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From The Swamp:
Mukasey announced today that he's appointing Chicago federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to the Attorney General's advisory committee of U.S. attorneys.Fitzgerald was on the committee from 2001 until 2005, but his appointment to it preceded his service as special prosecutor in the Valerie Plame CIA leak investigation....
Gonzales... did not re-appoint Fitzgerald to the advisory panel, which counsels the attorney general on law enforcement issues.
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Comments (9)
I, like so many others, do not trust anyone who is part of the Bush administration or anyone who is closely related to anyone in the Bush administration. I wonder if Mukasey's move prevents Fitzgerald from participating in any investigations that may be on the horizion.
January 4, 2008 10:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
I had the same thought as "nofltwlt" (spell THAT fast in the AM without any coffee) -- what is Fitzgerald getting close to or what else is on his event horizon that Mukasey just threw a monkey wrench into.
Never, EVER, trust ANYONE the Bush Gangsters support.
January 4, 2008 11:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think Mukasey is trying to walk a very fine line. He's trying to balance the appearance of doing his job to two different camps with different ideas of what a good job looks like.
On the one hand, he wants to give the appearance to Congress that he's a good Atty General by appointing someone who appears to be on the level in the CIA Interrogation Tapes destruction.
On the other hand, he wants to give the impression that he's a team player to Bush, so he takes Fitzgerald "off the field." (Although I think Fitzgerald didn't push hard enough in the investigation and took the bone Cheney left out for him in Scooter Libby.)
Mukasey is going to be in office for another year. But if he had more time, I think he would eventually fall flat on his face and disappoint everyone. He cannot serve two masters with such different views and make them both happy indefinitely.
January 4, 2008 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Trickster92,
Does being tapped for the advisory committee mean Fitz is being yanked from his USA post? (Is that what you meant by "off the field") It doesn't seem to me like it would. He stayed on there the entire time he was special prosecutor and his office convicted a whole bunch o' bad guys at the same time he was investigating Plamegate, including Gov Ryan (mixed-feelings guy for me) and Lord Black.
I doubt the Republicans would be particularly eager to hamper that office right now because the current big fishes in their sights are Democrat Mayor Daley and Democratic Governor, Rod Blagojevich.
I'm sure it is mostly for appearances, though. After all, the admin has proven (EPA most recently) that they are adept at ignoring good advice.
January 4, 2008 12:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
nofltwlt
Maybe Bush made a mistake in appointing Mukasey - perhaps he is not the body guard they thought he would be.
That bush would make an error in judgment would not surprise. But this
misjudgment will perhaps bite him in the ass. Lets hope. Something has got to give.
There has got to be one good man who will step forward from this Gang.
Maybe it is Mukasey -
Sadly I guess at this point we can only hope.
January 4, 2008 1:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
As with everything Bush, watch the substance rather than the ceremony.
Waterboarding is torture. That's a substantive position. That Mukasey can't bring himself to say so taints him forever.
Fitzgerald's appointment seems ceremonial. As an advisor, he has no real influence.
I only wonder if/why Fitzgerald accepts.
Even if the Bush regime leaves office without charges, the criminality remains. Anyone who associates themselves as an ally, even ceremonially, stains themselves.
January 4, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Restoring Fitzgerald to the advisory council is window dressing, means nothing. Mukasey is at bottom a loyal Bushie and that is not going to change.
January 5, 2008 4:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Folks, the AGAC (Attorney General's Advisory Committee, made up of a cross-section of current US Attorneys from around the country) is actually very influential, although it tends to be more focused on large-scale operational matters (such as budget allocations, relations with the investigative agencies, etc.). The AGAC does get into policy -- say, on death penalty or Sentencing Guidelines issues -- but is more a voice of experience and persuasion, not a body that promulgates policy directly.
Having Fitz back on the AGAC is definitely a positive development, and not just window dressing. And yes, just like the other AGAC members, he remains a full-time US Attorney; the AGAC meets every 2-3 months in Washington for a day or two.
January 5, 2008 11:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
You are overlooking the fact that Mukasey was a federal judge in the Southern District of New York, where Fitzgerald got his start as a federal prosecutor. Mukasey no doubt respects Fitzgerald and this is probably a merits decision. Sometimes an appointment is just an appointment.
January 6, 2008 10:43 AM | Reply | Permalink