"UNMISTAKABLE PATTERN OF ABUSE": DOJ Attorney-Puts Job On Line-Calls Bush Justice Dept A Disgrace

[kpete]

Bush justice is a national disgrace
By John S. Koppel
Article Last Updated: 07/05/2007 11:48:30 PM MDT


As a longtime attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, I can honestly say that I have never been as ashamed of the department and government that I serve as I am at this time.

The public record now plainly demonstrates that both the DOJ and the government as a whole have been thoroughly politicized in a manner that is inappropriate, unethical and indeed unlawful. The unconscionable commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's sentence, the misuse of warrantless investigative powers under the Patriot Act and the deplorable treatment of U.S. attorneys all point to an unmistakable pattern of abuse.

In the course of its tenure since the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has turned the entire government (and the DOJ in particular) into a veritable Augean stable on issues such as civil rights, civil liberties, international law and basic human rights, as well as criminal prosecution and federal employment and contracting practices. It has systematically undermined the rule of law in the name of fighting terrorism, and it has sought to insulate its actions from legislative or judicial scrutiny and accountability by invoking national security at every turn, engaging in persistent fearmongering, routinely impugning the integrity and/or patriotism of its critics, and protecting its own lawbreakers. This is neither normal government conduct nor "politics as usual," but a national disgrace of a magnitude unseen since the days of Watergate - which, in fact, I believe it eclipses.

In more than a quarter of a century at the DOJ, I have never before seen such consistent and marked disrespect on the part of the highest ranking government policymakers for both law and ethics. It is especially unheard of for U.S. attorneys to be targeted and removed on the basis of pressure and complaints from political figures dissatisfied with their handling of politically sensitive investigations and their unwillingness to "play ball." Enough information has already been disclosed to support the conclusion that this is exactly what happened here, at least in the case of former U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias of New Mexico (and quite possibly in several others as well). Law enforcement is not supposed to be a political team sport, and prosecutorial independence and integrity are not "performance problems."

................

I realize that this constitutionally protected statement subjects me to a substantial risk of unlawful reprisal from extremely ruthless people who have repeatedly taken such action in the past. But I am confident that I am speaking on behalf of countless thousands of honorable public servants, at Justice and elsewhere, who take their responsibilities seriously and share these views. And some things must be said, whatever the risk.


more at:
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_6308408

[Faygo Kid]

1. Lawyers take an oath, and it's good to see this one take it seriously.

This is a wonderful article. Thanks for posting. Gives me hope.

[PurpleChez]

17. Gregory Peck was just too damn cool.

[dEMOK]

32. Hopefully, as Cheney/Bush's polls slide further into Nixon numbers...

..more people like this will come forward.

[Seabiscuit]

59. Yes, we do. And this one has upheld his by writing these words.

Any lawyers who have this lawyer's knowledge of the facts but are too fearful to say the same have already violated their oaths by their silence.

[Quantess]

110. To Kill A Mockingbird.

The book is great, too!

[BlackHawk706867]

2. Now we just need a follow up of others to come foreward with the..

same opinion, and we are off to the races.... The next step that is needed is to have some high ranking military types take the same step with respect to the war... And the snowball will have begun in earnest...

Lets go people, this can be done... even if Congress is dragging it's feet.

ww

[frogcycle]

21. Congress does not lead - it follows

slowly and timidly. Leaders like this are what can save the Republic.

[tbyg52]

3. Thank you Mr. Koppel!

:patriot:

[Ghost in the Machine]

4. Another Truth Teller finally speaks out...

I hope it snowballs quickly into an avalanche against this misadministration and buries them.

[Canuckistanian]

5. I had to look up "Augean stables"

It was Hercules' task to clean out the stables of King Augeas.

I think it's an brilliant metaphor for today's Justice Department.

[thereismore]

41. Thanks for looking it up for me. We need a Hercules to clean up the filth. nt

[ProudDad]

47. Yep

just think "Hall of Horse Shit"


:rofl:

[0007]

101. ...a great metaphor

Australia has nothin' on us

[Quantess]

108. Thanks for explaining that.

Great post.

