U.S. Attorney Scandal Probe Enters White House Circle

[petersjo02]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/07/white-house-nightmare-sce_n_117548.html

The Justice Department investigation into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys has been extended to encompass allegations that senior White House officials played a role in providing false and misleading information to Congress, according to numerous sources involved in the inquiry.

The widened scope raises the possibility that investigators will pursue criminal charges against some administration officials, and recommend appointment of a special prosecutor if there is evidence of criminal misconduct.

The investigators have been specifically probing the role of White House officials in the drafting and approval of a Feb. 23, 2007 letter sent to Congress by the Justice Department denying that Karl Rove (President Bush's chief political adviser at the time) had anything to do with the firing of Bud Cummins, a U.S. Attorney from Arkansas. Cummins was fired in Dec. 2006 to make room for Tim Griffin, a protégé and former top aide of Rove's...snip

Federal investigators have obtained documents showing that Kyle Sampson, then-chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and Chris Oprison, then an associate White House counsel, drafted and approved the letter even though they had first-hand knowledge that the assertions were not true. The Justice Department later had to repudiate the Sampson-Oprison letter and sent a new one informing Congress that it could no longer stand by the earlier assertions.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Executive privilege--a legal principle akin to Divine Right of Dictators--

will no doubt shut this nonsense down soon enough.

[midnight]

2. The law will become an important tool soon

after a Democratic President is allowed to run this country. Then many,republicans, will have higher standards than we have seen in a long time. These standards will include the rule of law.

[yellowcanine]

3. Good. May force McCain to say whether he condemns WH law breaking?

And if he doesn't, why not. The fundy right will not be pleased if he supports a special prosecutor investigation of the WH. OTOH, he cannot afford not to, if he is to have any hope of garnering the support of enough independents and conservative Democrats to win.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[RainDog]

5. Maybe we'll have our own "Nuremberg Trials" here

Numerous members of this administration sitting together, all facing charges of the highest crimes. If we are a lawless nation, then... we are a lawless nation to the rest of the world as well. Truly the Banana Republicans have been in power for 8 years.

and actually, if trials do not happen here, they should happen in an international court.