Unlike other emailers, I don't think the redaction is a privacy issue. Other griffin docs contain his JAG account, DOJ account and comcast.com address, so whatever this one is, it is in special need of redaction.

If you click my name, you can ling to a website to see all of griffins emails in the doc dump to corroborate this.

Does claiming to have forgot at the moment of lying in testimony to Congress mitigate any perjury charges?

Further emails that may shed light on what Sampson and Oprison knew about Rove involvement are in Kyle Sampson's withheld emails. We know they exist, but they haven't been turned over to HJC, so we can't see the content.

From the index of withheld emails:
2/2/07 Withheld p6 Sampson Goodling Oprison Discussion concerning DOJ response to Sen. Pryor's letter re: Griffin, attaching Sen. Pryor's letter and draft response

12/15/06 Withheld p1 Sampson Oprison Goodling Notifying Oprison of Cummins resignation announcement

12/15/06 Withheld p1 Sampson Oprison Goodling Scheduling call with Oprison re: Cummins resignation

12/18/06 Withheld p1 Sampson Oprison Goodling Forwarding message to Sen. Pryor staff re: ways a person can become a USA

2/16/07 Withheld p7 Sampson T. Griffin Discussion re: Arkansas article entitled Prosecutor Griffin now rejects post

2/25/07 Withheld p8 Sampson T. Griffin Discussion re: news article entitled "New U.S. Attorney visits Greene County"

2/27/07 Withheld p8 Sampson T. Griffin Discussion re: 2/28 Briefing and NY Times article re: Cummins

12/15/06 Withheld p1 Sampson Washington Meadows Scheduling call with Oprison re: Cummins resignation
2/21/07 Withheld p7 Sampson Washington Requesting citation for 2004 news article on Cummins

HJC should compel DOJ to release these.

Paul Kiel @ Top: "Griffin wrote Rove, three of his deputies, and Christopher Oprison of the White House counsel's office that he was 'glad' that he 'did this' ('this' presumably being his announcement not to seek the nomination), and explaining why he'd taken a 'swipe' at Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR)."

Paul, I think that's a misreading. By 'this', I Griffin probably meant 'granting an interview and talking to the press' about it.

Griffin could have easily made the announcement not to seek the US Attorney nomination through a press release or a spokesperson. He needed to actually speak to the press though, to get out his talking points and take the swipe at Pryor.

The insertion of new language not passed by either House during the process of reconciliation to produce a bill sent back to both houses should be banned. It has clearly been the subject of great abuse. If an emergency requires the use of language not previously passed by either house, the minority and majority leader of each house should be required to so certify and the language included in the reconciled bill with the provision that it shall sunset in 3 months unless affirmed by a majority vote of each house.

In the interim computer technology is now such that disks should be supplied to every legislator's office, if they are not already, highlighting the changed language. If the individual offices's level of staffing is too low to allow these changes to be scrutinized the parties or the caucuses could parcel out the task.

Criticizing a Senator for not anticipating the misuse of a provision inserted at the last minute and not subject to the normal scrutiny is intellectually dishonest and provides yet another reason that Griffin should step down immediately as USAG.

So this email went to Monica, did it? Bet they are trying to get it out before she does.

Has anyone addressed yet the question of why Rove wanted his boy in Little Rock? Is there a possibility of using his presence in the jurisdiction where Ms. Clinton used to live and work to try to shake some trees and reopen Whitewater? Or might it be to apply the potent investigatory powers of the USA's office to create the whiff of corruption to her campaign (whether it is there or not) as she gears up for the primaries and general election in '08?

It's quite clear that some, perhaps a number of these folks are liars and lawbreakers. I can only hope that they will go to jail for holding a man above our constitution and laws and for breaking the law. But building the case takes time. Don't be like the Domenici, impatient for a case to be brought and wanting the political system to move too quickly in an exceedingly serious matter.
The window this whole episode has provided, not only on the Justice Department, but on what appears to be all management of government by this administration, is already worth the price of admission. We now know his and their MO. If we didn't have a Dem congress, how much exposure do you think this would be getting? Ah, let's look for a perfect process, party, politician. Ah, there's no difference between parties and politicians.

With Goodlings revelations about the politicalization of the Immigration judges hiring, we have now seen clearly what we intuitively knew before--the corruption of all three branches of government. Anyone who believes that the Dems would have made such a concerted effort to use virtually every arm of government for selfish reasons, and to promote a destructive ideology, as at Supreme Court....And the harm to the common good and the human suffering caused or not ameliorated by this administration and this party, the Republican Party. And while we're at it: If I were POTUS, if any child or woman dies for want of a third-trimester abortion, I would like to see someone file a conspiracy suit aginst Ralph N.