[malaise]

6. Wow

The gig is up. The rats are cornered. Can't wait to see how this ends.
John Koppel :yourock:

[Quantess]

109. Yes John Koppel does "rock", and yes, the "rats are cornered".

However, I'm too cynical to think the "gig is up".

[pinto]

7. Bravo! Mr. Koppel.

"The last thing they deserve is trust."

Bravo.

[nolabels]

8. Must be kind of shock really

You wake up one day and just sort of out of the blue you realize your actually part of the fill-ins. This being the result or a absence of a real mob, you are part of the fil-in-mob. Just being the result of a needy corporate welfare state fills most of its needs with a cheaply bribed and paid-for congress. So when a person can't take it anymore, they just start by sticking their head out the window yelling at the world? This is how it's supposed be and work :shrug:

[The Cleaner]

9. Ah but let's play nice and not impeach (even though our democracy has been trashed)

:sarcasm:

[ClayZ]

10. Bravo!

K and R

[Jack Rabbit]

11. K/R

!!

[originalpckelly]

12. HOLY CRAP! I need to start reading our local papers, this is pretty amazing.

Way to go, I'm proud the DP is the one that published it.

[Heathen57]

19. You can be sure it would never

have made it into the Colo Spgs Gazette. No wonder when I subscribe to the papers, it is the Denver ones.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

13. IMO this is the first bitter fruit of Dubya's hush-clemency for Libby. I look forward to

more.

IMO Koppel must have seen UNPRECEDENTED partial Presidential clemency for a Special Assistant to the President/Chief of Staff for a VP as something Dubya's handlers can't just explain away as a "leftwing Michael Moore conspiracy theory". He must have been waiting for this opportunity for six years. With 25 years in as a Reagan appointee, he would probably have wanted to retire after a probable Democratic re-taking of the WH in 2009 anyway.

It may be much more exciting to go out with a bang as a hero whistleblower than with a whimper as just another failed Republican DOJ disgrace.

How many other dissatisfied Cabinet staffers have 20-plus years in? I suspect we may be hearing from a few more of them soon.

[Cerridwen]

14. "Augean stable" - for others like me who didn't "get" it, but were

too embarrassed to ask and may not have found it on google ;)

the link is here; a snippet below:

The Augean Stables

Hercules Cleans Up

For the fifth labor, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to clean up King Augeas' stables. Hercules knew this job would mean getting dirty and smelly, but sometimes even a hero has to do these things. Then Eurystheus made Hercules' task even harder: he had to clean up after the cattle of Augeas in a single day.

Now King Augeas owned more cattle than anyone in Greece. Some say that he was a son of one of the great gods, and others that he was a son of a mortal; whosever son he was, Augeas was very rich, and he had many herds of cows, bulls, goats, sheep and horses. <sic to any typos>

I hope more public "servants" begin to speak out. The unsung hero/as in a democracy.

edit: formatting error - one little square bracket is all it took

[peacetalksforall]

70. So it means we all have to be Hercules. It's up to us to deliver

a Herculean success - with or without our representatives standing in the way - with or without 'self blinded Christians' standing in the way - with or without the military and corporations, including media, who create, protect, and obfuscate the filth.

[flying rabbit]

87. When Hercules was told to clean

out the Augean stables in a day - he asked Al Gore how to get it done.

[peacetalksforall]

92. Beautiful! Less than a half hour ago I was comparing him to others

who I felt instilled idealism in the public. I won't name names to avoid off topic diversions.

Related - however, I will type Gore- Feingold - the only Senator to vote against the Patriot Act - if I have remembered accurately. And Patriot Act fall out is what we're discussing.

The crimes of the Cheney Patriot Act will require a Hurculeann clean up.

In general - I admire those with foresight - not just the campaign trail predictable word stuff. Gore and feingold show it. Kucinich, also.

