Palast: Bush Hit-Woman Behind Prosecutor Firings

[The Blue Flower]

Bush Hit-Woman Behind Prosecutor Firings Has Long History of Purges to Protect Bush

Harriet Miers fired investigator in 1997 to cover Bush draft-dodge

by Greg Palast
from the original reports for BBC Television and the Guardian (UK)

The Mister Big behind the scandal of George Bush's firing of US Attorneys is not a 'mister' at all. The House Judiciary Committee has released White House emails indicating that the political operative who ordered the hit on prosecutors too honest for their own good was Harriet Miers, one-time legal counsel to the President.

But this is not the first time that Miers has fired investigators to protect Mr. Bush.

In 1999, while investigating Governor George Bush of Texas for the Guardian papers of Britain, I obtained an extraordinary, and extraordinarily confidential, memo to the US Attorney's office in Austin. It disclosed that, in 1997, Governor Bush secretly suggested to the chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission that she grant a contract to the client of a Bush ally.

The Governor's back-door demand to the Lottery chairwoman was not so easy. Bush wanted the Lottery to grant a multi-billion dollar contract to GTech Corporation. But GTech hadn't even bid on the contract - and a winner was already announced.

There was only way for the Chairwoman to carry out the fix: fire the director of the Lottery who had discouraged GTech from bidding because of its history of corruption.

The Chairwoman, Harriet Miers, did the deed: fired the Lottery director; Miers then ignored the winning bid -- and gave Bush's favored company the contract, no bidding, in perpetuity.

Miers and the Draft

Neither Miers nor President Bush have ever denied the contents of the memo despite repeated requests from the Guardian and BBC Television.

Bush's attempt to appoint Hit-woman Harriet to the US Supreme Court in 2005 surprised many. Not me. Miers, personal and governmental lawyer for George Bush, had quite a file on her boss, and he must have been grateful for her discretion.

Most crucially, she knew why Bush so desperately needed to give GTech the lottery contract. The heart of the matter was the then-successful cover-up of the Bush family's using its influence to get young George Bush into the Texas Air National Guard and out of the Vietnam war draft.

The memo to the US Attorney reads:

"Governor Bush thru made a deal with Ben Barnes not to rebid because Barnes could confirm that Bush had lied during the '94 campaign . Bush was asked if his father … had helped him get in the National Guard. Bush said no he had not, but the fact is his dad call then-Lt. Gov. Barnes …."

Lt. Governor Barnes, through a cut-out, called the Texas Air Guard commander and got Bush into the 'top gun' seat and out of the war.

You may recall that in 2004, years after we reported this story in Britain, Barnes confessed to the draft-dodge fix on 60 Minutes.

What 60 Minutes missed is the creepy Miers involvement. Barnes, after he left the post of Lt. Governor, became a lobbyist -- for GTech, the lottery company. By using his influence to get and keep the lottery contract for GTech, Barnes picked up quite a nice fee: over $23 million. With those millions in his pocket, Barnes kept a happy and lucrative silence about his saving little George Bush from the draft.

According to the memo from the US Attorney's office, Barnes met with Bush about GTech and the lottery. Then,

"The Governor talked to the chair of the lottery two days later and she then agreed to support letting GTech keep the contract without a bid."

Note something else here: this information was sitting in the hands of the US Attorney. Yet, no action was taken in 1997 though we now know that, from Barnes' confession in 2004, the accusation about his putting in the fix for young George Bush is true.

An insider told BBC TV that the US Attorney's office and Justice Department, though under Democratic control, never acted because they discovered that Barnes, a Democrat, had not only manipulated the system to get George Bush into the Texas Air Guard, Barnes did the same for the sons of Democratic big wigs including Congressman (later Senator) Lloyd Bentsen and Governor John Connolly.