HermanNewticks, that is an excellent point! I confess that I never asked myself the question of "why" Rove would want his boytoy in Little Rock, but once I read your post, it was like a lightbulb turning on.

I hope the Clinton campaign is wise enough to ask the same questions.

PEACE

Yes, Herman, as soon as I heard Rove's boy was sent to Arkansas, I assumed it was to slime Hillary. But, I think they didn't count on Obama - racists that they are it never occured to them that Americans would embrace a non-white candidate. Just like it never occured to them that Americans would care about the people in New Orleans.

Never forget that these people are the scum of the earth who will do or say anything to hold on to money and/or power.

The SC word is flag. It inspires a thought:

Thank you Paul,here, and Drational and all the volunteers at Daily Kos for unflaggingly flaging these emails. there are more double entendres to be found there, as in wrapping yourself in the flag as a way of covering up crimes. Flag is surely the apt SC for Memorial Day.
But I stop flogging (sorry) this word to death to ask what I believe is a pertinent question for your readers in AK.
Will Sen. Pryor and (for the moment) USA Griffin will be attending the same Memorial Day events?
Will there be video recording of it? Something to amuse us as we contemplate what Lawrence Tribe calls the "slow motion coup against the constitution?"

drational -- That DOJ document search tool is unbelievable (http://www.trainingdb.com). Thanks so much for sharing it. There goes the weekend!

What was Karl Rove's e-mail address? The e-mail as printed only shows the abbreviation 'Karl Rove'. Which one was it sent to? Are they getting the raw e-mail messages or just these Outlook printouts? The full headers could be useful.

drational@May 25, 2007 06:07 PM - I used your database yesterday. Nice work! Thanks!

Tim Griffin probably knows Jane Wilson Cherry very well. I posted some comments in another TPM MR post about her background (linl below). Her mother, Sandra Wilson Cherry, was an AUSA in Little Rock until she died last year. Her father, Jack Cherry is also an attorney in Little Rock.

Jane's parents have been hardcore Republicans for years. I found an article about them attending a private party in Little Rock for lee Atwater in 1989.

Anyone know anything about Oprison and Jennings?

An acting, appointed USA emailing Karl Rove to brag about how he took a "swipe" in the press at the sitting senior Senator from the State.

Lovely.

Griffin is in Arkansas because the Republican lost the Gov and Lt. Gov seat - the House is 72/28 Dem and the Senate is 28/7 Dem - the Dems took back AR in '06 - and the black vote in 3 of the 4 congressional districts sealed the R's fate.

Griffin is going do some "caging" and he's there to "investigate" and try and bring down the D Secretary of State - who has had his problems complying with HAVA. He'll also find a dem politician or two to hassle...and lastly he's there to insure that Hillary does not take Bill's state in the primary or the general.

When are we going to have this guy on the stand answering to his illegal caging activities. If anyone of us did 1/10th of the shit these people have...we'd be hunted down by some USA and put a way forever.

Griffin accussed Pryor of voting for a bill he didn't understand. I thought that Arlen the Specter went in the dead of night and inserted this little gem that let Georgie circumvent the long established rules?? Impeach Specter too!!

Lindy

The only way to get to bottom of this, is to appoint a Special Council to investigate the RNC for RICO.

e.g. phone jamming, caging letters etc.

----
I am going to "focus on my job until I hear otherwise."
- Tim Griffin
----

Committing felonious crimes against minority voters (caging) takes quite a lot of focus. Griffin will wait to hear otherwise from Rove.

- Tom

"This issue is a going nowhere as Rove will never testify no matter how much everyone wants him to and/or how legally he must. The point is the Executive branch will go to the carpet on this and Congress will fold if these limp noodles can even muster the huevos subpoena Karl Rove and attempt to enforce the same when he refuses. Disappointingly, this Congress is an abject failure on this issue and many others.

"Posted by: tbhull
Date: May 25, 2007 06:45 PM"

Your fashionable cynicism is tiresome. Beyond that is your demand that the Democrats do that for which they don't yet have the votes.

It's either they provide you the impossible, or the perfect, or be bashed for not doing so.

There's a slew of individuals who also mindlessly bash Democrats over at Free Republic.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/25/pf/mobility_study/index.htm?postversion=2007052518

This is the Republican legacy. The 30 somethings of today make less than their fathers did. I don't think this has happened since the great depression. Not only that, the study is coming from Republican think tanks. Who knows what the real truth is.

It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

"Anyone know anything about Oprison and Jennings?

"Posted by: Mrs Panstreppon
Date: May 25, 2007 07:53 PM"

"Oprison" is a predictor of where these people belong.

"Jennings" should have been found in violation of the Hatch Act along with Doan at GSA.

