Comments (96)

Red State Blues wrote on March 27, 2007 12:02 PM:

There probably is at least a foundation for privilege. But why isn't anyone talking about Congress giving her immunity? She's probably a bit player; she's certainly not one of the decision-makers. Why settle for the tadpole when you can land the shark? So, Congress can give her immunity and then she can't refuse to testify. As DOJ liaison to the White House, she's sure to have had access to lots of juicy stuff.

Use of immunity is not unprecedented: Congress did it for Iran-Contra, no?

ed209 wrote on March 27, 2007 12:11 PM:

I'm not sure I understand... How can you invoke the 5th before you're asked a question?

Monkey++ wrote on March 27, 2007 12:14 PM:

Not one of the decision makers? http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/16977359.htm

to see how she was directly involved in Iglesias' firing, and how she prevented yet another.

Attempts to minimize her involvement before we have any sworn testimony smells of troll.

eric wrote on March 27, 2007 12:21 PM:

I don't think they are even going to consider immunity until Sampson testifies. The last thing they want is to put her in an Oliver North situation where she can take the blame and walk away.

Security Code:
shoe

Robin L. Boerner wrote on March 27, 2007 12:23 PM:

Attempts to minimize her involvement before we have any sworn testimony smells of troll.

Posted by: Monkey++
Date: March 27, 2007 12:14 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know...I'd trade Monica for Turd Blossom any day. Trading Rove AND Bush would be a real deal.

Her lawyer might be angling for her to play "Queen for a Day". Basically telling all she knows in private without being able to prosecute her for it. If she gives up enough good evidence she gets immunity. If not nothing she said that day could be used against her...in theory. It takes a good lawyer to successfully play that game.

What she knows might be able to take down some very big criminals posing as Great Deciders, compassionate conservatives, saviors from God, War Profiteers, etc. Worth letting her go if she can catch one of them.

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 12:25 PM:

Help! I just posted a detailed comment about Monica Goodling in today's Daily Muck. There apparently are two Monica Goodlings who are attorneys with the DOJ. One of the Monicas is with the USA's office in Alexandria VA and is listed as the prosecutor in three court cases.

Neither Monica Goodling is listed in Westlaw which seems odd. The Memory Hole has a list of members of the Virginia Bar but only one Monica Goodling is on it.

Obviously, Monica Goodling, DOJ WH liason, can't be Monica Goodling, prosecutor for the USA in Alexandria. But why can't I find any info on Monica #2?

eric wrote on March 27, 2007 12:37 PM:

RE: Posted by: Mrs Panstreppon

I did a search in the Findlaw legal directory, and found no Monica Goodling at all...

Also, nothing on Martindale.

Ordinarily, Findlaw has a pretty comprehensive listing of lawyers. I am even listed although I have never submitted my information. No Monica, though.

Strange.

Security Code:
warm

jazzcat wrote on March 27, 2007 12:38 PM:

In reviewing the biography of Ms. Goodling I noticed that she attended a small "Christian liberal arts" college - Messiah...It requires students to sign the following covenant (from the schools website:

"Students at Messiah College are required to sign the community covenant upon entering. The document states that every person is created in the image of God, and that there are certain responsibilities of living in community that must also be assumed in relation to God, others, and his creation.

First and foremost, the Community Covenant affirms belief in God and the Bible. Specifically, the Community Covenant requires commitment to academic integrity, responsible decisionmaking in light of Christian values, and balancing personal freedom with concern for others. Practically, the Covenant bans the usage of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. It also prescribes the avoidance of drunkeness, stealing, dishonesty, profanity, and sexual immorality. The Covenant also prohibits certain attitudes, such as greed, lust, and jealousy, but admits that these attributes are typically expressed less outwardly.