In other words, control over a US Attorney and what is called their "prosecutorial discretion" is worth its weight in gold to politicians. They can provide protection for cronies and exact punishment on enemies. And no one knows that better than "Justice" Harriet Miers and her boss, fighter pilot George W. Bush.

***********************

This report is adapted from Greg Palast's New York Times bestselling book, ARMED MADHOUSE: From Baghdad to New Orleans -- Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild. New edition to be released April 24.

For more information on Miers and clips of the BBC Television reports, go to www.GregPalast.com
Check out our YouTube Channel to see the reports.

[Diane R]

1. First of many recommendations, I'm sure. This is big.

[yardwork]

2. k&r

[PDJane]

3. It's sad

When you have to go to foreign media to find out what's happening in your own country.

[lyonn]

13. Think Downing Street Memo.

This having control of Congress is getting fun. Stories seem to be coming from all directions. This explains Miers a lot, had wondered how she got so powerful.

[gumby]

4. k&r

[solara]

5. Keep the light shining on the BushCo darkness!

:kick: k&r


INVESTIGATE IMPEACH INDICT INCARCERATE :patriot:

[Joanne98]

6. And she was ALMOST a Supreme!

:scared:

[Skidmore]

9. Alberto was also considered to be Supreme material too at one point.

[Swamp Rat]

7. boo!

[Joanne98]

10. EEK!!!!

:scared:

[lyonn]

14. Good thing you didn't need to photoshop that one.....

[Auntie Bush]

15. K & R this trash for everyone to read...if you have a strong stomach.

[peacetalksforall]

8. Wasn't she the first to hire a lawyer (in the last month or so?)

[HCE SuiGeneris]

11. DOG PILE!

Time to bury these crooks.

Excellent article. K&R

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Emit]

16. Corsi

Corsi's the one who helped swift boat Kerry -- he co-wrote "Unfit for Command":

At the bottom of the page at the link:

~~Jerome R. Corsi is a staff writer for WND. He received a Ph.D. from Harvard University in political science in 1972 and has written many books and articles, including co-authoring with John O'Neill the No. 1 New York Times best-seller, "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry." Corsi's most recent book was authored with Michael Evans: "Showdown with Nuclear Iran." Dr. Corsi's other recent books include "Black Gold Stranglehold: The Myth of Scarcity and the Politics of Oil," which he co-authored with WND columnist Craig. R. Smith, and "Atomic Iran."~~

[peacetalksforall]

18. Now, I feel dirty. Interesting on reflection - he didn't excuse or

support the Bush involvement in the National Guard buy-out or the Mier-Lottery contract payola. It was pretty straight. I didn't pick up on lies or distortion.

But, now I know. I use to keep a better mental log of who was who in the right wing propaganda machine.

Must take a shower, nevertheless.

I hope the swift boaters fall as fast and low as Rove, Gonzales, Libby, Sampson, Feith, Franklin., Rumsfeld.

[Emit]

21. lol. Actually

I find it very interesting that he wrote about that -- in '05 was it? He was on the bandwagon to get rid of Harriet Miers then, it appears from the article and timing of it.

I've posted something from Corsi, too (although, I put a disclaimer into the post).:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=275025#276636

I think it adds more interest to these stories to note the fact that these people who were so involved with putting Bush & Co. in the WH are taking the positions that they are taking now about some of these scandals. In Corsi's case, specifically, it really makes me wonder wtf he's trying to affect.

[jazzjunkysue]

17. Shrub was AWOL on the first day of drug testing in the Alabama guard

It's in Kitty Kelly's book, and at the time, that fact was under-reported.

He was stoned, and a urine sample would have landed his ass in the brig. So he was AWOL.

This idiot was a coke addict, and before/after that, an alcoholic. Trouble is, he's untreated. And his new compensation addiction of choice is OIL. And unlimited power.

[peacetalksforall]

19. And having unlimited reasons to take revenge - I think that is one

of his ultimate needs.

