http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/10219.html#more-10219Tony Snow prevaricates on prosecutor purge
As the prosecutor purge has transitioned from simmering controversy to full-fledged scandal, the one thing I’ve missed is White House Press Secretary Tony Snow’s unique brand of mendacity. While the president has been traveling throughout Latin America, Snow’s been with him. As a result, Snow has barely talked to the press corps since March 8.
At this morning’s gaggle, which was just a precusor to the fuller briefing we’ll get later, the press corps didn’t hold back.
Q: The president said yesterday that “Al has got some work to do up there” on Capitol Hill, that he wants him to go up there. It seems like maybe he’s leaving it up to Gonzales to save himself, prove himself, or not.
SNOW: No, the president has got confidence in the attorney general. But he’s also made it clear that the Department of Justice didn’t handle properly the notification of US attorneys they intended to find replacements for, the Capitol Hill notifications, in some cases, and furthermore, there was some testimony on the Hill where people weren’t fully briefed on email trails and so on. And therefore, the attorney general, I think, is going to be doing some outreach to members of Congress to explain what went on.
See? There’s no problem here. We’re just looking at a situation in which some officials “weren’t fully briefed.” Never mind the emails that show otherwise. Never mind the constantly evolving (and contradictory) explanations for why the purge was necessary. Never mind the fact that Karl Rove was involved after the Justice Department swore he wasn’t. What we have here is … a failure to communicate. Right.
Q: But they’re saying “at the pleasure of the president,” but he said that he did not specifically know about the cases.
SNOW: No, he did not, specifically. What he does is, as the Commander-in-Chief, he also delegates responsibility to Cabinet officers. And the Attorney General had a recommendation to replace seven US attorneys, and the president said, “okay.” And he approved that decision.
Actually, the list originated at the White House, but let’s move on.
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