(ABC) EXCLUSIVE: E-Mails Show Rove Role in U.S. Attorney Firings

[sabra]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2954988&page=1

EXCLUSIVE: E-Mails Show Rove Role in U.S. Attorney Firings
Unreleased E-Mails Directly Contradict White House Assertions that the Notion Originated with Harriet Miers

March 15, 2007 — New unreleased e-mails from top administration officials show the idea of firing all 93 U.S. attorneys was raised by White House adviser Karl Rove in early January 2005, indicating Rove was more involved in the plan than previously acknowledged by the White House.

The e-mails also show Attorney General Alberto Gonzales discussed the idea of firing the attorneys en masse while he was still White House counsel — weeks before he was confirmed as attorney general.

The e-mails directly contradict White House assertions that the notion originated with recently departed White House counsel Harriet Miers and was her idea alone.

Two independent sources in a position to know have described the contents of the e-mail exchange, which could be released as early as Friday. They put Rove at the epicenter of the imbroglio and raise questions about Gonzales' explanations of the matter.

:nuke:

[tblue]

1. ABC? Wow!

[underpants]

2. ALSO:Looks like they used email address outside the WH to get around record keeping

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3164103

[maddezmom]

12. gave that one a rec

:)

[Dinger]

3. The "All Bu$h Channel"?

Whee! This ain't collin' off folks, not ever!:)

[Botany]

4. This getting good

:popcorn:

And bush & Rove stopped a U.S. Attorney from investigating Jack Abramoff
and the Mariana Island sweat shops / Sex trade too.

[Robson]

5. Will this end the dancing around White House supoena issue?

Hopefully they (Judicial Committee)won't continue to dance around the issue of supoenaing any White House officials hoping to avoid a conflict.

[aquart]

6. Oh. My. Word.

[fooj]

7. Talk about all hell breaking loose.

[dwp6577]

8. That means they haven't been very truthful...

hard to believe...NOT

[UpInArms]

24. Welcome to DU, dwp6577

thanks for the laff!

[damntexdem]

9. "Raise questions about Gonzales' explanations of the matter"? No!

Make it clear that he lied to the Senate in his confirmation hearings.

[Marnieworld]

10. Wow. And it's only Thursday

:popcorn:

[onenote]

11. Buh-bye Gonzo

He's a goner.

[maddezmom]

13. can't we get Rove in the process?

please?

[maddezmom]

14. check this out...looks like we can

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2768742

[onenote]

21. I wish, but I doubt it.

He hasn't testified. And frankly, if all 93 had been sacked, it would've been more defensible than what happened. I think he'll survive this one, but Gonzo's gotta go.

[Sherman A1]

15. This could come under the heading of

"ooooopps", for our esteemed Administration......

Some days you get the bear and other days the bear gets you.........

[BluePatriot]

16. Cue the RW bloggers discussing typeface

Not that I'm not hopeful, but I hope someone's not pulling a "Dan Rather" on ABC to discredit the entire scandal & the media...

[nashville_brook]

18. cue Friday Document dump

[truthisfreedom]

17. If we could nail harriet, gonzo, and rover all at the same time, bush would be thoroughly

demoralized and confused.

[kstewart33]

19. If this doesn't get Albie fired, nothing will. K&R

[kstewart33]

20. Can't these idiots lie competently?

What is the matter with these guys? They can't even get their lies straight. There must be complete mayhem in the White House. And these idiots are running a war?

[seafan]

22. Like I said last night......uh oh, Mr. Rove.

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais


More from the article:


EXCLUSIVE: E-Mails Show Rove's Role in U.S. Attorney Firings, March 15, 2007

.....

The e-mail exchange is dated early January 2005, more than a month before the White House acknowledged it was considering firing all the U.S. attorneys. On its face, the plan is not improper, inappropriate or even unusual: The president has the right to fire U.S. attorneys at any time, and presidents have done so when they took office.

What has made the issue a political firestorm is the White House's insistence that the idea came from Miers and was swiftly rejected.

White House press secretary Tony Snow told reporters Tuesday that Miers had suggested firing all 93, and that it was "her idea only." Snow said Miers' idea was quickly rejected by the Department of Justice.

The latest e-mails show that Gonzales and Rove were both involved in the discussion, and neither rejected it out of hand.

According to the e-mails, Rove raised the issue with then-deputy White House Counsel David Leitch, prompting Leitch to e-mail Kyle Sampson, then a lawyer for the Justice Department. Sampson moved over to the Justice Department after working with Gonzales at the White House.

Sampson responded to Leitch that he had discussed the idea with Gonzales two weeks earlier, and that they were considering several different options.

[Up2Late]

23. WEeeeeLL, Isn't that SPECIAL!

Anyone NOT see this coming? Anyone? Anyone?

[tanyev]

25. Backtracking on the 5:30 broadcast.

Charlie asked some "expert" if they had actually done anything wrong, and she trotted out the tired old story about how Clinton had fired all the attorneys when he took office, they serve at the pleasure of the president, blah, blah, blah. If they're going to use that as an excuse, they could at least acknowledge that Bush did the same thing when he first took office, and nobody is questioning that.

[Pachamama]

26. Wow! Fitzmas may have just been the 1st day of Hannukah!

Looks like there are going to be far more gifts coming other than Scooter Libby as a felon.....

:bounce:

[Qutzupalotl]

27. "Days."

--Harry Reid

[mitchum]

28. Perp walk for that fat fuck