We need someone to jump start us and keep us pumped up, but without idolizing the person, just listening and acting. One of us who rises a little bit over us to see it better - to warn us.

Of course, Orwell warned us and it happened anyway because of the 'it could never happen here' tenet we were led to believe in.

Thank you for your post.

[SpiralHawk]

15. All honest Americans are ASHAMED of how the republicons have perverted justice

Republicons prove again they are lacking in honor.

[HDHNTR]

16. What they set out consciously to do to the word "Liberal"

They have unwittingly done to the word "Republican". It now has an ugly connotation and "feel" to it, that word, where "Liberal" by comparison, is like a breath of fresh air!

[NJCher]

52. Republicans screw themselves because they never know when to quit

It now has an ugly connotation and "feel" to it, that word, where "Liberal" by comparison, is like a breath of fresh air!

That is the ultimate irony. I always say the republicans nail their toes to the floor and this is a perfect example.

BTW, I sent this article to my friend, whose son is in the DOJ. I know him and he is very, very smart and a person of integrity. Of course my fear is that under this regime, he will have no time for the DOJ and we taxpayers will lose a valuable attorney.



Cher

[peacetalksforall]

71. NEVER EVER BELIEVE anyone who promises to bring HONOR

and INTEGRITY to the WH. Take a shortcut - NEVER EVER trust a Republican (unless it's a Republican who wakes up and draws the line for justice).

I am making a list of die=hard Republican apologists and activists who support this King and his court and co-King.

McConnell, McCain, Leiberman, Murdoch and team, - it's going to be long - they have batallions of support. Only a trickle have woken up to realize that the country and its original tenets count.

Maybe no one wants to say it, but we are also needed to clean up a Slaughter House - White House.

[PurpleChez]

18. GodDAMN, goddamn.

Spin that, Tony.

[C_U_L8R]

20. Thank You Mr Koppel !

May you inspire hundreds more to rise up against all that has gone wrong

[flyarm]

22. k&r k&r k&r i can't say it enough!! bravo!! thank you sir!! eom

[OzarkDem]

23. Impeach Gonzo

None of the investigations underway in Congress will get very far unless someone willing to uphold the law is in charge at DOJ.

[G_Leo_Criley]

39. Yes, impeach Gonzales

Impeachment of Gonzales is pretty much essential to getting things moving!

[NastyRiffraff]

24. An act of patriotism

Thank you, Mr. Koppel. That took guts.

A friend of mine is pretty close to the DOJ. She told me that most of the career employees there are disgusted and horrified at what's become of the department that's supposed to stand for justice for the people.

Oh, and K&R :kick:

[MasonJar]

25. An Amazing Profile in Courage

[Hubert Flottz]

26. K&R

A patriot! So rare theas days in Washington.

[uberllama42]

27. Oh snap! "Augean Stables"

I've heard people call the Bush administration many things, but I've never heard anyone compare it to a pile of bullshit thirty years high. Damn.

[Swamp Rat]

28. k&r

[Lochloosa]

68. k&r

[Lupeyg2]

75. Typo

Typo in that - "IT NOT JUST FOR BLOWJOBS ANYMORE"

Should be - "IT'S NOT JUST FOR BLOWJOBS ANYMORE"

[Lochloosa]

85. I'll let Swamp Rat know

Thanks.

[Swamp Rat]

96. Thanks y'all.

:hi:

[blondeatlast]

29. That, my fellow Americans, is patriotism. Excellent, k&r, and

:patriot:

[in_cog_ni_to]

30. a national disgrace of a magnitude unseen since the days of Watergate - which, in fact, I believe it

eclipses." No kidding! Let Impeachment begin!

[Laelth]

31. OP, thanks for sharing this.

To my brother in jurisprudence I say, "Rock on!"

k&r

-Laelth

[lyonn]

33. All this abuse is the consequence of one party rule

The repubs have had it their way for 6 years. No oversight, nothing but my way or the highway. Add to that the fact that we have a president and vp that are ignorant, greedy power mongers.

