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House Dems: Keep Ousted Prosecutor On
House Democrats, led by Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), are pushing for U.S. Attorney Carol Lam to continue to preside over the Duke Cunningham investigation as outside counsel. Two days after Lam's office brought two historic (and incredibly detailed) indictments, she's on her way out, one of the seven federal prosecutors forced out by the administration in December.
Today, Emanuel, along with Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), and Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), sent a second request to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that Lam stay on the case as outside counsel. Apparently Emmanuel's first request went unanswered.
The full letter is reproduced below.
The Honorable Alberto Gonzales
U.S. Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Dear Attorney General Gonzales:
Last week, Congressman Emanuel sent you a letter requesting that former U.S. Attorney in San Diego Carol Lam be appointed as outside counsel to finish her work on the Duke Cunningham Case. Unfortunately, your office has not yet responded to that letter.
Two days ago, Lam's investigation continued to bear fruit as a federal grand jury charged Kyle "Dusty" Foggo and Brent Wilkes with at least 11 felony counts related to their involvement with Cunningham. As Elana Schor's article in The Hill yesterday points out, "Justice Department officials have praised the Cunningham probe as the linchpin of their growing pursuit of public corruption cases, yet prosecutor Lam is nonetheless slated to step down[Thursday] after the Bush administration cited unspecified 'performance' issues in requesting her resignation late last year. Six other U.S. attorneys, several involved in ongoing corruption investigations, were dismissed at about the same time."
As you know, of those seven fired U.S. Attorneys, Lam was not the only one investigating sitting public officials before being dismissed. For example, Daniel Bogden of Nevada and Paul Charlton of Arizona were dismissed while their offices were conducting probes concerning elected officials.
Schor's article also notes that Deputy U.S. Attorney General Paul McNulty was scheduled to brief members of the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday with information on the decisions to dismiss the U.S. Attorneys. During last week's public Senate hearing, Deputy U.S. Attorney General McNulty confirmed that Bud Cummins III, the former U.S. attorney for Eastern Arkansas, was dismissed without cause to install Timothy Griffin, a former aide to White House adviser Karl Rove.
Carol Lam's indictments of Foggo and Wilkes underscore the importance of last week's request and the need for an explanation of why these diligent public servants were dismissed. It is vital that U.S. Attorneys be able to prosecute wrongdoing free from political pressure. We are pleased that the Department of Justice has also agreed to brief members of the House Judiciary Committee on the dismissals of Carol Lam and other U.S. Attorneys. We look forward to further details regarding the date for that briefing and your response regarding the request to appoint Carol Lam as an outside counsel to finish the Cunningham and related investigations.
Thank you for your prompt attention to these matters. We look forward to hearing from your office.
Sincerely,
Rahm Emanuel
Member of Congress
Howard Berman
Member of Congress
John Conyers
Chairman, Judiciary Committee
Linda Sánchez
Chairman, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
Comments (20)
oldtree wrote on February 15, 2007 12:36 PM:it is still with great wonder that these congress folk do not
markg8 wrote on February 15, 2007 12:38 PM:subpoena and indict on what they know now. what exactly are they waiting for? do they really think that anyone is going to answer them if they don't arrest the people they want to see?
But, but, but we hate Rahm Emanuel! Don't we? Oh wait that was months ago. My bad. ;-)
Yellow Dog wrote on February 15, 2007 12:47 PM:Markg8: Yes, we do hate Rahm Emmanuel, for the DLC ball-lessness he is still displaying in re the repugs - as noted in comment above from oldtree.
Rahm's still cowering in the corner, pleading with the repugs not to hit him if he promises to play nice.
Not sure what the national numbers were, but in Kentucky the only Democratic challenger who won was the only one who was able to run as a proud liberal against everything the repugs stood for. And that was because Rahm refused to give him a dime.
Rahm's two hand-picked babies, on the other hand, lost huge in districts they should have won because they obeyed orders to run as repugs lite.
Looks like Rahm hasn't learned a damn thing about how to deal with bullies.
Punchy wrote on February 15, 2007 12:50 PM:So...what's this all say to any aspiring US Attys? Indict one of us (read: Republicans) and you'll lose your job. How can a prosecutor do their job knowing that a whole subset of the population (rich important Republicans) are untouchable, unless they wish to be forthwith pink-slipped?
global citizen wrote on February 15, 2007 12:51 PM:I may be slow, but it just occurred to me that the seven firings may have been just mostly cover for this one in particular. I otherwise did not see what they had in common or why a few more appointments were so important that they would go to that much trouble. Kind of like becoming a serial killer to deflect attention from guilt regarding a murdered spouse.
Anonymous wrote on February 15, 2007 12:58 PM:Oldtree is right.
Remove all these criminals including AG.
JohnW wrote on February 15, 2007 1:48 PM:Maybe by firing the seven Prosecutors, Bush and his gang are guilty of obstruction.
marblex wrote on February 15, 2007 1:50 PM:the dems aren't gonna do a fucking thing except non binding resolutions and air guitar. Their corporate masters won't let them do anything else.
