.
attorneys, her lawyer said Monday. The decision by Monica Goodling to protect
herself against self-incrimination marks the first time that a Bush
administration appointee involved in the probe has signaled concerns about
possible criminal repercussions.” http://www.buffalonews.com/180/story/40711.html]

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Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org.
This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

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[Cha]

1. Good press release..I don't care

how many times we have to remind the lyin', murderous bunch in our White House..that they work for us.