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Depends on What You Mean by "Weak"
Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey has been a kind of side character in the purge scandal. Comey, who left the Justice Department in 2005, may best be known as the guy who appointed Patrick Fitzgerald to investigate the Plame affair.
It seems pretty apparent that if he were still in charge, things would have been different.
U.S. News reports that Comey, when he was still with the department (he left in August of 2005), produced his own list of "weak U.S. attorneys" who, in his opinion, were underperforming.
Only, it was, well, different:
...a former Justice official says that Comey's list bore little resemblance to the list of those fired last year. The only prosecutor on the fired list who also was on Comey's list was Kevin Ryan, in San Francisco, who, the Washington Post reported Tuesday, had "widespread management and morale problems in his office."
As we pointed out before, Alberto Gonzales' chief of staff Kyle Sampson had Ryan on his list as a "strong" U.S. attorney. In other words, not only was he not to be fired, he was to be commended.
What accounts for the discrepancy? Maybe it had something to do wtih the criteria. A "strong" U.S. attorney to Sampson, remember, was one who had "exhibited loyalty to the President and Attorney General."
Comey also had a particularly strong difference of opinion on New Mexico's David Iglesias, whom the Justice Department insists was fired for "performance related" concerns. He told The Washington Post last month that Iglesias "was one of our finest and someone I had a lot of confidence in as deputy attorney general."
Update: And it seems especially worth pointing out that San Diego's Carol Lam didn't make Comey's list at all.
Comments (37)
NCProsecutor wrote on March 14, 2007 4:15 PM:Now *that* would be an interesting list. I wonder how long it will be before that one comes to light?
Slouch wrote on March 14, 2007 4:17 PM:I'd like to see how Comey rated his colleague Bill Mercer as a USA.
bob wrote on March 14, 2007 4:24 PM:DINGdong the end is near...looks like people are dusting off their notebooks.
crick02478 wrote on March 14, 2007 4:34 PM:Following up on bob's comment (above)-
Could it be our national media stupor....is over?
Ian wrote on March 14, 2007 4:35 PM:Wow. Its like reading about the Huey Long administration in Louisiana.
logorrhea wrote on March 14, 2007 4:39 PM:No wonder Comey left. Can you imagine working with these douchebags? Let's hope other Comeys start talking.
Is it just me, or are the two Bush terms the slowest eight years you've ever experienced?
Old 33 wrote on March 14, 2007 4:41 PM:Comey, of course, was a USA in the Southern District of New York prior to moving to DOJ. so, unlike Sampson, he's got a real idea of what is involved in being a USA, what the metrics are for a judging the quality of a USA.
I feel badly for Comey, who prior to going to DOJ was one of the true, legitimate rising stars in the legal community. Ashcroft was right to tap him for service at DOJ...it's the Bush goons who forced Comey into chosing principle over politics, and which have likely cost him a bright future.
Tom wrote on March 14, 2007 4:43 PM:Not on point, but boy doesn't Sampson look like George Costanza in that picture?
logorrhea wrote on March 14, 2007 4:46 PM:OMG! Yes, he's a carbon copy of George Costanza. When I saw that picture, the pasty white complexion, receding hairline and glasses initially reminded me of Rove, but you've nailed it, by God. It's George Costanza!
Stranger wrote on March 14, 2007 4:47 PM:Tom - a cross between Costanza and Karl Rove.
Biggus Diggus wrote on March 14, 2007 4:48 PM:Actually, Sampson has the same doughy face and physique of one Karl Rove.
EasyRider wrote on March 14, 2007 4:48 PM:A Democratic President should be looking for the brightest candidates for DOJ and USA postions not the Brightest Democratic candidates.
That is when will win the major for years to come when the brightest are serving and the political cronkies.
MaryCh wrote on March 14, 2007 4:51 PM:logorrhea: 1/81 to 1/89 seemed, at the time, even slower and more putrid, because the Administration was busy lowering the bar across the board and causing lots of 'pinch me, I must be dreaming, they simply cannot be seriously suggesting XXX' bruises.
Brooklynite wrote on March 14, 2007 4:51 PM:I'd just throw "porcine" out there as a potential descriptive for future profiles of Mr. Sampson.
logorrhea wrote on March 14, 2007 4:58 PM:Mary, I see your point. 81-89 were my junior high to early college years, so I was preoccupied with other matters at the time. Ah, ignorance is bliss, isn't it?