Apparently the covenant is no longer applicable once one joins the bush administration

Robin L. Boerner wrote on March 27, 2007 12:40 PM:

Mrs. P,

Doing a quick People and Zabasearch it seems at least one of the Monica's lived in both places. And, they are about the same age (the search bases vary in the free area). Are you sure there are two? Maybe one of the job listings you are looking at is out of date and she moved from one job to another. You may want to check with the PA Bar as well. An old address was listed for her in that state:

MONICA M GOODLING (Age: 33)

Available ALEXANDRIA, VA
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
CHESAPEAKE, VA
YORK HAVEN, PA
WASHINGTON, DC
GRANTHAM, PA

eric wrote on March 27, 2007 12:48 PM:

No bar license in PA.

http://www.padisciplinaryboard.org/attsearchdc.php

Security Code:
seed

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 12:53 PM:

Robin@March 27, 2007 12:40 PM

No, I am not sure there are two Monica Goodlings but a Monica Goodling is listed as a prosecutor for the USA's office in Alexandria on court records in three criminal cases.

If Monica M. Goodling, DOJ WH liason, is "trying" criminal cases in Virginia, my guess is it would be to boost her credentials to justify giving her a USA slot or some other high level position. Which is something no one in the press has reported.

Here is what I posted at the Daily Muck about the "two" Monica Goodlings:

"From Lexis-Nexis:

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
(Alexandria)

Case #1
USA v. Doe

DOCKET NUMBER: 1:04cr422

FILING DATE: 10/28/2004

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY(S):
Monica Goodling [COR LD NTC]
United States Attorney's Office
2100 Jamieson Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
**NA** (703) 299-3700

Case #2
USA v. Atapaucar

DOCKET NUMBER: 1:04cr509

FILING DATE: 12/23/2004

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY(S):
Monica Goodling [COR LD NTC]
United States Attorney's Office
2100 Jamieson Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
**NA** (703) 299-3700

Case #3
USA v. Austin

DOCKET NUMBER: 1:05cr54

FILING DATE: 2/3/2005

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY(S):
Monica Goodling [COR LD NTC]
United States Attorney's Office
2100 Jamieson Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
**NA** (703) 299-3700

Monica Marie Goodling got a speeding ticket in Virginia on 11/19/99. DOB 8/73

Monica Goodling got a speeding ticket in Virginia on 9/22/2002. DOB 8/73

Monica M. Goodling bought property in Arlington Va on 1/22/2002 for $280k. Goodling obtained a $275k mortgage from the Virginia Housing Development Authority ($5k is not much of a down payment on a $280k house).

The Memory Hole's list of members of the Virginia Bar (link below) only includes one Monica Goodling."

eric wrote on March 27, 2007 12:57 PM:

Good work!

It is odd how you cannot get a list of all the Virginia Bar. Every other state I have ever checked lets you do a name search.

Security Code:
safe

Robin L. Boerner wrote on March 27, 2007 12:59 PM:

"If Monica M. Goodling, DOJ WH liason, is "trying" criminal cases in Virginia, my guess is it would be to boost her credentials to justify giving her a USA slot or some other high level position. Which is something no one in the press has reported."

Mrs. P you might have hit something there...wasn't one of the DOJ excuses that they needed to give fresh meat USA time in order to groom them to be federal judges? A lot in the liberal 9th circuit in order to promote the Bush Regime ideals.

Why not give a young kid with a law degree a play at prosecuting cases? It's only justice we are talking about here.

If these people weren't so evil they'd be amusing.

Mooser wrote on March 27, 2007 1:01 PM:

Yeow! Mrs. Panstreppon, I hope I never incurr your ire. You're relentless.

And "clean"

TheraP wrote on March 27, 2007 1:15 PM:

Does Monica Goodling have a line of credit on her house? (If so, wouldn't that show up in the Real Estate records for her city?)

She's got to be getting the money for her attorney from somewhere.

Just a thought.

Mrs Panstreppion wrote on March 27, 2007 1:17 PM:

Thanks, Eric. I was a good auditor in my former life.

Back to the Monica Goodling Mystery.

McClatchy today in a story by Ron Hutcheson:

"Goodling 33, is a 1995 graduate Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., an institution that describes itself as "committed to embracing an evangelical spirit."

