BUSH HIMSELF - Blocked Investigation Into Role Played By DOJ Lawyers In Authorization Of NSA Program

[kpete]

Yet even once Bush knew that both Aschcroft and Comey believed the eavesdropping was illegal, he ordered it to continue anyway.

Greenwald reports:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/05/15/comey/index.html

Back in February, 2006 -- a couple months after the New York Times first revealed that the Bush administration was spying on Americans in violation of FISA -- the Senate Judiciary Committee informed the Justice Department that it wanted to question John Ashcroft and his former Deputy, James Comey, regarding the NSA program. In particular, the Committee wanted to question the two DOJ officials about a Newsweek article reporting that both of them, in 2004, refused to certify that the NSA eavesdropping program was legal.


Greenwald draws attention to Gonzales' involvement in blocking testimony by Ashcroft and Comey as reported by Dan Eggen in the Washington Post at the time:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021502446.html

In addition, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales signaled in an interview with The Washington Post yesterday that the administration will sharply limit the testimony of former attorney general John D. Ashcroft and former deputy attorney general James B. Comey, both of whom have been asked to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the program.


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

In addition to blocking Comey and Ashcroft's testimony about these matters throughout all of last year, the Bush administration -- led by Bush himself -- single-handedly blocked an investigation into the role played by DOJ lawyers in authorizing the NSA program by extraordinarily refusing to grant security clearances to DOJ investigators in the Office of Professional Responsibility. That investigation -- had it proceeded -- would have encompassed an examination of whether DOJ lawyers acted unethically in authorizing the program.

more at:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/05/15/comey/index.html


and this from Newsweek 2006:

On one day in the spring of 2004, White House chief of staff Andy Card and the then White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales made a bedside visit to John Ashcroft, attorney general at the time, who was stricken with a rare and painful pancreatic disease, to try–without success–to get him to reverse his deputy, Acting Attorney General James Comey, who was balking at the warrantless eavesdropping. Miffed that Comey, a straitlaced, by-the-book former U.S. attorney from New York, was not a “team player” on this and other issues, President George W. Bush dubbed him with a derisive nickname, “Cuomo,” after Mario Cuomo, the New York governor who vacillated over running for president in the 1980s.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10663996/site/newsweek/

[williesgirl]

1. What does it take to impeach this criminal president? Someone make the supreme sacrifice and give

him a BJ in the Oval Office so we can impeach and move this country forward. Cause, obviously, that's the only impeachable offense Congress critters recognize. recommended

[Z_I_Peevey]

9. pResident violates law; impeachment off table.

Can it get any more clear-cut? Like sociopaths do sometimes, he TOLD us immediately after seizing the office throught a stolen election: "It would be a lot easier if this was a dictatorship, just as long as I am the dictator." One of the few times the SOB told the truth.

[Jackpine Radical]

15. The BJ plan only works on Democrats.

Nothing works on Republicans. That's because their supporters (which include the entire M$M) are in such deep denial about so many things that nothing will penetrate their cognitive armor.

[diane in sf]

18. He's probably already had a bj in the office from Rove or Hot Military Stud

Jeff Gannon (though since the latter is a top Bush may have received something <8 inches and uncut> even more scandalous to the red state mind).

[grasswire]

2. of course they did

Otherwise, the several weeks where the program was running with NO authorization would have been revealed. What weeks were those, precisely, I wonder?

[Ghost in the Machine]

3. 5th rec... off to the greatest!

keep up the good work, kpete

[kpete]

6. thanks for the

thumbs up and for the K&R

[Solly Mack]

4. figures

[malaise]

5. K & R n/t

[KoKo]

7. Wouldn't it be great if the NYT's and WaPo would put their reporters back on this story?

Instead we have to refer to articles written in the past and wait for the Internet Reporters to connect the dots and do the job of getting it out there. Meanwhile the Cable/Network news where most Americans get their info puts the stuff on their blogs or shuffles it off to Newsweak or Time who distill it down to nothing. :grr:

[Judi Lynn]

8. It'd be a miracle. They sold out so long ago.

Thank god for the internetS.