January 09 can not come soon enough.
Anonymous wrote on March 14, 2007 5:01 PM:I have a couple of questions able the doc dump email of Miers and Sampson.
What you are looking at is the original email redacted tables. What is the final version of the information provided? Has the document be doctored? Where are the attachments?
Senator Orrin Hatch, (R-UT):
Discussing why he supports splitting the Circuit: "It is also a court that is seriously out of balance, with 17 of its 24 active judges appointed by Democratic presidents. It is about time that we let the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals know that, as the most reversed court in the country, to think twice before they do something like this." --Quoted in PBS Newshour, Controversial Court (Jan. 17, 2005). Available online at: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june05/controversial_1-17.html
Real story Hatch may have communicated to Miers may be this:
Statement of Sen. Dick Durbin:
http://judiciary.senate.gov/member_statement.cfm?id=1426&wit_id=747
Nomination of William G. Myers III for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
I will vote against the nomination of William G. Myers III for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. I voted against him last year and was sorry to see him renominated by President Bush. The Myers nomination is bad for the environment and should not be recycled.
'---------------------------------------------------------
Is the Attorney General or his Chief of Staff involved with the appointment of Judges to our Federal Court System?
'------------------------------
Did anyone notice the use of the exclaimation point in front of the name of the file attachment?
aeolius wrote on March 14, 2007 5:01 PM:Would this be a means of classification identity? Are there more?
Did Kyle call Hatch after Miers said she had a call from Hatch?
Did Kyle make changes to his chart based on the information from who? Miers, AG, or Hatch?
If Kyle called Hatch then a new question needs to be asked, "Why is Mier and Kyle using code to speak with eachother? Is this common to this administration or has they hidding their activities from public? From Pat Fitz?
AG censured the emails provided to Fitz. Have since then implemented a way to hide their activities?
I hope that Comey gets added to the list of witnesses to testify on this matter. It would be interesting to find out why he left. Would he have been the blocking tackle?
Were the USAs part of a reward to Rove for pulling out the 20024 win? I expect he wanted his own power base for 2008
wanderindiana wrote on March 14, 2007 5:09 PM:Have you seen sfluke's diary at Daily Kos speculating on why Ryan was added to the list?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/13/185734/163
pj wrote on March 14, 2007 5:13 PM:Actually, Sampson's real name is Art Vandalay. He's an architect and he is back living with his parents in New York.
pj wrote on March 14, 2007 5:14 PM:And, by the way, this really is an administration about nothing.
melior wrote on March 14, 2007 5:31 PM:Loyalty is Strength. Slavery is Freedom.
Jack wrote on March 14, 2007 5:45 PM:Something has been bothering me about the motivation to fire all 93 USAs. Could they have been trying to kick Fitzpatrick out but needed to hide it by getting rid of all USAs? Seems a bit over the top but if that was their motive, they would have known how bad it would look if they did just fire him or him and a small group. Once they figured they couldn't get him out under any circumstances, they fell back on plan B which was to get rid of other pains in their butts.
borussky wrote on March 14, 2007 6:13 PM:John Kenneth Galbraith said "If a man denies three times he is going to resign, he will.
kis wrote on March 14, 2007 6:49 PM:It would be interesting to find out if Fitzgerald was orginally on that list, but not fired because he already had a pending case against Scooter. That would have been a bit TOO obvious, even for these guys. I'm still amazed that it took this long to make a stink over Lam...
enough wrote on March 14, 2007 10:17 PM:I don't usually make comments on personal appearance, but the number of white doughy operatives who look like Karl with a K junior is too hard to miss. Are they, in fact, clones? And Sampson is still there. He hasn't really left. I heard tonight that Conyers' office is getting a call every 30 seconds demanding the impeachment of Torquemada.
james bayers wrote on March 14, 2007 11:32 PM:Radar! So that's what Radar's been doing since "Mash" went off the air...
Chabuka wrote on March 15, 2007 2:35 AM:Is it just me..? Am I the only one who notices that this Kyle Sampson looks just like Karl Rove, only maybe twenty years or so, younger..? Is this Karl's illegitmate son, maybe...? Any research on this...?