She received her law degree at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. Regent, founded by Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson, says its mission is "to produce Christian leaders who will make a difference, who will change the world..."

Note that Hutcheson does not provide Goodling's graduation date nor does he provide any information as to what Goodling did before she got the DOJ job or even when she got the DOJ job.

Biographical information about all of the other players in PurgeGate is readily available except Goodling's.

Why?

Robin L. Boerner wrote on March 27, 2007 1:21 PM:

Mrs. P,

I haven't looked up Monica Goodling's resignation date from the WH but as of March 14, she isn't listed as an employee of either VA USA office.

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/offices/personnel/index.html

I have an appointment but maybe someone has time to search the Wayback machine to see if she was ever listed as an employee.

If she wasn't, it looks like your thought of giving her prosecution time to pad her resume' might be the answer.

TheraP wrote on March 27, 2007 1:27 PM:

I'm better at questions than answers, but how about Ms. Goodling's Alumni office at Messiah? They likely publish a yearly update for graduates - and there must be a way to search what she's shared about her doings since graduation.

It's probably small enough that there's a wealth of info to be found.

mbbsdphil wrote on March 27, 2007 1:31 PM:

See the earlier post about Goodling. Comments describe Dowd's argument, which is appropriate, but overstated, I think.

Goodling can assert her Fifth Amendment right not to testify against herself in a criminal matter, if doing so puts her in reasonable fear of implicating herself in past criminal conduct. Congress is investigating whether a crime took place. Which presents the possibility of criminal liability, though less directly than the support Dowd cites for his argument. Whether Goodling's fear is reasonable is for the court to decide; her claim alone is not adequate.

If that fear is removed by a suitable grant of immunity, the right no longer applies and Goodling would have to testify. The devil is in the details about who grants the immunity and what it applies to. When it applies, anyone can assert that right, guilty or innocent. You don't need to be a Hitchcock fan or follow the death penalty in Illinois to know that the innocent can be wrongly accused and sometimes convicted and executed. Eh, Dr. Kimble?

I think Dowd is buying time and openly negotiating for a grant of immunity. Goodling may have been involved, but she seems a bit player. She didn't devise the plan or the cover story, or implement either. A grant of immunity would not seem out of place.

As Prof. Katyal said in his NYT OpEd today, it's time for an independent prosecutor to look into this.

Red State Blues wrote on March 27, 2007 1:42 PM:

Monkey++, don't be silly, I'm no troll. I was simply making the point that it strains credulity to believe that a young woman like Monica is a mover and shaker in this malAdminsitration, in which all power seems to be concentrated into very few hands. The fact that she's an intellectual lightweight (at least as judged by the third rate college and fourth tier law school she attended) also suggests that she's not one of the cool kids on the block. In short, she's no Ollie North. Yes, there are dangers here to a grant of immunty, but there also are dangers of dragging this out for another two years while her 5th amendment claims are litigated. And she's got a good lawyer in John Dowd: He's smart and tough. (I bet her daddy is paying the bils.)

And a big round of applause to Mrs. P and Robin for the gumshoe work they've done here. Pretty scary what you can find out about your neighbors on teh internets.

JohnQ wrote on March 27, 2007 1:43 PM:

It misses the point to ask whether Dowd has a legally defensible basis for invoking the privilege. A lawyer in his position is concerned with strategic moves, not legal arguments. Here, there's no downside to the strategy because there's practically no chance that the Committee is going to hold her in contempt and invite a federal judge to decide the issue. The Committee will either give her immunity or they won't call her at all. Either is a good result. The rest is academic (in a bad way).

TheraP wrote on March 27, 2007 1:43 PM:

Messiah College has an Alum magazine called The Bridge and a Directory of Alums - but you need to sign in to get access to the directory.

You can search The Bridge for 2005 and 2006 - but I did not find the info on Alum's doings - just some articles listed.

Others may be better at this sleuthing.

Maalox wrote on March 27, 2007 1:45 PM:

From a previous thread,

http://www.regent.edu/alumni/chapters/washington_dc/DCPicnicPhotos.htm

Who is her boyfriend in these pictures?