Impeachment is in order.

[G_Leo_Criley]

34. "whatever the risk"

"the misuse of warrantless investigative powers under the Patriot Act and the deplorable treatment of
U.S. attorneys all point to an unmistakable pattern of abuse."

Tell it Mr. Koppel!

k&r

:kick:

glc

[rubberducky]

35. Absolutely brilliant article!!

Anybody read through the comments?? Our own William Rivers Pitt was quoted!!!!! wwwoooo-hhhooo!!!!

[dEMOK]

36. k&r...

:applause:

[lovuian]

37. Its pretty obvious and yet Congress supports this

and allows the Justice Department to run amok

[Spazito]

38. Wow....WOW!

A true patriot has spoken out, I hope others see this act of bravery and speak out as well.

[young_at_heart]

40. Bravo---we need more like you!

"A substantial risk of unlawful reprisal from extremely ruthless people"---that says it all, doesn't it?

[SeattleGirl]

42. Holy shit!!! That was one scathing piece Mr. Koppel wrote!

I applaud him, and hope to God he doesn't suffer for this.

[DeSwiss]

43. Thank you Mr. Koppel, for your service and integrity....

One small stone sometimes is all it takes, to start an avalanche....

[colorado_ufo]

44. The most telling part of this post:

"I realize that this constitutionally protected statement subjects me to a substantial risk of unlawful reprisal from extremely ruthless people who have repeatedly taken such action in the past."

Amazing that he has the courage to state publicly what apparently more than we recognize in secret.

[SeattleGirl]

45. I thought so too. It's as if he's saying, "If anythign happens to me, here's

where to look."

[ProudDad]

46. Interesting -- at the bottom of the article

the Denver Post says "The views presented in this essay are not representative of the Department of Justice or its employees,,,"

How the fuck do they know...

[robinlynne]

48. and that's what the republicans think....

[RadiDem]

49. K&R! WOW!

[me b zola]

50. k&r

:kick:

[progressoid]

51. Umm...holy shit!

[Vidar]

53. Applauding Mr. Koppel.

[diane in sf]

54. Mr. Koppel is speaking on my behalf as an ordinary citizen.

[dEMOK]

55. That's EXACTLY how I felt... n/t

[John Q. Citizen]

56. I think the tipping point has arrived. I believe impeachment is a coming, and

I hope it's swift and sure.

I can't recall seeing my country so pissed off en masse at the executive branch, even during Watergate.

[Richard Steele]

57. John S. Koppel: real man, real citizen, real PATRIOT in an age of liars, posers, & sycophants. K&R.

No matter what happens, remember him as one who
stood up and did the right thing.

[FourScore]

58. Thank you, Sir! n/t

[Seabiscuit]

60. THANK GOD!

I think this worthy thread has just received more votes for "Greatest Thread" then the average Will Pitt thread, invariably and constantly inflated by his groupies.

[freefall]

61. Thank you Mr. Koppel and may you be safe from harm.

:kick:

And thanks to kpete for posting.

Peace,

freefall

[Liberty Belle]

62. and Koppel was a REAGAN appointee! (1981)

Send this to every Republican you know.

They are falling like flies. At our Live Earth party yesterday, we passed out flyers at a street fair. One guy came in, stayed the entire 6 hours and listened raptly to our speakers, some of whom got off topic a bit and talked about the war, corruption, etc.

By the end, he handed me a $25 donation (unsolicited) for our sponsoring group and said he was changing his registration from Republican to decline-to-state.

[Buttercup McToots]

64. Wonderful

Thank you

[skepticscott]

65. good news but

people like this always make me wonder how someone can be a living, breathing, thinking human being and still not have made up their mind which side of the fence they're on with regard to this administration. Did he give you any sense of why Saturday changed his mind, when all of the events of the last 6 1/2 years didn't?

[NewJeffCT]

89. Just because he was a Reagan appointee

won't stop a lot of Freepers from bashing him as a liberal Bush-hater. We're not dealing with the reality-based, remember.

