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The Daily Muck
White House Sought Investigations of Voter Fraud Allegations Before Elections
"Only weeks before last year's pivotal midterm elections, the White House urged the Justice Department to pursue voter-fraud allegations against Democrats in three battleground states, a high-ranking Justice official has told congressional investigators. In two instances in October 2006, President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove, or his deputies passed the allegations on to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' then-chief of staff, Kyle Sampson." (McClatchy Newspapers)
Bank Workers See Wolfowitz as a World Apart
"In the tense days after World Bank President Paul D. Wolfowitz admitted his mistake in arranging a generous payment package for his girlfriend, angry employees launched an impromptu campaign. Blue ribbons started cropping up on lapels, taped to doors and as an image in e-mails — a symbol of support for the bank's ideals of good governance and transparency. The curls of fabric were seen by many of the more than 7,000 staffers in Washington as a silent but clear call for their leader to resign. Then Wolfowitz himself was seen wearing one." (LA Times)
Europeans Press Wolfowitz to Quit as Bank Chief
"European leaders have told the Bush administration that Paul D. Wolfowitz must resign as president of the World Bank in order to avoid a vote next week by the bank’s board declaring that he no longer has its confidence to function as the bank’s leader, European officials said Thursday. The officials said the board was drafting a resolution reflecting its view that the relationship between Mr. Wolfowitz and the governing body of the bank had 'broken beyond repair.'" (NY Times)
Former Chicago Dem. Leader Indicted for Corruption
"Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced an indictment against former Chicago alderman and Cook County Democratic leader Edward Vrdolyak, charging him with fraud and bribery as part of a kickback scheme involving Gold Coast real estate. Vrdolyak, 69, is accused of scheming with businessman and Republican insider Stuart Levine to get a kickback for Levine from the 2004 sale of an older medical building for a condo project." (CBS)
Conservatives Replace Scandal-Plagued Doolittle With Scandal-Plagued Calvert
"Yesterday, the House Republican Steering Committee voted to seat Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) on the Appropriations Committee, “filling the vacancy left by embattled Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA),” who is under investigation by the FBI for his longstanding ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Named one of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington’s “20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress,” Calvert has a history of abusing his power just as much as Doolittle." (Think Progress)
Leak Allegations at Center of Dispute
"Allegations that the federal government leaked secret grand jury information to the media before indictments were issued against Brent Wilkes and Kyle “Dusty” Foggo are under investigation by the Justice Department. That means a request by defense attorneys for a separate investigation is moot, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Forge stated in documents filed in federal court late Monday." (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Michael Moore Faces US Treasury Investigation over "Sicko" Documentary's Cuba Trip
"Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore is under investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department for taking ailing Sept. 11 rescue workers to Cuba for a segment in his upcoming health-care documentary "Sicko," The Associated Press has learned. The investigation provides another contentious lead-in for a provocative film by Moore, a fierce critic of President Bush. In the past, Moore's adversaries have fanned publicity that helped the filmmaker create a new brand of opinionated blockbuster documentary." (Associated Press)
Judge Orders Lid on Phone Records
"Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the woman accused of being the D.C. madam, can't release any more phone records that would reveal patrons of her Washington escort service, a federal judge said yesterday. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler placed a temporary restraining order on Palfrey and her civil attorney, prohibiting them from sharing additional phone records with news organizations or the public." (Washington Post)
Josh
Zachary
if true, this is very disturbing
http://jamesfallows.com/test/2007/05/07/the-fired-attorneys-case-a-truly-appalling-possibility/
May 11, 2007 9:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Close races in 2006 in Missouri and New Mexico the attempt to disrupt the election in those two stats. Why Pennsylvania? A token move for #3 Republican Senator Rick Santorum? The wingnut never had a chance against Bob Casey.
When will the arrest warrant for Karl Rove be issued?
May 11, 2007 10:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
From Murray Waas
The Bush administration has withheld a series of e-mails from Congress showing that senior White House and Justice Department officials worked together to conceal the role of Karl Rove in installing Timothy Griffin, a protégé of Rove's, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/070510nj1.htm
May 11, 2007 10:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
If we ever get a real Justice Department, we may find out that the Levine/Vrdolyak scenario is being played out all over the country. The friends of politicos are appointed to plum positions on college boards, such as Vrdolyak and Tom Noe. Their dirty deeds are further enhanced by state lotteries that fund education. They have their fingers in all the pies.
