Arianna Huffington: The Libby Verdict and U.S. Attorneys Scandal: Two Symptoms of the Same Disease

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Arianna Huffington at HuffPost

03.07.2007
The Libby Verdict and the U.S. Attorneys Scandal: Two Symptoms of the Same Disease (56 comments )

It was fitting that on the same day federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald won a conviction in the Libby trial, up on Capitol Hill six fired federal prosecutors were testifying about their questionable removal from office. Plamegate and the starting-to-boil Justice Dept. scandal are of a piece, emblematic of the Bush administration's use of intimidation -- and of the crass politicization of parts of government supposed to be above partisan manipulation.


The U.S. attorneys story is a major scandal, which reveals how extensively the Bush rot has spread throughout the Republican Party.
There was former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico, testifying about how Sen. Pete Domenici had "leaned on" him, pressuring him over the phone to move forward on the investigation of a state Democrat before the November election.

When Iglesias told the senator that the cases wouldn't be filed before November, Domenici said "I'm sorry to hear that," and hung up on Iglesias, who testified that he was sickened by the exchange.

Republican Rep. Heather Wilson, her eyes set on inheriting Domenici's seat, made a similar call to Iglesias, one that raised ethical "red flags" in his mind. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-libby-verdict-and-the_b_42901.html