[skepticscott]

63. Just wait

When Shrub and his cronies are tossed out in 2008, there will be MANY more people speaking out like this, after the fear of having their lives ruined by this administration's thugs has been removed. Kudos to Mr. Koppel for speaking out now, but it's hard to blame others for hesitating. Every single cabinet department is infested with corruption and mismanagement, and there are a lot of dedicated career employees who will have a lot of damaging information to share.

[krj44]

66. you have to understand that scooter

blackmailed the shooter and shrub,he had them by the balls,literally,there was nothing they could do but allow him to walk,analysis,takes a crook to get crooks.

[Ghost in the Machine]

67. Another Koppel statement: From June, 2006

No Surprise About Rove

Published: June 15, 2006

To the Editor:

According to ''No Rove Charges Over Testimony in C.I.A. Leak Case'' (front page, June 14), the decision not to bring charges against Karl Rove in the C.I.A leak brought a ''surprise ending'' to the matter. In reality, however, no one should be too surprised by this ending.

Ever since prosecutors began methodically issuing subpoenas to journalists, threatening them with jail -- and actually jailing them in this case -- it has been reasonable to surmise that the chief objective of this investigation has been to chill confidential sources and to intimidate the press, rather than to identify and prosecute those at the highest levels of government, who were responsible for blowing Valerie Wilson's cover.

The Wilson leak investigation appears to be first and foremost another front in the administration's continuing war on the First Amendment, civil liberties, civil and human rights, and the rule of law itself.

John S. Koppel
Bethesda, Md., June 14, 2006

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06EFDC1031F936A25755C0A9609C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fC%2fCentral%20Intelligence%20Agency%20

[spirit of wine]

69. For some, patterns seem too complex.

Yet, at the same time we have been told by the authorities that if we see something we should say something. We should appreciate those that speak out when it comes to a pattern of abuse. This reminds me a lot of the philosophy concerning the Chicago School of Economics, when it comes to controversial hirings. Individuals are not to blame for doing their best but they usually are placed in a position by a higher up that purposefully places them that has been placed in their own position by similar circumstances. This unfortunate mechanism goes all the way up the chain of command to the white house, where everybody seems to have an invisible ally to excuse themselves for accountability. Unbelievable but not a good way to run a country. Keep up the good work. :toast:

[Dinger]

72. Kpete, You Are The Best!

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[whistle]

73. Alberto "Pinochet" Gonzales, if it fits he should wear it!

...when the truth is revealed all of BushCo will have that middle name.


A nice timeline summary of Agusto Pinochet's background, rise to power, reign of terror and downfall.

http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/pinochet.html

[Marnieworld]

74. How many more of these statements are needed?

This is madness Impeach them already!

What a heroic statement though. We need people like this. It's unfortunate that we need whistleblowers to risk but we need them. :patriot:

[bonito]

76. Damn straight! Honest people standing up & speaking out!

The truth will set us free! :bounce:

[muffin1]

77. I salute you, Mr. Koppel

I hope more of your comrades will feel safer coming forward now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you:patriot:

[Norquist Nemesis]

78. Perhaps Senator Leahy and Reps. Conyers and Waxman would

appreciate a copy of this piece in their in-box. :)

[blondeatlast]

80. Good thinking! nt

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

88. I sent it to Conyers and Olberman.

Can't get access to a Waxman address. :(

[Norquist Nemesis]

90. *ahem*

http://oversight.house.gov/contact.asp

Contact the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Please use this form to contact us with your questions, comments, and concerns. You may also use this form to share information that may be of interest to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

While it is not possible for Chairman Waxman or the committee's staff to respond to every message, please be assured that your comments will be carefully considered.

By Mail or Phone:
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
2157 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
[phone]
By E-mail:
<click link at top to use form entry> :hi:

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

91. You are Good! Waxman, Done also.

Thank You! :hi:

[Old and In the Way]

79. All aboard!

The Impeachment Express is getting ready to leave the station....