Perhaps?
http://ksgfaculty.harvard.edu/richard_parker

TheraP wrote on March 27, 2007 1:47 PM:

Messiah also has a branch in Philidelphia.

Someone there (or at its actual location) could probably find out a lot by thumbing through the Alum mag in the library).

LawTalkingHobo wrote on March 27, 2007 1:50 PM:

Goodling graduated from law school in '99 according to this site: http://www.regent.edu/alumni/chapters/washington_dc/DCPicnicPhotos.htm
Note this is also the page that provides the only known photo of Goodling.

Over the Edge wrote on March 27, 2007 1:52 PM:

McNulty's job in danger?

Washington Prowler

Schumer's Mole

INSIDER GAMES
According to Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) staff, Sen. Chuck Schumer was receiving inside information via what they term "back channel" communications from a senior Department of Justice official, who perhaps was hoping to keep his job at the Department in the wake of his involvement in the firing of eight Republican U.S. Attorneys.

"The Senator early on had a pretty good handle on what to expect coming out of the Justice Department as far as documents and the timeline of the firings," says a DSCC source. "Someone was reaching out to him in hopes that he wouldn't get tarred too badly by the scandal. He knew we were going to make a big deal of it."

Given the number of career Democrat attorneys inside DOJ, as well as political appointees looking to protect their reputation in Washington, the candidates for such leakers are many. But several names continue to pop up when the discussions inside the DSCC turn to the firings scandal. One name often rumored is Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, a well-known Republican from Virginia, who served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia before being tapped to replace his close friend, former DAG James Comey. Comey, though out of the Bush Administration, is also thought to be the potential source.

Comey is close to current U.S. Attorney and special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who has taken heat for what most reasonable people in Washington consider to be an unfair prosecution of Scooter Libby, former chief of staff of Vice President Dick Cheney. According to DSCC sources, Schumer reached out to Comey, who served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, more than a month ago to discuss the U.S. Attorney firings. Recently released e-mails from the Justice Department revealed that Comey was actually consulted about the firings.

McNulty, along with his chief of staff, Michael Elston, was intimately involved in the planning and coordination of the firings of the eight U.S. Attorneys. Recent e-mail releases from DOJ revealed both were more involved in the scandal than either had previously discussed. Both attended a meeting on November 27th with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to brief him on the firings.

Yet McNulty, despite undergoing tough testimony before Congress about the firings, has not taken as much heat from Democrats as Gonzales or his senior advisers, most of whom have either resigned or taken a leave of absence.

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_prowler.asp

sy wrote on March 27, 2007 1:58 PM:

"Monica Goodling does have a good faith basis for pleading the Fifth Amendment - just not the ones in her lawyer's [(Dowd)] letter that are getting all the attention."

Is not that the point? Moreover, is it reasonable to infer that she located and retained Dowd in connection with prospective false acts charge?

Anonymous wrote on March 27, 2007 2:02 PM:

RE: Posted by: Mrs Panstreppon

Mrs. P,

I thought I read a few days ago that Goodling may have worked for McNulty when he was the USA in Alexandria. I can't recall where I saw that, but I'll bring it here if I can locate it.

John Snyder wrote on March 27, 2007 2:05 PM:

I tend to agree with the DC lawyer that if Goodling's basis is that, in testifying, she will be forced to admit to obstruction, then she has a perfectly valid Fifth Amendment claim.

However, by citing to Ohio v. Reiner, it appears that Goodling is trying to claim that she is innocent of any prior crimes, but will nevertheless put herself in substantial legal jeopardy by testifying truthfully.

The Reiner decision is a narrow doctrine which does not appear to apply here.

John Snyder wrote on March 27, 2007 2:05 PM:

I tend to agree with the DC lawyer that if Goodling's basis is that, in testifying, she will be forced to admit to obstruction, then she has a perfectly valid Fifth Amendment claim.