Yellow Dog wrote on March 15, 2007 11:23 AM:Good grief; yet another "squeal piggie" look-alike. This administration has a frightening but not surprising obsession with certain scenes from "Deliverance."
JIMMMY wrote on March 15, 2007 1:17 PM:Hi
Thanks for the good well written article.
Fitzgerald’s orders were to investigate all “alleged unauthorized disclosures”, not only crimes.
Prosecution was only one of the goals of the "Special Council", the first was to find who made “unauthorized” disclosures, whether crimes or not .
Fitzgerald’s authority “is plenary and includes the authority to investigate and prosecute violations of any federal criminal laws related to the underlying alleged unauthorized disclosure (note, not ‘crime‘), as well as federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, your (Fitzgerald’s) investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses; to conduct appeals arising out of the matter being investigated and/or prosecuted; and to pursue administrative remedies and civil sanctions (such as civil contempt) that are within the Attorney General's authority to impose or pursue.” Written by the acting Attorney General at the time, who had and has the authority to cancel Mr. Fitzgerald’s appointment at anytime, as does the current Attorney General and President Bush.
Fitzgerald’s job was to find all of the leakers, so that, President Bush could have this information and act with respect to his televised promise to remove all of them form his administration.
The President did not order that just one leaker be found or that just the first leaker be identified (Armitage), all leakers were to be fired. In addition they were to be prosecuted if there was sufficient evidence of guilt. Fitzgerald's orders in writing from the Justice Department were to lead an “investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identity”, note-not only crimes. (See commission of and instructions to special Council Fitzgerald by Deputy Attorney General below)
Prosecution was only one of the goals of the "Special Council", the first was to find who made “unauthorized” disclosure .
The President has only removed one White House leaker so far. And it was the President’s own decision to fire the leakers.
During this time Mr. Fitzgerald has been the Chief U.S.
Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, The U.S. Attorney in charge of all terrorist case in the United States as well as the Special prosecutor in the Plame case. He has successfully convicted two terrorists of charges he brought against them in February, 2007, sent the former Republican Governor of Illinois to prison and convicted
Democratic political appointed employees of the City of Chicago for giving engineering and inspector jobs for patronage reasons, in violation of civil service law. In addition, he also has convicted and sent the eleven New Jersey murderer-terrorist to jail for life for the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and four additional murder-bombing terrorists for blowing up our African embassy’s
TWO LETTERS: LETTER OF APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL PROSECUTOR
AND LETTER OF DIRECTIONS TO SPECIAL PROSECUTOR
1. LETTER OF APPOINTMENT
Office of the Deputy Attorney General Washington, D.C. 20530 December 30, 2003
JIMMMY wrote on March 15, 2007 1:18 PM:The Honorable Patrick J. Fitzgerald United States Attorney 219 S. Dearborn Street Chicago, IL 60604
Dear Patrick,
By the authority vested in the Attorney General by law, including 28 U. S .C. §§ 509, 510, and 515, and in my capacity as Acting Attorney General pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 508, I hereby delegate to you all the authority of the Attorney General with respect to the Department's investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identity, and I direct you to exercise that authority as Special Counsel independent of the supervision or control of any officer of the Department.
/s/ James B. Comey James B. Comey Acting Attorney General
2. LETTER OF DUTIES
Office of the Deputy Attorney General Washington, D.C. 20530
February 6, 2004
The Honorable Patrick J. Fitzgerald United States Attorney Northern District of Illinois 219 S. Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604
Dear Patrick:
At your request, I am writing to clarify that my December 30, 2003, delegation to you of "all the authority of the Attorney General with respect to the Department's investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identity" is plenary and includes the authority to investigate and prosecute violations of any federal criminal laws related to the underlying alleged unauthorized disclosure (One underling complaint is unauthorized disclosure, not just a possible crime), as well as federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, your investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses; to conduct appeals arising out of the matter being investigated and/or prosecuted; and to pursue administrative remedies and civil sanctions (such as civil contempt) that are within the Attorney General's authority to impose or pursue. Further, my conferral on you of the title of "Special Counsel" in this matter should not be misunderstood to suggest that your position and authorities are defined and limited by 28 CFR Part 600.
Sincerely,
/s/ James B. Comey James B. Comey Acting Attorney General
Hi
Thanks for the good well written article.