[L0oniX]

81. Talk is cheap. I blame them all until they take action to impeach!

[trashcanistanista]

94. They are getting closer and closer to

blowback from the people if they don't impeach. And thank you Mr. Kopple for the bravery of these remarks. I hope this inspires others in DOJ to speak out.

[tomp]

82. "And some things must be said, whatever the risk."

take a lesson democrats.

[Land Shark]

83. a kick for kpete, a recommendation for kpete for a medal; Titanium or something!!! nt

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

84. Someone should send this to KO. Only one other site

has picked this up. Google gets just two hits for it. Kudos to Koppel, and good luck.

edit: I sent it to Olberman.

[NewJeffCT]

86. I tried to add a comment under NewJeffCT, but it said I had been banned?

weird.

It's not like I'm the type to post outrageously provocative things or profanity on other forums, either.

Never mind - my post got in there.

[Stalwart]

93. Speaking Truth to Power

This is speaking truth to us, we are the power. He speaks to us, not those abusing the power of office who will continue to reject truth and spin it to serve their agenda until we put an end to them.

Corageous, a candidate for AG in the next administration.

[pacalo]

95. There it all is in a nutshell, said by someone who is in a position to observe everything firsthand.

Tell me that this jigsaw puzzle of policies didn't take years & years to construct, that it wasn't by design. Tell me that everything that has happened that was instrumental in making those devious plans happen, beginning with 9/11, was just coincidental.

Tell me the Patriot Act -- how thick was it? -- wasn't conceived years & years in advance.

Tell me that this administration was just plain lucky in having everything go their way so that they could conduct themselves untouched.

I won't believe you.

[calimary]

97. Kick!

[Pokey Anderson]

98. Thanks, kpete! You post great stuff!

I've sent this around.

[Doc Martin]

99. US Attorney says: "War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity"

Mr. Koppel goes to the heart of the matter for me.

This was further down in Mr. Koppel's article:

"Officials who have brought into disrepute both the Department of Justice and the administration of justice as a whole should finally have to answer for it - and the misdeeds at issue involve not merely garden-variety misconduct, but multiple 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' including war crimes and crimes against humanity."

A US attorney says: "war crimes and crimes against humanity." This is Nuremberg territory!

Impeach Bush and Cheney.

Vote out ALL incumbents, regardless of party, who don't stand up and stop this duo of Bush and Cheney.

[Dudley_DUright]

100. This Op-Ed is the best I have ever read, bar none (sorry Krugman)

A thing of beauty from a very brave patriot. Thanks Mr. Koppel (and thanks to Kpete for posting it).

[Lord Balto]

102. My Solution

Impeach
Convict
Indict
Try
Convict
Execute
Bury

[onenote]

103. This was indeed a brave and difficult thing to do and he desrves our thanks

What has been going on at DOJ has been repeated in varying degrees throughout the government. At agencies like the FCC and EPA and elsewhere, career civil servants who have worked under both Democratic and Republican administrations, attempting to carry out the law as written, have been pushed aside, forced out, and demoralized by the rampant politicization of their workplaces in ways that they have never before experienced. Those that have pushed back (and I know several personally) have found themselves re-assigned in humiliating ways...ways that in many cases left them little alternative but to quit. In other cases, they are simply hunkered down, waiting for 2009 and, they hope, some return to sanity. But they will tell you that the damage that has been done will take years to repair -- the loss of expertise and institutional knowledge, the lack of rational decisionmaking.

Kudos.

[DemReadingDU]

104. afternoon kick

[David Zephyr]

105. K&R. A Patriot's Patriot!

Wow!

[micraphone]

106. Hail to the Hero...

.... Mr Koppel.

That Denver is a real hotbed - a Post reporter rips team * a new one over Valerie Plame:
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6316023

Nice.

[dEMOK]

107. Kickin it (for good reason)...

:kick:

[bobthedrummer]

111. .