However, by citing to Ohio v. Reiner, it appears that Goodling is trying to claim that she is innocent of any prior crimes, but will nevertheless put herself in substantial legal jeopardy by testifying truthfully.

The Reiner decision is a narrow doctrine which does not appear to apply here.

Anonymous wrote on March 27, 2007 2:07 PM:

Monica's job at DOJ is and always has been purely political. She went to Messiah undergrad and Regent Univ. Law School and the sum total of her actual prosecutorial experience is handling traffic cases as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in Paul McNulty's district (now the current Deputy A.G.) for about six months. Her political mojo (which is considerable in light of her age and inexperience) is allegedly linked to Karl Rove.

Posted by: Former DOJer
Date: March 14, 2007 09:22 PM

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002760.php

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 2:09 PM:

Former US Attorney General John Ashcroft has a vested interest in keeping Monica Goodling from testifying to the SJC. Ashcroft hired Goodling who was his spokesperson during his tenure.

Think about the possibilities. Say, for example, there is a GOP strategy to replace career DOJ attorneys with ones who are politically acceptable and the plan was devised and implemented under Ashcroft. Goodling would know about it.

Ashcroft is also a law prof at Regent U. where he is actively involved with the student body. He and Mrs. Ashcroft regularly hold ice cream socials for the students (link below). Presumably, Ashcroft promotes Regent U. grads for government jobs.

I disagree with the posters here who think Goodling is a bit player in this mess. If there is any wrongdoing, she was in on it.

Again, why is Goodling's bio under wraps by the press?

Keep in mind that we have just seen how the Washington press corps covered for the WH in the Griles case. Half of Washington DC must have known that Italia Federici was the long time girlfriend of Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles when Federici and Griles testified to McCain's Indian Affairs Committee. But no one in the Washington press ever reported on the Griles-Federici relationship, did they?

Buck wrote on March 27, 2007 2:16 PM:

Someone mentioned "only one known photo of Monica Goodling".

There are several here:
http://www.regent.edu/alumni/chapters/washington_dc/DCPicnicPhotos.htm

and she's in here somewhere:

http://www.messiah.edu/offices/alumni/events/homecoming/Classof1995.html

Mooser wrote on March 27, 2007 2:23 PM:

Italia Federici was the long time girlfriend...

Damn! I wish I had a girlfriend named Italia Federici. I wouldn't know whether to kiss her or kickstart her.

Sam "Spade"

Tex MacRae wrote on March 27, 2007 2:30 PM:

Here's Goodling mentioned in a 2002 DOJ Media Advisory:

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2002/November/02_ag_668.htm

NOTE: Interested media can contact Monica Goodling in the Justice Department's Office of Public Affairs at (202) 305-5875.

Jeff wrote on March 27, 2007 2:37 PM:

One note.

Monica G has NOT asserted her fifth amendment rights. What she has basically done is say 'I am going to do that, so don't bother calling me.' The actual assertion does not happen until she gets deposed or questions and says some variation of "I refuse to answer on the grounds I may incriminate myself."

TheraP wrote on March 27, 2007 2:38 PM:

Mrs. Panstreppon,

Bingo!

I may be in another field entirely, but things leap out at me. And often it's the tiny details that are most important when you're trying to unravel something.

There's info to be had at the institutions where she studied. And I truly think you're headed in the right direction.

As a citizen, I thank you!

And for the person who wrote that daddy is paying for the lawyer, only to the tune of $11,000 per year. Or $22,000 if mom is also helping.

Tex MacRae wrote on March 27, 2007 2:39 PM:

MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2002

John W. Gillis, Director of the Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime, will also be available for interviews. To schedule an interview with an awardee(s), please call Adam Spector at 202/307-0703. For more information or to interview a Justice Department official, contact Monica Goodling at 202/514-2007.

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2002/April/02_ag_225.htm

US8 wrote on March 27, 2007 2:43 PM:

TheraP asked:

Does Monica Goodling have a line of credit on her house?

