Jason Leopold: Gonzales May Face Obstruction Charges in U.S. Attorney Probe

[cascadiance]

Could we soon be circling the wagons around Gonzo? Hope so!

From:

http://www.pubrecord.org/law/668-gonzales-may-face-obstruction-charges-in-us-attorney-probe.html

Gonzales May Face Obstruction Charges In U.S. Attorney Probe
Written by Jason Leopold
Wednesday, 04 February 2009 12:07
By Jason Leopold



A special prosecutor appointed to investigate the firings of nine federal prosecutors in 2006 has built a strong case against Alberto Gonzales that may result in obstruction of justice charges against the former Attorney General related to the role he played in the U.S. Attorney firings, according to attorneys directly involved in the probe and lawyers defending former Bush administration officials whose clients have met with the special counsel.

According to legal sources, over the past several weeks Gonzales’s former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, has provided damaging information to Special Prosecutor Nora Dannehy, an Assistant U.S. Attorney from Connecticut, about Gonzales. Sampson is said to have told the special prosecutor that Gonzales was far more engaged in the attorney firings than he had previously disclosed to Dannehy, in Congressional testimony and in interviews with Justice Department watchdogs.
Sampson, these sources said, is also facing obstruction of justice charges and the sources familiar with his interviews with Dannehy said he had provided detailed information about Gonzales’s role in the firings in hopes of staving off the possibility of criminal charges he may face for his role in the dismissals. The legal standard for an obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and perjury charges is specific intent.

With that in mind, the legal sources added that although Dannehy has collected voluminous evidence over the past four months that would appear to suggest Gonzales and other Bush administration officials may have committed crimes related to the attorney firings--including perjury and conspiracy--it's also possible that criminal charges won't be filed if she believes she cannot prove intent.

However, Sampson is said to have provided Dannehy with an important piece of evidence that bolstered her case against Gonzales: the former Attorney General was aware of and helped create a list of federal prosecutors to fire.

...

[Winterblues]

1. There are many here that don't find this author credible.

He has been wrong in the past so now everything he writes is considered false by many here. I hope what he writes turns out to be fact. I want to witness accountability in my lifetime.

[cascadiance]

5. Yeah, I know. I take him with a grain of salt. But it always helps to talk about stuff like his...

... since the Mainstream media avoids talking about ANYTHING counter to their propaganda.

[Connie_Corleone]

2. 24 business hours. I thought I should get that out the way now.

[TornadoTN]

3. Damnit you beat me to it! n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Will this be before or after they pinch Rove?