**Official Senate Judiciary Comm Thread FIVE - Kyle Sampson**

[Eurobabe]

Thread 3 here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x531328

Thread 4 here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x531606

[annabanana]

1. He won't speculate what us regular people might think

[annabanana]

5. Isn't it the job of people like you to make sure the process

is sound?

[helderheid]

2. rec 2! my stream is crapping out

[SharonRB]

12. Try this instead of the 'Span

http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=2657

That's what I'm listening and I haven't had any problems.

[helderheid]

17. thank you!

:hi:

[Horse with no Name]

24. I tried and got this lovely message

Server has reached its capacity and can serve no more streams. Please try again later.
rtsp://avs2.senate.gov/judiciary

[Cameron27]

3. K&R

[Solly Mack]

4. Thank you!!!!!

[L. Coyote]

6. Email-Gate FACTS: Felons, georgewbush.com, gwb43.com , et. al.

WOW, the last 24 hours has been awash with new stories.
It has been difficult to keep up with the revelations, dumps, and voices for Justice.

Here is a summary of the numerous DU posts, articles, and more...

Email-Gate FACTS: Felons, georgewbush.com, gwb43.com , et. al.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x523978

[annabanana]

7. Why "almost NO imput from AG"?

[LSK]

8. whos up now? I had to step away and I only have audio

[Greybnk48]

13. Kohl WI (D)

[WiseButAngrySara]

9. Thanks! KNR! ....n/t

[Ghost in the Machine]

10. !

:evilgrin:

[Solly Mack]

11. Blame me! Please don't look any higher! Blame me!!! Please!

[Cameron27]

15. Exactly

[Norquist Nemesis]

27. I imagine "Go home and spend time with your wife and kids"

has an implicit threat when people like Sampson leave.

[Eurobabe]

14. Kohl: Rove ultimate political insider, AG Gonzo compares himself to a CEO

Yet, he allowed 10% of his USAs to be fired without his knowledge.

KS: AG Aware of this process, then during final phase of process, we discussed it, process appropriate, then he ultimately approved the list.

[annabanana]

16. What did the other 85 attys do to KEEP their job??

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

21. You must be watching on tv. You are typing ahead of the stream! I can get it

faster from you!

[Solly Mack]

18. There has to be a GOP frown implant - they all have the same

frown pucker

[annabanana]

19. "to my knowlege.. My view was... political appointees...

Didn't consider those in the midst of their term...Only those who had completed (didn't say how many that was)

[Eurobabe]

20. Kohl: why were other 85 NOT fired?

KS: these are political apptees. We only considered USAs who had served more than four years, group of USAs, beneficial to appt. new attorneys.

[Hubert Flottz]

22. A balding Sampson is a weak Sampson!

He's a total Bushie like the senator from Taxus!

[ChiciB1]

79. Has Anyone Every Wondered Why So Many "Bushie" Fall Guys

seem to resemble Red Rover??? Excluding Libby of course, but so many have that "pudgy, baby-faced" blubber look!

Pillsbury Dough Boys!!

[devilgrrl]

101. They all look like Neil Cavuto

Fat, doughy, milksops

[annabanana]

23. Hatch then Feinstein. .will break at 12:30

[annabanana]

25. Hatch then Feinstein. .will break at 12:30

[IChing]

26. DAMN IT I WANT TO SEE A MELTDOWN

Lawyers are wordsmiths, Kohl lead was a little weak
he could of asked more damning questions.

[IChing]

46. I didn't mean DU..LOL..I meant the witness

[L. Coyote]

28. Sen. Hatch, "You were in charge of this process...."

Hatch has twice said "you were in charge" so I wonder, why is this being reiterated?

It seems that the AG should be in charge!! And, were Senators in the respective states consulted?

[seafan]

29. Re "loyal Bushies"...

Sampson: 'Loyal Bushies' meant loyalty to their policies. There is a role they also have as political appointees to uphold this adm's policies...

(IMO, that statement is damning.)


(This is exactly what happened at the CIA. Good people were forced out, and the political appointees swooped in and swore unyielding fealty to the WH and its desires for *favorable intelligence*. And this political corruption forced us into Iraq illegally.)


These ba$tard$ have infiltrated every level of our government. This is catastrophic. We have not even BEGUN to uncover the extent of this GOP corruption.

[EVDebs]

72. Lam was beginning to uncover that extent, but the CIA and WH had her justice obstructed nt

[Solly Mack]

30. Hey...he remembers something but without a specific recollection

[Cameron27]

31. Kicking

If I can. DU stalled for me.

[WinkyDink]

32. Translation: "We waited to the first opportunity to dismiss SENATE-APPROVED Attys."

"We kept track, and had our lackeys ready to put in place WITHOUT SENATE APPROVAL."

IOW, it was a MORE massive plot, rather than case-by-case-for-a-trumped-up-reason.

[Solly Mack]

33. He's sorry for the perception problem

snicker

[quiet.american]

34. Somehow, I'm getting the impression they are not asking the right questions of Sampson.

So far, only Schumer has really nailed this weasel. For one thing, they need to ask about the email that shows Sampson being given advice on how to frame these firings around the issue of immigration.

The GOP'ers on the committee, all acting as Sampson's defense attorneys, are being allowed too much room to put over their opinions as fact that nothing improper has happened.

[cali]

76. `Nope. This isn't a criminal trial

Leahy is Chairman not a judge. He can't stop the repukes from using there time as they wish. Furthermore, I've been reading the comments of attorneys across the blogosphere, and they seem to disagree with your assessment of the dems.

[quiet.american]

90. I'm aware of that; however, the GOP'ers are being allowed to frame the debate on this.

The GOP'ers on the committee would have no problem rebutting a Democratic senator's presumption that nothing improper has occurred and they would definitely find a way to point out that the Democratic senators were acting as defense attorneys if the roles were reversed here.

Although Leahy is doing a very good job of chairing, the same dynamic that always happens between Dems and GOP'ers is playing itself out again -- whatever the GOP says goes unaddressed in the Dems attempt to take the high road, and thus, the GOP gets to frame the debate and public perception. The message they've put over this morning unopposed is that this poor humble public servant is being hounded to death by the Democrats for actions that weren't improper, even though this investigation is still in its early stages.

The GOP senators on the committee (with the slight exception of Specter) have made it clear they consider their Democratic colleagues to be their opponents in this. Their statements truly need to be rebutted, and it doesn't have to be an at-length rebuttal -- a reminder from the Democratic senators that this investigation is still in its early stages and that conclusions one way or the other should not yet be drawn would do.

As for the attorneys across the blogosphere, good for them.

[Mist]

35. "We had input from Republican officeholders, and we got lots of complaints, and

we worked on this for two years, but I only kept casual jottings on it--there was no list." Um,whatever.

[Mist]

36. Whitehouse expressing disbelief that there was no file, no paperwork.

Yeah, we get it, ya'll shredded stuff into the wee hours, so at least paperwork wouldn't betray you. But you sound like a total freakin' jerk, insisting you have no paperwork concerning a two-year project.

[Eurobabe]

40. Whitehouse is a great addition to the Senate!!

Go Rhode Island!

[fooj]

53. He's my favorite "JR." Senator!

He ROCKS!!!

[eleny]

41. Asking Sampson about his trial experience

Hee!

[eleny]

45. Sampson says he only made recommendations - AG made the decision

[Princess Turandot]

55. I kept a file like that..everything current in right hand drawer..

it then got filed in its MAIN file after a few days/weeks/whatever.

[eleny]

37. Smokescreen about the files he kept on the dismissal project

Nobody in their right mind would beleive him on that.

[Eurobabe]

38. Wow, did DU have a major meltdown or something?

I was offline for over 20 minutes.

[WiseButAngrySara]

39. YES! Look at the time of the posts above. n/t

[LSK]

42. yes, I couldnt connect for a while

Maybe Rove doesnt like me posting that video of him from last night. ;)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

49. Me too! eom

[wicket]

64. I was having issues with it too

n/t

[SharonRB]

65. Me, too

I was just able to get back in.

