NYT Editorial: Story Time In The Senate ("Testimony Got So Embarrassing Repubs Tried To Cut It Off")

[Hissyspit]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/opinion/30fri1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Editorial
Story Time in the Senate

In his Senate testimony yesterday, Kyle Sampson, the former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, tried to be a “loyal Bushie,” a term Mr. Sampson used in his infamous e-mail message to describe what he was looking for in United States attorneys. But if Mr. Sampson was trying to fall on his sword, he had horrible aim. In testimony that got so embarrassing for the White House that the Republicans tried to cut it off, Mr. Sampson simply ended up making it clearer than ever that the eight prosecutors were fired for political reasons.

- snip -

The hearing brought out evidence that Mr. Sampson also may have made false statements. A Feb. 23 letter to Congress based on information from Mr. Sampson stated that Karl Rove was not involved in replacing the United States attorney in Arkansas with Timothy Griffin, Mr. Rove’s former aide. Mr. Sampson could not convincingly explain why he wrote that, when he had said in an e-mail message two months earlier that getting Mr. Griffin appointed was “important” to Mr. Rove. He finally acknowledged that he had discussed the appointment with Mr. Rove’s two top aides.

The senators questioning Mr. Sampson pointed to a troubling pattern: many of the fired prosecutors were investigating high-ranking Republicans. He was asked if he was aware that the fired United States attorney in Nevada was investigating a Republican governor, that the fired prosecutor in Arkansas was investigating the Republican governor of Missouri, or that the prosecutor in Arizona was investigating two Republican members of Congress.

- snip -

The administration insists that purge was not about partisan politics. But Mr. Sampson’s alternative explanation was not very credible — that the decision about which of these distinguished prosecutors should be fired was left in the hands of someone as young and inept as Mr. Sampson. If this were an aboveboard, professional process, it strains credulity that virtually no documents were produced when decisions were made, and that none of his recommendations to Mr. Gonzales were in writing.

MORE

[antonialee839]

1. In testimony that got so embarrassing for the White House

that the Republicans tried to cut it off,

Ah yes, the Repukes, "cut his mic off", Bill O'Reilly moment was priceless.

:rofl:

[Hissyspit]

4. I decided to put that in the subject line.

...it's so good. :rofl:

[DemoTex]

24. Remember when "Wisconsin Fats" Sensenbrenner cut off committee mic?

Sensenbrenner cut off the mic on House Judiciary Committee Democrats debating warrantless wiretaps last year. Then he petulantly stormed out of the hearing room.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Democrats_to_hold_own_hearings_on_0110.html

[spooky3]

2. k&r

[Spazito]

3. Haven't finished reading the article because I can't stop laughing

at this little gem in the very beginning of the article:

"But if Mr. Sampson was trying to fall on his sword, he had horrible aim."

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[WillyT]

5. Grande K & R !!!

:kick:

[GregD]

6. So I take it they didn't buy his story?

heh heh

[tridim]

11. "I don't Remember" by Kyle Sampson. That story?

:rofl:

[robinlynne]

7. Does anyone know exactly what he was talkng about when they got him cut off?

[Spazito]

9. Specter was asking about the Patriot Act addition to the Act

and whether Sampson was pushing for use of that "change" for getting the new appointees in place without Senate approval, he had just started in his second round of questioning when the repubs shut it down for a short period of time.

[robinlynne]

15. No, it wasn't Specter at all. I remember the shutdown, but didn't see what was going on right before

Spewcter started questooning after. it was a repub, but the good one, the one who talks like a Dem on this particular issue.

[Cameron27]

19. I thought it was Specter

and Leahy cut in. I was waiting for Specter to finish his questioning after the "break" but he didn't.

I'm going to have to re-watch.

[Spazito]

20. You're right, it was Senator Grassley not Spector

from Firedoglake's blogging:

SEN. GRASSLEY QUESTIONS: Grassley says it isn't against the law for the President to fire US Attorneys. But once those representations are made with regard to why the USAs are fired, those representations — both to the public and to Congress — need to be accurate.

The GOP has now objected to this hearing continuing. Under the rules of the Senate, they have the right to do so. We will stand in recess until the Senate recesses. Once the Senate has adjourned, Sen. Grassley will be the next person to be recognized, Sen. Leahy says. (CHS: This is a procedural maneuver to shut down the hearing during prime viewing time today. At least, tha's is how it feels to me.)

[WiseButAngrySara]

26. Bingo. ....n/t

[mod mom]

32. Grassley was questioning him.

[hang a left]

36. actually I believe he was talking about the weekly meetings

Sampson attended at the WH.

[DCKit]

8. But which tool in the Senate

tried to call them off? Intelligent minds wanna know.

[antonialee839]

10. I think it was Hatch

He's a nasty piece of work, and the biggest tool at the hearing.

[spooky3]

12. People posting in the live C-span threads said it was Cornyn, I think.

But I share your low opinion of Hatch as well.

[antonialee839]

13. Cornyn is just as big a tool, so I

can believe that. The two of them made me want to vomit today.

[tanyev]

22. Sadly, there is no shortage of tools to choose from.

[a kennedy]

23. No it was Grassley, but thought this was interesting.....

Sampson has close relationship with GOP senators on committee that will question him.

When D. Kyle Sampson, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's former chief of staff, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow, he may get a warm reception from some committee Republicans, including a former boss who warned his colleagues against trying "to hurt the man" last week.

Sampson has agreed to testify on Thursday before the Judiciary Committee in the US Senate, a body where he used to work. One of the senators hearing his testimony, Orrin Hatch of Utah, is a former employer. Sampson served as counsel to Senator Hatch from 1999-2001. Records filed with the Federal Election Commission also show that Hatch received a $250 campaign donation in March 2006 from Sampson.

Senator Hatch made it clear in a Judiciary Committee hearing last week authorizing the issuance of subpoenas that he wants Sampson treated well before the Committee.

"I personally feel badly for young Kyle Sampson. He worked on this committee. He's a very honest, decent, honorable person. And he had the unenviable job of handling these matters," Hatch explained.

He added, "And, frankly, I will resent anybody who tries to hurt the man."

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Sampson_has_close_relationship_with_GOP_0328.html

[napi21]

28. Yesterday someone on CNN said it was Mitch McConnel.

That makes sense to me too since he's the minority leader.

I doubt it was Hatch because he was at the hearing.

[hang a left]

37. Read later it was Mitch McConnell

[patrice]

14. embarassed? or worried?

Don't you think Sampson's ineptness had them worried he was going to say something really damaging to Gonzales?

[DCKit]

16. Duh, but SUCH an obviously petty tactic

You'd have to be GOP, bible-thumpin trailer-trash to fall for that one.

[MikeDuffy]

17. Perhaps they stopped it so they could tell Sampson something

?

[DCKit]

18. Or to pass a new script along to the questioners?

I could hardly see who was talking, but at least ONE of them kept repeating over and over at the end of his period that he could see no wrongdoing, that it was probably all as innocent as originally reported, blah, blah, blah.....

[robinlynne]

35. That's what it looks like. It took 2 hours to readjourn!

[hang a left]

38. IT was only about 20 minutes.

[19jet54]

21. You can only hide so long...

... today was very enlightening testimony & the questions show the depth of professionalism on the Judiciary Committee. Most Republicans acted as defense attorneys, except Sen. Arlen Specter while most Democrats were the prosecutors. The after media coverage was right on, conveying all the right stuff to the voters & Democracy works!

I wonder if Abraham Lincoln told stupid jokes while Americans were dieing in the Civil War? Bush is more like Nero in Rome than Lincoln? And Karl Rove is the village dancing idiot!

[NewJeffCT]

27. I've made the comparison before - but, Bush is like Varus

Varus was the Roman governor who was the son of a wealthy conservative Roman politician (Poppy Varus)

Varus became governor of the wealthy province of Syria (Texas). He left Syria a rich man, but Syria was transformed into a poor province under his watch.

Varus then went to govern Germania and befriended a man named Arminius (Chalabi), a German who had been raised by Romans. Varus, on advice of Arminius, marched 3 full legions into the Teutenberg Forest in Germany. With all the support troops, it was around 20,000 soldiers.

However, because the Forest was difficult terrain, the Romans became strung out and were easy prey for the Germans, who used hit and run tactics to slowly annihilate just about all 20,000 Romans over several days. Varus supposedly killed himself in shame (ok, one difference from Bush - Varus at least has shame) and never again would the Romans attempt to conquer Germania or advance beyond the Rhone (or Rhine, I forget) River. Arminius (his Roman name) became a hero to the Germans and is known to them as Herman the German.

[Hissyspit]

39. Lot of parallels to Caligula, too. n/t

[WiseButAngrySara]

25. Hah Hah! "As Young and Inept" and without memory! ....n/t

[peace13]

29. I loved this response by S...

"It is the truth as I observed it and experienced it." It makes it sound like truth is just a matter of perception. That my friends is what we are up against. Peace, Kim

[WiseButAngrySara]

31. This is my favorite from Sampson yesterday...

"Let me be precise. I don't remember being aware of that."

This blows my mind! Precision does not entail not remembering. And you are either aware or not.

[in_cog_ni_to]

30. "Mr. Sampson simply ended up making it clearer than ever that the eight prosecutors were fired for

political reasons."

Why, YES HE DID...from what I saw. I did get to tune in last night when C-SPAN replayed the hearing, but fell asleep before it was over.

I missed some of it and was wondering if anyone asked Mr. "I Don't Remember" about his "loyal Bushie" remark from that email? If so, what was his reply?

[WiseButAngrySara]

33. I'm sure it was "I don't remember!" ....n/t

[Chimichurri]

34. Nevermind...self-delete.

[SemperEadem]

40. apparently, being a thug means you automatically succumb

to memory loss---if someone has that bad of a memory loss, should they be trusted in higher branches of government? I mean, if one watches Farenheit 911, Rice had that problem, too, when it came to her testifying before the committee.... they all seem to have that problem and it's a wonder no one asks them if they think they should see a doctor because of their profound memory loss--perhaps they should step down (or not even take the job)for health reasons if it's like that.