May 11, 2007 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Besides investigating why these prosecutors were fired, congress should investigate Paul McNulty's promotion to DAG. Prior to that promotion, McNulty was in charge of three important investigations:
* Larry Franklin, a high-ranking employee in the defense department, working for Douglas Feith’s office, was caught passing secrets to Israeli lobbyists. He pled guilty and agreed to cooperate. The investigation was supposed to determine whether others in the DOD were involved.
* McNulty was involved in the investigation into who in the DOD leaked to Ahmed Chalabi (who then told Iran) that the US had cracked Iran's secret communications code.
* McNulty was also investigating who created the Niger documents, how they got to the US, and why the CIA did not detect that they were forgeries. During the Plame investigation, Fitzgerald received information from the Italian government on their investigation, which he passed on to McNulty.
Has anyone heard anything about these three investigations since McNulty was promoted to DAG?
codeword: step as in baby steps, but we gotta keep going.
May 11, 2007 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Moore needs to make a documentary on the witchhunt going after him.
Yes, although Mr. Michael moore is an ass - he is a principled ass . . . and I have more faith in him than Bush minion's ham-handed thugery.
May 11, 2007 11:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
For any of you who are interested in contacting CBS and its sponsors (they fired General Batiste for his comments in the recent VoteVets ad), I have pasted a list I found at Thinkprogress.com below. It took courage, commitment to American troops, and patriotism for General Batiste to make a stand, like he did. We should stand up for men like him.
Write or call CBS. (212) 975-4321
CBS Television, 51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019, http://www.cbs.com/ (you have to click feedback at the bottom of the page). Choose "CBS Evening News" and any other news programs listed as a "CBS category." I sent my comments to ALL their news programs (copy/paste).
Sponsers:
Prevacid, 1-866-4-PREVACID, TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc., 675 North Field Drive, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Lincoln Motors, 800 521-4140, P.O. Box 6248, Dearborn, MI 48126, Web feedback form
Swiffer by Proctor & Gamble, Swiffer Brand Manager, 1 Procter & Gamble Plaza, Cincinnati, OH 45202, Web feedback form
One Touch Ultra, 800 227-8862, CustomerService@LifeScan.com
Plavix by Bristol-Myers Squibb & Sanofi~Synthelabo, 1-877-2-PLAVIX, Web feedback form
Cheerios by General Mills, 1-800-328-1144, General Mills, Box 200, Minneapolis, MN 55440, Web feedback form
Centrum Silver by Wyeth, Caltrate by Wyeth, 888-797-5638, 5 Giralda Farms
Madison, New Jersey 07940, Web feedback form
Philip Morris USA, 800-343-0975, prompt 4, Philip Morris USA, Consumer Affairs, PO Box 26603
Richmond, VA 23261, Web feedback form
Men’s Wearhouse, 800-851-6744, 40650 Encyclopedia Circle, Fremont, CA 94538, Web feedback form
Mazda Protégé, Mazda North American Operations, P.O. Box 19734, Irvine, CA 92623-9734, Web feedback form
Big Lots, 614-278-6800, Big Lots, Inc.
300 Phillipi Rd., Columbus, Ohio 43228-5311
May 11, 2007 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
So when are we going to see those documents the national Journal has?
May 11, 2007 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Has anyone read the article by Sheldon Whitehouse in the National Law Journal (link in the name)?
One of the sentences in there about Iglesias:
'Monica Goodling wrote his name on the "hit list."'
If I followed the hearing yesterday correctly, no one knew who put each of those names in there. In fact, wasn't this what Wexler was grilling Gonzales about yesterday? Is it a known fact that Goodling put Iglesias' name on the list?
May 11, 2007 11:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
everyone email mwaas@nationaljournal.com and ask him when he is (if he has not already) going to turn over the dcuments to Schumer/Leahy in the Senate.
May 11, 2007 12:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hah! How do you know Waas didn't get them from Leahy through an intermediary?
This thing has to last for a while. That's the way these things work. There's a lot more to come.
patience, patience, patience.....
May 11, 2007 12:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
well we won't know if we don't ask a little.....so e-mail him why don't you?
May 11, 2007 12:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
my e-mail failed to deliver - maybe his mail box is full...sigh
May 11, 2007 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Report on voter suppression from 2004:
DOJ ACTIONS ON ELECTION LAW BENEFIT REPUBLICANS
By Jordan Green
Southern Exposure
October 29, 2004
http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2007/05/breaking-story-on-doj-and-voter.asp
May 12, 2007 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Prevacid 30 mg 15 mg solutab
November 9, 2007 7:02 PM | Reply | Permalink