[lyonn]

30. Revenge - good word. Bush is into torture as he has indicated

with his trashing on the Geneva Convention. He doesn't have the capacity to relate to ordinary people. Old Europe had that outlook on the masses and decided that blood and money (power) Should control. The masses were too stupid according to the powers in control.

What is disgustingly funny is the ones following and worshiping bush are the dummies.

[Morgana LaFey]

20. Question --

isn't this bribery?

Barnes confessed to the draft-dodge fix on 60 Minutes.

snip

Barnes, after he left the post of Lt. Governor, became a lobbyist -- for GTech, the lottery company. By using his influence to get and keep the lottery contract for GTech, Barnes picked up quite a nice fee: over $23 million.

[Faux pas]

22. Palast is my hero. To bad the 'American' press can't

handle or print the truth.

[Decruiter]

23. Have I shared with anyone how much I love Palast? I had breakfast

with him once long time ago in Austin, no less, September of 2003. His hotel room was also right next to mine.

Greg Palast is one of our greatest investigative journalists.

Much love to Mr. Palast for staying on top of everything we need to know.

[lyonn]

31. Sad that Palast had to leave his country to write about his country.

[Nikki Stone1]

24. Good old Palast.

:kick:

[havocmom]

28. Second that

:kick:

[Nikki Stone1]

33. Can I have a third? :)

Great journalist.

[Eurobabe]

25. The corruption of this family and their cronies knows no boundaries

Unfrickin-believable.

[Virginian]

26. OK, Now I think I understand.

I thought the RW was over-reacting to the 60 Minutes piece on Bush getting preferential treatment by being admitted to the TANG. After all, there were lots of guys who were getting into the Guard to get out of 'Nam. It was better than going off to Canada. I still don't understand why Bush felt he had to LIE about it. Everything else was done to cover the lie.

1. During 1994 campaign for Texas Governor, Bush said his father had NOT pulled strings to get him into the Guard.
2. Former Lt. Gov Ben Barnes had been contacted and had helped get young George into TANG.
3. Barnes becomes lobbyist for Gtech.
4. Gtech was given lottery contract to keep Barnes quiet. Barnes makes millions.
5. Innocent, competent head of lottery was fired to give Gtech contract.
6. Company that had bid on and had legally won lottery contract had contract pulled out from under them.

The coverup was very much worse than the "crime."


The following text still doesn't make sense to me. 1. Are there words or names missing? Was something taken out of context? Am I not reading it right? 2. Why would Barnes "rebid" if he(Gtech) had never bid in the first place, and Gtech had been awarded the contract with no bidding, in perpetuity?

Governor Bush thru made a deal with Ben Barnes not to rebid because Barnes could confirm that Bush had lied during the '94 campaign . Bush was asked if his father … had helped him get in the National Guard. Bush said no he had not, but the fact is his dad call then-Lt. Gov. Barnes …."

[azmouse]

27. Seems to be only the tip of the iceberg

of the corruption around the idiot in chief. Every day now something new comes out about the * crime family. What will it take for the RWers to get it? This guy is no damn good... never was and never will be.

[lyonn]

29. This Administration has given a new meaning to Dirty Politics

Theirs is a generational dirty dealing bunch. They don't get caught up in the politics of the moment, they have had years of planning to take control of our government. To do away with social services. This bunch has done away with privacy rights, rule of law (representation), trashed the Geneva Convention, declaring war when not attacked to enable the PNAC Plan to be put in place. In other words take over the oiled Middle East.

Palast has described just one small area of how the Bushes set-up their march to power. Never have we seen a presidency with total power and control. If New Orleans (Katrina) didn't tell the people what this govt. thought of them (sheeple) then nothing would.

The Bushes went too far when they attacked Iraq with nothing but lies. They laughed at the after war plans and how to keep Iraq from going into a chaotic situation. Read "Hubris". They are really unbelievably un-American.

[LSK]

32. and to think she was going to be on the Supreme Court

:scared: