NYT: Democrats Call for Special Prosecutor in (Abramoff) Lobbying Case

[DeepModem Mom]

Democrats Call for Special Prosecutor in Lobbying Case
By PHILIP SHENON
Published: February 2, 2006


WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 — Most Senate Democrats called on the Justice Department today to appoint a special prosecutor to take over the criminal investigation centered on the Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty to conspiring to corrupt members of Congress and other public officials.

The 35 Democrats and Senator James Jeffords of Vermont, an independent, said in a letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales that an outside prosecutor was needed because of "Mr. Abramoff's significant ties to Republican leadership in Congress and allegations of improper activity involving administration officials."

The Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, said he signed the letter because "we need an independent investigation, not a whitewash led by Attorney General Gonzales, President Bush's best friend." He added in a statement, "President Bush has worn out his credibility with the American people yet he continues to stonewall an investigation into his involvement with Jack Abramoff, asking him to trust him without explaining why."

He was referring to President Bush's comments at a news conference last week in which he said he could not recall ever meeting Mr. Abramoff, a major fund-raiser in Mr. Bush's presidential campaign.

The Justice Department had no immediate response to the senators' request but in the past has rebuffed calls for a special prosecutor, saying that the department had demonstrated that it is pursuing the investigation aggressively. The call for a special prosecutor was first made last week by two of the Democratic senators, Charles E. Schumer of New York and Ken Salazar of Colorado....


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/02/politics/02cnd-lobby.html

[stepnw1f]

1. Excellent (nt)

[Greeby]

2. One question

Who are the remaining eight and why aren't they hopping on board?

[LiberalAndProud]

7. I'd like to know who the 34 are.

I want to send a thank you note.

[applegrove]

3. Seems new GOP talking points will be - it isn't K street - it is that

the size of government is so big it causes corruption.

Saw that on Lou Dobbs tonight.

[peacebird]

4. and on whose watch did the fed govt grow so BIG and corrupt? dubya's.

with his massive dept of "homeland" security....

:puke:

WHEN WILL THE CONGRESS GET TIRED OF * BLOWING THEM OFF? Not even pretending to give them the info they ask for to do "their oversight" duty - even pretend to do the oversight.

Katrina
Abramoff
illegal spying

Plus the signing statements which negate the congressional laws he signs.

[Kagemusha]

5. Wouldn't a special prosecutor bury this?

And it's not like the administration feels any obligation to cooperate with those types anyway, public assertions aside..

[Cocoa]

8. why do you say a special prosecutor would bury this?

and the subjects of the investigation wouldn't have a choice in the matter, the special prosecutor would have the power to compel cooperation.

[sarcasmo]

6. Dictator 43 does not recall meeting Abramoff because all of the photos

Have been burned.

[rodeodance]

9. good for them and good for NYTimes

[cyberpj]

10. I stole shamelessly from Duers and got this LTTE published locally today:

It's no coincidence Bush removed federal prosecutor

This ridiculous search for photos of President Bush with lobbyist Jack Abramoff is getting way too much press. We can safely assume that any such photographs were found and destroyed at the first sign of Abramoff's cooperation with prosecutors. The proof that Bush and Abramoff are connected lies in the usual furtive activity of Bush himself. Twice now, Bush has removed a prosecutor in the Abramoff case.

According to the Aug. 8 Los Angeles Times, a grand jury in Guam opened an investigation of Abramoff more than two years ago, but Bush removed the supervising federal prosecutor, and the probe ended soon after.

On Jan. 26, the Justice Department announced the chief prosecutor in the current inquiry would step down because he has been nominated to a federal judgeship by Bush.

This is a calculated removal of a prosecutor from an explosive case. Noel Hillman's nomination to a federal position comes just as the investigation is getting public and expanding its scope. Hillman attended most of the negotiations with Abramoff and co-conspirator Michael Scanlon.

I guess the Bush administration learned a valuable lesson from the Nixon administration: Better to hide your "Saturday night massacre" with precision shots over time by promoting those you want to eliminate. This president should be impeached for a growing list of activities that prove he has abused his power as commander in chief for his own profit.

The News Journal
Wilmington, Delaware

[DeepModem Mom]

11. Excellent, cyberpj!

[cyberpj]

12. Thanks. And whoever wants to steal and spread this should feel free to

as far as I'm concerned.

[ShockediSay]

13. * recently fired the chief prosecutor on the Abramoff case

by appointing him to a federal judgeship

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/27/politics/27judge.html

[dusty64]

14. And not a peep

from the "liberal" media. Remember the firestorm over Marc Rich, can you imagine if Clinton pulled something like this? Its obvious they are going to put a puppet into this position and not a word of outrage, this case will probably go nowhere.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. These 34 Senators are the New Dems

the rest need to change the D to an R after their names. They are not part of my party.