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Ex-DOJ Voting Rights Chief On Bogus Voter Fraud Probe: "There Is No Shame."
Since the news was reported last week that the FBI, less than three weeks before the election, is launching a voter-registration-fraud investigation into ACORN, we've seen a number of former top DOJ voting-rights officials --as well as former US attorney David Iglesias -- denounce the probe as an inappropriate politicization of the department.
Add Joe Rich to the list. Rich, who from 1999 until 2005 ran the voting section in the department's civil rights division, and is now at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, told TPMmuckraker this morning that the ACORN investigation is "much worse than what happened in 2006."
Rich was referring to an indictment for voter fraud against four ACORN voter-registration workers, filed by Bradley Schlozman, an interim US attorney in Kansas City, just five days before a close Missouri Senate election. Schlozman later was investigated for possible perjury after testifying to Congress that he was "directed" by main DOJ to pursue the indictment, then filing a "clarification" in which he took "full responsibility" for the prosecution.
Noting that the Bush administration appears to be using the Department of Justice to pursue politically motivated voter-fraud investigations, even after getting caught red-handed doing so in the scandal over the US attorney firings, Rich added: "There is no shame."
Josh
Zachary
"No Shame" could be the watchword for the entire "racket" of bushco, a criminal enterprise disguised as govt - and for the sequel we are trying to prevent in the mcShame circus of cronyism and slime.
October 20, 2008 1:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
co-sign
October 20, 2008 2:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think that September $150 million is going to come in mighty hand contesting the efforts to steal the election.
And I think Obama has that won in advance: he is clearly not a fool, and is clearly the kind of guy to plan for all contingencies in advance.
And, he has an amaing ability at campaigning -- and picking campaign staff.
October 20, 2008 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is no shame because there has been no consequence for blatant criminality by the "Justice" Department.
Mukasey should have been impeached long ago for defying numerous requests for documents and failing to enforce subpoenas. I can see (barely) why the Democrats didn't pursue impeaching both Bush and Cheney but can't understand why they have politely stood by while numerous investigations have been stonewalled.
October 20, 2008 4:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
So many folks seem to have forgotten that the Republican thugs at DOJ listed their DOJ office phone numbers on Federalist Society and other Conservative websites...until the Congress started investigating the AG firings in early 2007. I believe TPM covered some of that. Someone should follow up on that little aspect of things...that if you had access to a conservative website, you had access to DOJ lawyers internal phone numbers...but, ya know, that pales in comparison to the blatant disregard to the Presidential Records Act, etc, etc, violation of International Treaty obligations, blah, blah, blah, that the Congress failed to hold the Bush Administration accountable for.
October 21, 2008 4:16 AM | Reply | Permalink