WAPO: GOP Groups Told to Keep Bush Officials' E-Mails

[BuyingThyme]

GOP Groups Told to Keep Bush Officials' E-Mails
Democrat Cites Investigation of Firings

By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 27, 2007; Page A03

...

Waxman noted for example that J. Scott Jennings, the White House deputy director of political affairs, used a "gwb43.com" e-mail account last August to discuss the replacement of the U.S. attorney for Arkansas, Bud Cummins, according to e-mails released to Congress by the White House.

Barry Jackson, a deputy to Rove, in 2003 used a "georgewbush.com" e-mail account to consult with Neil G. Volz, then an aide to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, about nominating one of Abramoff's Indian tribe clients for a Medal of Freedom, according to a copy of an e-mail. Abramoff is now serving a prison sentence for bank fraud, and Volz plead guilty to conspiracy charges last year.

Susan B. Ralston, while she was executive assistant to Rove, similarly used "georgewbush.com" and "rnchq.org" e-mail accounts to confer in 2001 and 2003 with Abramoff, her former boss, about matters of interest to Abramoff's clients.

In a related e-mail, an Abramoff aide said Ralston had warned that "it is better to not put this stuff in writing in . . . email system because it might actually limit what they can do to help us, especially since there could be lawsuits, etc."

...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601979.html

[Justice Is Comin]

1. That's why Ralston is AWOL right now.

She probably was the one who typed them.

[Fridays Child]

2. They did nothing improper but needed to hide emails because they anticipated lawsuits?

This is getting worse (or better, depending on the point of view) by the minute.

[BuyingThyme]

3. Kpete posted a great thread on that line yesterday morning.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=503954

[Old and In the Way]

4. Now this is a problem.

Don't think George "Executive Privilege" Bush can cover e-mails from non-gov servers. Looks to me like they were doing their shadow, for-profit government business "off-line" and doing their uncontroversial business on the normal servers. A few got a little sloppy on managing their e-mail accounts. This is certainly a legitimate area for Congress to investigate....all kinds of national security issues having our nation's business being discussed and managed on unsecured, RNC servers. I gotta believe they'll be scrubbing those hard-drives, but there could be serious obstruction of justice charges ready to go if certain e-mails are found not to exist anymore. If you were in charge of the servers, what files would you delete?

[MADem]

5. To put it simply, there oughta be a law!!!! NT

[BuyingThyme]

6. He's really dug quite a hole.

(1) He says he was not personally involved in the "firings."

(2) Much of the pertinent information is not on White House (government) servers.

(3) None of the pertinent evidence seems to have any national-security implications.

So what privilege claim does he have besides, "They're my friends, so they're above the law"?

[CrazyOrangeCat]

7. They've always operated . . .

. . . on the premise that they are indeed above the law.

Their comeuppance is going to be something to behold.

:popcorn:

[BuyingThyme]

8. kcik

[gatorboy]

9. So was this why Bush was so adamant to get Miers on the Supreme Court?