Well, here's a link to a public record with her address.

http://fundrace.org/neighbors.php?search=1&type=loc&addr=5311+CHIEFTAIN+CIRCLE&zip=22312

Note the Alexandria address in reference to Mrs. P's inquiry. Go to Zillow.com and plug in the address and you'll be amazed at the value of the property she lives in. FYI...there's a $275K mortgage on the property and it was purchased in 2002 for $280K. Public records indicate the Virginia Housing Development Authority is the lender. In my estimation there's a lot of equity sitting there to buy a defense or her silence.

infotropy wrote on March 27, 2007 3:03 PM:

McClatchy reporter Ron Hutchinson reported on Monday that Monica Goodling "was influential in preventing the ouster of US Attorney Gretchen Shappert in western North Carolina."

Has anybody looked at why Shappert might have been on the list in the first place? Or why Goodling might have wanted her off the list?

The most recent high-profile public corruption case was against Dem. House Speaker Jim Black.

But the only thing that caught my eye that might be substantial enough to make Shappert a "don't go there" can-of-worms for a highly controversial firing scenario is this posting of an Aug. 2005 report by Garly L. Wright and Jim Morrill:

http://blog.supersurge.com/government-gone-sour/2005/8/9/fbi-agent-indictment-came-as-retaliation.html

"A Charlotte FBI agent claims he was indicted in April in retaliation for a whistleblower complaint he filed against U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert and another prosecutor, accusing them of abusing their powers.

Attorneys for agent Erik Blowers also suggest Shappert and at least one other prosecutor believed their boss, then-U.S. Attorney Bob Conrad, protected Blowers by not investigating him.

They say prosecutors may have tried to derail Conrad's appointment to a federal judgeship. Conrad was sworn in two months ago after his nomination was blocked for two years.

In documents filed in federal court, defense attorneys Chris Fialko and David Rudolf call Blowers a victim of "vindictive prosecution."

"We have in this case a situation in which the government indicts an FBI agent for conduct it has never before criminally prosecuted," they wrote.

The documents reveal disputes within Charlotte's law enforcement community, and suggest that those differences had far-reaching implications -- an FBI agent's indictment and a judicial nominee's failure to get a hearing before the U.S. Senate."

Wright and Morrill note that the judicial nomination was blocked by Sen. John Edwards. This all seems to have the right dimensions for a can-of-worms you wouldn't want anywhere nearby during the "push-back" phase that DOJ was clearly anticipating after the firings.

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 3:20 PM:

As I noted in an earlier comment, Monica M. Goodling bought property in Arlington Va on 1/22/2002 for $280k. Goodling obtained a $275k mortgage from the Virginia Housing Development Authority.

Out of curiosity, I visited the Virginia Housing Development Authority website and checked my eligibility for a mortgage if I made $140,000 and
wanted to put down $5,000 on a $280,000 house in Arlington County. (Link below)

I didn't qualify for a mortgage under any of the VHDA programs.

eric wrote on March 27, 2007 3:25 PM:

If you look at the aerial photo of her property, you can see that it is in a huge townhome/row house development. I can't believe the prices on them! Goodling's place is listed at $428K

In any case, how is it that she buys this for only $280K with a $275K mortgage?

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 3:26 PM:

infotropy@March 27, 2007 03:03 PM

From a 7/6/03 Raleigh News and Observer story, "Taylor linked to loan fraud" by Pat Stith:

"In 2000 and 2001, the former president of an obscure bank in the western end of North Carolina admitted to FBI agents that he had violated federal banking laws. He also implicated 11th
District U.S. Rep. Charles H. Taylor of Brevard, who founded Blue Ridge Savings Bank and was chairman of its board of directors.

The banker, Hayes C. Martin of Asheville, and a major borrower, Charles E. "Chig " Cagle, a political confidant of Taylor, have pleaded guilty to scheming together to defraud the bank and launder money. In FBI interviews, Cagle also said Taylor was involved.

In April, Martin and Cagle testified against the lawyer who helped put the loan packages together. The lawyer, Thomas W. Jones, was convicted of bank fraud. All three now await sentencing.