Thanks to kpete. K & R. :hi:

[Just-plain-Kathy]

10. K&R ...n/t

[Peregrine Took]

11. Sick monster who enjoys playing "dumb". n/t

[Jacobin]

12. The time is half past Impeachment

[L. Coyote]

13. K&R, X-Post. Good compilation on this "high crime"

This was the main story yesterday, the POTUS commiting high crimes against the advice
of the highest law enforcement officer in the nation, ... then someone had a fall!
For a story this big, Anna Nicole or Paris just could not take the spotlight away.

X-Post to this compilation thread:
COHEN: Alberto Throws Paul Under Bus; Ditto James to Alberto
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x890032

[hwmnbn]

14. The chimp owns the cops.....

Until we clean out the Justice Department, these criminals hold all the cards.

K&R for kpete

[Kablooie]

16. SO? No one has the ability to do anything about it so what's the big deal?

[krkaufman]

17. The Democrats need to be concerned that their failing to challenge & impeach Bush ...

... as he has clearly broken the law, will be interpreted as weakness, and extrapolated to how they would pursue our other international interests.

[ConsAreLiars]

19. Impeach. Indict. Convict. Incarcerate.

And show the world that we are are as outraged as everyone else. Or be complicit. That is the choice we face.

(edit out stray keypress)

[Jeffersons Ghost]

20. sorry, i can't respond...

i've got a headache

[SalmonChantedEvening]

21. He really IS still 8 or 9 years old, isn't he.

'Bush dubbed him with a derisive nickname, “Cuomo”'

A spoiled, vindictive, petty man-child.



Out. Now. And no, you can't sit at the kid's table anymore either.



You creep them out too.

[peacetalksforall]

22. Man-child = juvenile - a JUVENILE who NEVER learned right from wrong.

A juveile who was poorly guided privileged, and carried by others.

This is the man that very rich and endowed people agreed would be the best to lead them. I mean BARONS who instructed and guided foundations, orgaizations, politicians, corporationa, media, military to work for them - the same barons who approved the people who selected George and Dick and who allowed all those entities to partner with religious radicals to formulate the lies that would get people to follow him and them with blindfolds over their eyes and covering their ears. A brainwashing success.

[opihimoimoi]

23. The dude is a sicko...mentally challenged....suffering from NPD and Bullyism...

He is beyond help....cure rate for Bullys is about .01 percent...hence ...once a bully...always a bully....

The GOPers have made Bullyism rise over the years. Listen to them...many are Bullys themselves.

[PurpleChez]

24. But Clinton got a blow job! A blow job!

Can't you see that's FAR, FAR WORSE??? ;)

On edit: I see now that the blowie connection has already been made. My bad.

[file83]

25. *ahem* Clinton also ruined a perfectly good blue dress.

Fashionably impeachable offense!

[PurpleChez]

30. Of course, if Dumbya spooged all over someone's nice blue dress

The fundies and other repugs would probably treat it like the Shroud of Turin.

[april]

26. when do they make a decision to ImPeach get some balls nm

[april]

27. spelling ..sorry

[sofa king]

28. The guy actually did something. That's pretty significant.

When a filthy rich guy living on Park Avenue says, "I drove to the liquor store today," we can guess what the fellow actually means is, "I walked out of the elevator, the doorman opened the door for me, my driver brought the S600 around and opened the car door for me, and then I sat in the back seat and read the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal while the driver drove to the store, went inside, bought a decanter of Vieille Reserve, and drove me home."

Same goes double for this President with virtually everything, good or bad. Rarely has this President shown an interest--much less a command of a particular subject--strong enough to suggest that he did anything more than use his full-of-shit gut to approve or disapprove someone else's malicious plans.

The fact that he personally intervened in this issue strongly suggests to me that the issue was closely tied to his personal interests. The President pretty much likes campaigning, raising money, and stealing elections.

Guess which one of those I now think is hiding behind stalling this NSA investigation.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

29. no way

can't believe the idiot had the wherewithal to do anything but walk barnie.

[bobthedrummer]

31. Kick