Fitzgerald’s orders were to investigate all “alleged unauthorized disclosures”, not only crimes.
Prosecution was only one of the goals of the "Special Council", the first was to find who made “unauthorized” disclosures, whether crimes or not .
Fitzgerald’s authority “is plenary and includes the authority to investigate and prosecute violations of any federal criminal laws related to the underlying alleged unauthorized disclosure (note, not ‘crime‘), as well as federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, your (Fitzgerald’s) investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses; to conduct appeals arising out of the matter being investigated and/or prosecuted; and to pursue administrative remedies and civil sanctions (such as civil contempt) that are within the Attorney General's authority to impose or pursue.” Written by the acting Attorney General at the time, who had and has the authority to cancel Mr. Fitzgerald’s appointment at anytime, as does the current Attorney General and President Bush.
Fitzgerald’s job was to find all of the leakers, so that, President Bush could have this information and act with respect to his televised promise to remove all of them form his administration.
The President did not order that just one leaker be found or that just the first leaker be identified (Armitage), all leakers were to be fired. In addition they were to be prosecuted if there was sufficient evidence of guilt. Fitzgerald's orders in writing from the Justice Department were to lead an “investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identity”, note-not only crimes. (See commission of and instructions to special Council Fitzgerald by Deputy Attorney General below)
Prosecution was only one of the goals of the "Special Council", the first was to find who made “unauthorized” disclosure .
The President has only removed one White House leaker so far. And it was the President’s own decision to fire the leakers.
During this time Mr. Fitzgerald has been the Chief U.S.
Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, The U.S. Attorney in charge of all terrorist case in the United States as well as the Special prosecutor in the Plame case. He has successfully convicted two terrorists of charges he brought against them in February, 2007, sent the former Republican Governor of Illinois to prison and convicted
Democratic political appointed employees of the City of Chicago for giving engineering and inspector jobs for patronage reasons, in violation of civil service law. In addition, he also has convicted and sent the eleven New Jersey murderer-terrorist to jail for life for the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and four additional murder-bombing terrorists for blowing up our African embassy’s
TWO LETTERS: LETTER OF APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL PROSECUTOR
AND LETTER OF DIRECTIONS TO SPECIAL PROSECUTOR
1. LETTER OF APPOINTMENT
Office of the Deputy Attorney General Washington, D.C. 20530 December 30, 2003
ohiomeister wrote on March 15, 2007 8:18 PM:The Honorable Patrick J. Fitzgerald United States Attorney 219 S. Dearborn Street Chicago, IL 60604
Dear Patrick,
By the authority vested in the Attorney General by law, including 28 U. S .C. §§ 509, 510, and 515, and in my capacity as Acting Attorney General pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 508, I hereby delegate to you all the authority of the Attorney General with respect to the Department's investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identity, and I direct you to exercise that authority as Special Counsel independent of the supervision or control of any officer of the Department.
/s/ James B. Comey James B. Comey Acting Attorney General
2. LETTER OF DUTIES
Office of the Deputy Attorney General Washington, D.C. 20530
February 6, 2004
The Honorable Patrick J. Fitzgerald United States Attorney Northern District of Illinois 219 S. Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604
Dear Patrick:
At your request, I am writing to clarify that my December 30, 2003, delegation to you of "all the authority of the Attorney General with respect to the Department's investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identity" is plenary and includes the authority to investigate and prosecute violations of any federal criminal laws related to the underlying alleged unauthorized disclosure (One underling complaint is unauthorized disclosure, not just a possible crime), as well as federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, your investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses; to conduct appeals arising out of the matter being investigated and/or prosecuted; and to pursue administrative remedies and civil sanctions (such as civil contempt) that are within the Attorney General's authority to impose or pursue. Further, my conferral on you of the title of "Special Counsel" in this matter should not be misunderstood to suggest that your position and authorities are defined and limited by 28 CFR Part 600.
Sincerely,
/s/ James B. Comey James B. Comey Acting Attorney General
That is shocking. He looks exactly like you would expect he would, only even more so.
Shocking.
SoonerThought wrote on March 29, 2007 9:18 AM:Separated at Birth? Sampson and Radar?
http://www.soonerthought.com/archives/2792
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