Specter Dismisses Gonzales’ ‘Conclusory’ Claim Of ‘Nothing Improper;’ Wants Actual Facts

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/04/16/gonzales-improper/

Specter Dismisses Gonzales’ ‘Conclusory’ Claim Of ‘Nothing Improper;’ Wants Actual Facts

In his Washington Post op-ed yesterday, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales insisted that “nothing improper occurred” when eight U.S. Attorneys were forced to resign last year. “I know that I did not — and would not — ask for the resignation of any U.S. attorney for an improper reason,” wrote Gonzales. “Furthermore, I have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. attorney for an improper reason.”

The assertion that there was “nothing improper” in the firing of the eight U.S. Attorneys has been a constant refrain from Gonzales and his supporters, even as evidence continues to mount that contradicts their public statements. Here are a few examples:

the goal is to show Congress and the American people that “the department did not remove the U.S. attorneys for improper reasons.”

“No United States Attorney was fired for improper reasons.”

“There was nothing improper about the decision here.”

“I asked for their resignation not for improper reasons.”

“Nor, to my knowledge, was any U.S. attorney asked to resign for an improper reason.”

Appearing on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, dismissed the claims in Gonzales’ op-ed. “Those statements are very conclusory,” Specter said. “He’s got a steep hill to climb. He’s going to be successful only if he deals with the facts.” Watch it at link:

The facts show considerable evidence of “improper” motivations behind the firings.

Just yesterday, the Albuquerque Journal reported that former New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias “was fired after Sen. Pete Domenici, who had been unhappy with Iglesias for some time, made a personal appeal to the White House.” The main gripe with Iglesias was that he had refused to give in to Domenici’s pressure and bring indictments against Democrats before the 2006 mid-term elections.

Furthermore, just one day after former San Diego U.S. Attorney Carol Lam widened her probe into a Republican bribery scandal, Gonzales’ former Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson warned the White House of “the real problem” they had with her. He then suggested that they should start looking for her replacement.

Sen. Specter is right. Gonzales is going to have a hard time selling his “nothing improper” story unless he produces facts that support his claims. Otherwise, when Gonzales testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow, his statements should be read with the utmost skepticism.

[RufusTFirefly]

1. Specter will raise troubling questions...

... and then roll over.

That's generally what he does.

[babylonsister]

2. I know, I know. I'm hoping he'll break his boring, boring pattern! nt

[MUAD_DIB]

3. Don't worry. He won't. He's been using stalling tactics, or so it seems.

He's a republican that doesn't want the GOP to get in any deeper to the trough of shit that they have created.

Guess what Specter....too late.

[chill_wind]

4. Specter has protected Torture Boy

and his illegal spy schemes in the past by protecting him from taking sworn oath before Congress in the past.

I think Arlen Specter's new religion and zeal for "the facts" regarding Gonzales comes late in the day indeed.

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/06/specter-off-to-a-bad-start/