PUBLICLY FUNDED ELECTIONS NOW
bunny99 wrote on February 15, 2007 2:00 PM:Just the other day I was asking myself the same thing as oldtree. The Dems still think they are dealing with honorable people who respect our democracy. For the life of me I don't know how. This gang is bankrupt of scruples, and must have a big laugh every time. The good of the country isn't their greatest concern, it's the party. That is all that matters for them.
bjobotts wrote on February 15, 2007 2:58 PM:Gonzalez will surely ignore, stonewall, and hope the clock runs out. I can't believe he's the number one law enforcer in the land. Talk about the insane running the asylum!
I worked with a girl at a very large corporation. Part of "Jane's" tasks was processing some invoices for payment. Lovely person, very gregarious. After four years, and vendors freaking out on a regular basis, they realized Jane would simply take the invoices and throw them in the trash. That's how I think of Bush/Gonzalez and their abuse of the system by signing statements. It's almost comical, if it wasn't criminal.
After four years, the company realized
for this presdient
I don't understand how and unnoticed provision slipped into the Patriot Act by an aid to Senator Specter even unknown by him but added by the DOJ giving Bush the power to replace US Attorneys without senate approval could be seen as anything but a ploy to block prosecution of high ranking CIA officials. Bush didn't think that up so it must have been Cheney and/or Gonzales. There's is no real reason to slip this provision in so what was the motivation behind "sneaking" it in in secrecy? I believe it has to do precisely with protecting the GOP's from oversight. Thole Patriot act should be repealed if necessary to remove this provision. After all it was slipped in by the DOJ..Congress should introduce legislation to reverse it before impedes more investigations and prosecutions.
bob wrote on February 15, 2007 3:33 PM:Dems act like they have no balls. Start the prosecutions now. BUSHCO got 0 subpoenas in the last 6 years, time to make up for the 1000+ subs given to the Clinton admin in its tenure. The republofascists first warning should be a subpoena shoved in their face...no more play nice nice.
Mark F. wrote on February 15, 2007 4:10 PM:Where need to get Lou Dobbs on this one. His blubbering blowhard outrage is just the thing to get the public fired up over an issue like this. I'll email him a link.
Rich wrote on February 15, 2007 4:14 PM:Seems to me that Carol Lam would be a great addition to the House Government Oversight Committee which has subpoena powers. She could continue her investigation from a safe spot where Gonzales can not touch her :-)
Tactics wrote on February 15, 2007 5:22 PM:Emmanuel was demonstrably wrong in his electoral strategy, and he was disgraceful and shameless in trying to claim credit for Howard Dean's astonishingly successful electoral strategy.
This does not mean he is wrong in everything he does.
Democrats should make good use of Rahm. But we should also make sure we are using him, and not vice versa.
When he stops being a party-player (or works against the Party, as the Koch-supported DLC often does), then cut him off.
gussmith wrote on February 15, 2007 5:45 PM:..."As you know, of those seven fired U.S. Attorneys, Lam was not the only one investigating sitting public officials before being dismissed. For example, Daniel Bogden of Nevada and Paul Charlton of Arizona were dismissed while their offices were conducting probes concerning elected officials."
It is just unconscionable that U.S. attorneys doing their jobs are removed by those who benefit from the removal. I am all for those removed being placed on staff of House members to continue their work against this tyrannical administration.
drBill wrote on February 15, 2007 7:22 PM:Gosh, some intelligent comments on this subject. This thread needs a troll to us where we are wrong on the subject.
I am stuck with the horrible John Kyl as my senator (we did not vote for him) and he is trying to block the rehiring of these attorneys. What an idiot. He is helping, here in Arizona, the criminal activities of Rick Rimzi. He has been investigated for giving special favors when the Republithugs controlled everything and was re-elected last November to the House.
Great idea to have the Hosue employ these people and they can keep up their investigation only under the support of the US House. They need to take down another dozen Republithugs.
Extradite Rumsfeld wrote on February 15, 2007 11:52 PM:I can't imagine a more milquetoasty way of wording this letter.
Once again, the Democratic leadership has brought a rubber knife to a gunfight.
Why am I not surprised to see Emannuel's name on this letter?
I wish we had a viable opposition party in this country that knew how to behave like an opposition party.
Nancy Irving wrote on February 16, 2007 2:04 AM:global citizen, very cogent point. Was wholesale canning mere cover for removing LAM?
Richard L. Adlof wrote on February 16, 2007 2:57 AM:drBill,
From your post I assume you livein Arizona . . . Call Senator Kyl and tell him how you feel. Call your friends, neighbors, enemies, family, pets and newspaper folk and ask them to do the same. Remind the idiot who votes him his paycheck.
ViniloSuave wrote on February 16, 2007 10:56 AM:"Gotcha" is no longer a game; rather, it is now a defense of the people's right to know. "Liar, liar, pants on fire" is now a call to use subpoenas. Get these bullies off the playground or they will keep grabbing our sandwiches and making us cry.