Posted by: JNagarya
Date: May 25, 2007 09:41 PM

I did not intend for my cynicism to be fashionable, however, I am not going to candy up Congress' failure on this issue and the Iraq war. The dems have failed. No other conclusion can follow. They treated Goodling, who enjoyed immunity, with kid gloves. Only a few good questions. What more did the House elicit from her? Hardly anything. Failure! Why not consider impeaching Gonzales? What about cutting off funding for DOJ? Cut off funding for the war?

When one wins elections with guns a blazin' and immediately starts much needed investigations with bravado, one better deliver results. To date we have seen nothing but failure. This is not some MTV/VH1 reality show, some dandy fashion show on Bravo (although Biden might disagree), this is bare knuckle power politics and the dems have nothing but bruises for their efforts. Fashionable or nor, cynical or not, to date the dems efforts have fallen flat on their face and the public does not know whether to laugh or cry.

Do you have any confidence this current cast of Congressional characters could effectively produce results if they tackled a much more important domestic issue such as BushCo's warrantles surveillance of its own citizens? This current fiasco not only diminished their inability to commence an investigation that would have much greater impact on everyone, ut it also diminishes their ability to deliver results in the event they can even get the ball rolling on such an investigation.

This is simply a failure of government. We already knew the repubs were failures in this regard. Right now, DC, dem and repub, is owned by the war machine.

Griffin's e-mails to his ole pals in Karl's Shoppe speak volumes about two things. How intimately he was involved, and perceived by them to be involved, in their earlier work. And how that hasn't changed since his appointment as USA.

The deception has become more blatant. Griffin took political and macho credit for "withdrawing" his name from nomination as a permanent USA, as if that had ever been contemplated. But he's still there. A local federal district judge has held that to be by virtue of the offending Patriot Act provision, even though neither the DOJ nor WH acknowledge that fact. They're not even gumming this one to death; they're ignoring it.

So, what's Timmy working on? Karl certainly hasn't given up on his plans for '08. And what's the opportunity cost to the office and other investigations because of it?

We need to get Griffin out of Arkansas. IMO (IANAL) it will have to be 'for cause', because impeachment was not an option when he was hired/appointed/interimed/immaculately presented/whatever.

This email seems to be generating alot of comment. I guess I am missing something here - it seems like Griffin (a Rove minion) snags a USA job that he feels he is qualified for and rightfully his, and he is reporting to his ex boss the goings on.

Given Senator Whitehouse's chart, and the knowledge we have of unusual plethora of avenues of communications between the White House and the Department of Justice, is this such an unusual email?

I just don't see the email as a smoking gun even with Rove's name on it. What am I missing?

Could it be that Rove's target in Arkansas using Griffin is Senator Pryor himself, who stands for re-election in 2008? It could be either side of a deal -- perhaps Rove thinks Griffin a good match for Arkansas, and running from the position of USA would help his chances .... or it could be that Rove wants Griffin to surf around the Pryor organization, and see if he can find something indictable. I think that more likely than Hillary who afterall has lived in New York for the past six and a half years, and in DC for the eight years prior to that. Anything on her is probably -- at nearly 15 years, long past the Statute of Limitations.

Anyone hear any mummermings as to who the Arkansas Republicans plan to run against Pryor in 2008? Rove's play book when he decides to place a senator in a ballot slot, is usually to crush any local opposition before it gets off the ground. He doesn't like primaries.

Could it be that Rove's target in Arkansas using Griffin is Senator Pryor himself, who stands for re-election in 2008? It could be either side of a deal -- perhaps Rove thinks Griffin a good match for Arkansas, and running from the position of USA would help his chances .... or it could be that Rove wants Griffin to surf around the Pryor organization, and see if he can find something indictable. I think that more likely than Hillary who afterall has lived in New York for the past six and a half years, and in DC for the eight years prior to that. Anything on her is probably -- at nearly 15 years, long past the Statute of Limitations.

Anyone hear any mummermings as to who the Arkansas Republicans plan to run against Pryor in 2008? Rove's play book when he decides to place a senator in a ballot slot, is usually to crush any local opposition before it gets off the ground. He doesn't like primaries.

That "I'll go back to my job until told otherwise" is very disturbing.

It's like he's some kind of manchurian candidate who is waiting for his trigger word to start persecuting the Democratic nominee.

Until then, he'll lay low and try and avoid notice for anything.

Or perhaps I read too much into it, but given the unexplained basic fact: Why was it necessary to fire the AK prosecutor? To give this guy a job? They had 7 or 8 other jobs open from people they were already firing, and they admit Griffin's predecessor was fine by their standards, so why?

Until I hear a better theory, that Griffin is a plant designed to bring an election timed indictment of Hillary down on cue, that's my suspicion.

So his comment is particularly ominous given that possibility.