[IChing]

43. Covering Monica Goodling and her expertise.

and roll in the firings

[Mist]

44. SMACK! Whitehouse: "Should we be concerned with the experience level of the

people making decisions about US Attorneys?"

[Eurobabe]

47. Whitehouse: Make or break decisions being made by someone who grad. from law school in 1999?

basically WTF?

Did the pricimpals make any independent judgments on who should stay and go?

(I see where he is going with this. Basically, KKKarl directed the minions to jump and the minions siad, how far?)

[glitch]

74. Interchangeable and disposable minions. Quite the little bush borgs aren't they? nt

[antonialee839]

85. Reminds me of the 24 year olds they had running Iraq

[Eurobabe]

48. LUNCH BREAK one HOUR, back at 1:30pm

[Wilber_Stool]

50. We have to find everyone with WMD

Washington Memory Disorder.

[SharonRB]

68. LOL

I think they could fill an entire hospital.

[Princess Turandot]

51. Has anyone asked him abt Fitzgerald's sub-par rating?

Saving it for the matinee, maybe?

[Jack Rabbit]

52. Riviting drama

One hell of a lot better than prime time garbage.

I'm absolutely sure he's lied multiple times, but specifically what and where remains to be seen.

[IChing]

56. If he lied then I don't recall or don't remember when he did

LOL

[eleny]

61. No doubt about the notes he kept about the firings

[Jack Rabbit]

89. Maybe

There was a effort to keep this process undercover, so it is possible that he kept his "file" on the matter as he said.

[Raven]

54. Whitehouse should be in the White House!

Finally! Some hard hitting questions. I'm worried that Sampson is going to get a sympathy vote because he's such a wimp. And who is that scary looking guy sitting behind Sampson...the Grim Reaper?

[aquart]

58. Wimps get contempt, not sympathy.

Nobody wants to identify with a gutless weasel.

[Cameron27]

Whitehouse was a prosecutor

and it shows by his questions.

[quiet.american]

57. Anyone counted how many times he's said, I don't remember, I have no recollection, I don't recall.nt

[IChing]

59. I don't remember, I have no recollection, I don't recall how many times he

said that, it should be in the transcript. Which is why you need a transcript.

[quiet.american]

60. :) n/t

[seafan]

62. I just flipped by FOX, and the banner at the bottom said "Jesus Comeback"

Sorry, that's all I saw.... I was running away too fast.

Guess they aren't covering this historic hearing on the Hill today.

[The Witch]

63. Just got back from real work. Looks like I missed a lot

Top three highlights, anyone?

[IChing]

67. OK my top three

1. I don't remember,
2.I have no recollection,
3. I don't recall

[Raven]

69. Oh please add: "I didn't keep a file on this"

:-)

[Raven]

66. "I didn't keep a file" ????????????????????????

Sampson spent 2 years on this and he didn't keep a file???? Of course he didn't because he knew from the get-go that this was going to be a political blood bath. Someone should ask this guy what other matters he handled for a two year time period where he didn't keep a file. He had a "drop file" in his right desk drawer. I had one of those and that's where I kept my most important papers.

[eleny]

70. a half truth - He pitched the file, that's how he "didn't keep a file"

Mendacity at it's best and worst.

I have no doubt that he kept a huge ongoing file and shredded it or took it out of his office. He may have even kept the main file away from his office. This is all trickery with words and running in between the raindrops.

[Raven]

71. Yup, this will be Sampson's downfall...the careful parsing of

words. Not keeping a file on this flies in the face of common sense...it is just not credible.

[IChing]

73. I agree and the transcripts should be interesting

THAT IS WHY WE NEED TRANSCRIPTS SPECTER!!1

[eleny]

77. and it braids nicely with Whitehouse's questioning his experience

The hearing closed on this interesting note -

An inexperienced attorney made important recommendation decisions affecting the nation. And he never even kept a comprehensive file on this critical task assigned to him by the Attorney General.

Oh my.

[Flarney]

88. Managers at Wendys keep files on employees they might fire... nt

[WinkyDink]

78. Depends on what the meaning of "keep" is. Haha.

Follow-up should've been: "Are you saying you never HAD a file on this? Or that you HAD one, but threw it away, thus 'not keeping' it? And if the latter, do you think equivocating will help either your cause or the cause of justice?"

[eleny]

82. There ya go!

[Whoa_Nelly]

75. A drop file is a file, yet he treats the whole issue of his part in this as casual

This is not about a teacher making notes on a student and then not putting all of those in the student's permanent file record. This about the man who was supposed to be managing the lists and documentation, etc. to narrow down which AGs would be fired. Many meetings were held, and we're supposed to believe Sampson went to these meetings empty handed? That he only had to use his memory recall at the meetings, had to rely on others providing information, etc., but he didn't have a fucking file, and his current recall is sketchy?

For a man who stated he was going to tell the truth, he's doing a bang up job of lying.

[WinkyDink]

83. Of course! Part of the strategery to make this all seem like small potatoes.

That was part of Doan's flippant and overly-familiar behavior yesterday, too.

Why be so SERIOUS, Democrats?! This is all just SOP politics! Why would ANYone keep files or remember any of this piddly stuff?!

[eleny]

84. That's why Whitehouse's asking about Sampson's experience is important

Sampson's inexperience is glaring if he doesn't think the firings process was important enough to keep a file.

And then this all goes back to who put him in this important job at the AG's office and who gave this him this critical task.

[Raven]

94. If anyone has had any contact with a bureaucrat , they know...

paper, paper, paper....files, files, files...drowning in paper...who doesn't know that to be a fact!

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

95. Same for lawyers !

Imagine how much paper a bureaucrat lawyer produces - more than twice the amount of a bureaucrat - probably bureaucrat cubed

[Raven]

104. HA! You are so right!! Since I retired from law I refuse to deal with paper

well, maybe toilet paper is ok. :-)

[krkaufman]

80. Is there NO documentation on the Attorney firings?

Given they were fired for performance reasons, where's the documentation detailing their poor performance? And where's the impact study, documenting how their dismissal would affect ongoing investigations and prosecutions?

If there is no such documentation, for this alone Gonzalez should be fired. (After which we can worry about getting to the actual truth, and criminal charges.)


p.s. Where's the American Bar Association? Shouldn't these lawyers be getting disbarred?

[eleny]

86. Amen!

And who hired this knucklehead into the AG's office in the first place?
And who gave him the job to come up with the recommendations of USAs firings?

oops.

[eleny]

81. Isikoff on MSNBC pointing out the contradictions by Sampson of AG's previous testimony

Sampson did keep the AG apprised.
Sampson said AG's statement that he was not involved was inaccurate.

[Blackhatjack]

87. Hatch failed to mention he 'would resent anyone who hurts that man(Sampson)" former employee

I guess he did not think it important since the threat had already been made.

[BuyingThyme]

91. Are you guys at lunch or something?

What's the best part so far?

:hi:

[eleny]

92. I can't remember

:rofl:

[mod mom]

93. until 1:30 est. I think Dianne Feinstein's readin of the commendation letter

for Lam and listing her as one of the top attorneys in country really contradicts their position that she was not following the agenda of immigration set forward by the president. oh yeah and Abu lied (although Sampson says Abu recently clarified it.)

[Laurab]

96. They're BACK! n/t

[Breeze54]

97. Sampson regained memory after lunch!

:rofl: "How CONveeeeenient!"

[IChing]

98. New thread please

[Laurab]

100. LOL - good thing, because it seems Leahy was there, too

maybe that's why he regained his memory!

[bdamomma]

99. hey you guys are so good, I had too read all those threads

to find out what was going on. So the response to everything is "I don't know" that is the code of silence for the Bush Crime Family. Listening to Thom Hartman can't get streaming of hearings, and apparently there is alot of talk about the Iranian/British to derail these hearings. To distract everyone with this stand off between Iran and the Brits.

Well anyway, thanks you guys for the update, you are feeding me alot of information.

[quiet.american]

102. Lot of empty seats behind Sampson now. Where'd everybody go? n/t

[WinkyDink]

103. Still at lunch, is my guess!

[bdamomma]

105. hey you guys I started number 6 thread on this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x532657

[The empressof all]

106. locking

Thread 6 here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x532657