Taylor, however, has not been charged. He was not subpoenaed before the federal grand jury that indicted the others. And the FBI hasn't interviewed him.

Lawyers for Jones are pressing their own case about why investigators have not questioned the congressman. They have filed an unusual motion in federal court that raises questions about whether a Republican administration in Washington stopped the FBI from investigating a Republican congressman...

Robert J. Conrad Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, would not comment last week when he was asked if he had notified the Justice Department about the Taylor allegations or comment on what, if any, instructions he had been given.

Monica M. Goodling , deputy director of public affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, also had no comment when asked whether Ashcroft or his aides had blocked an investigation of Taylor..."

PTF wrote on March 27, 2007 3:28 PM:

Interesting angle on the personnel, Mrs. P!

The Bush administration has been repeatedly criticized by the long-serving career civil servants for using their political appointees to create situations where the career staff feel forced to leave. That would then leave career slots open for new employees...

David Kurtz had two interesting posts this weekend on TalkingPoints Memo, both relating to the political disposition of the career civil servants. Mind you, dear reader, that career civil servants stay in place regardless of the President.

One of Kurtz's articles refers to a politically appointed US Attorney's assertion that the DOJ is hiring people "across the political spectrum".

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/013229.php

But how would that US Attorney actually know that? Applicants for career jobs are not rated on their political affiliations (at least they shouldn't be!)

Kurtz later goes on to quote another retired former DOJ lawyer who alleges a political test is being used to hire new people into career jobs:

"Rich, a 37-year department veteran, said a partisan litmus test in hiring and decision-making has undermined a tradition of nonpartisan professionalism in the division."

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/013248.php

So the question on the table are three:

1/Are political affiliations being used to determine hiring for (nonpartisan) career jobs in the Federal Government;

2/Are political appointees really making the final hiring decisions on these career jobs?

3/What is the method the government is using to determine individuals job seekers' political affiliations when they're trying to get a government job?
David Kurtz had two posts on that very

US8 wrote on March 27, 2007 3:43 PM:

Use the following for your search criteria:

4927 25th ST S

http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/RealEstate/reassessments/scripts/DREADefault.asp?lnsLinkID=1116

Look at the previous sales history codes. Am I mistaken but is the 2004 sale listed as a code 5 - translating into a no money changing hands? Regardless, I'm not finding a lender on this one.

FMArouet wrote on March 27, 2007 3:45 PM:

Eric,

The price of Monica's house is not surprising. Most of suburban Washington, including Arlington, VA, had a housing value boom between 2002 and 2006, when the price escalation levelled off and then even began to decline in some areas.

It would be worthwhile to pursue the mortgage angle, however. It smells as though she may have given false information on her application for what may be a below market, subsidized loan. She surely would have been making too much money to qualify for such a loan.

DiFi Fan wrote on March 27, 2007 3:49 PM:

US8@March 27, 2007 03:43 PM

You are referring to D. Kyle Sampson, I assume.

US8 wrote on March 27, 2007 3:56 PM:

None other

eric wrote on March 27, 2007 4:00 PM:

I looked at the Fairfax County tax records. Sure enough, this property was assessed at about $238K in 2002. Now, it is assessed at $468K. Wow.

I'll paste the numbers, hope this works.

2007 $468,100
2006 $474,210
2005 $376,530
2004 $287,940
2003 $259,610
2002 $237,940

eric wrote on March 27, 2007 4:07 PM:

BTW, the property that I was looking up was not in Arlington. It was the 5311 Chieftain Circle place. I don't know what city but it did not seem to be Arlington or Alexandria. Are people looking at a mortgage for another property?

I saw a reference to 4927 25th ST S. That isn't what I was looking at.

Anonymous wrote on March 27, 2007 4:10 PM:

FMArouet:

100% percent financing with a government loan is very suspicious, but if she's not married and at the time was a spokesperson, she was probably making around $61k, so it's possible.

That particular address is a relatively new townhome community (built in 2000) about 10 miles from DC (although commuter traffic can make those 10 miles very painful).

The purchase price looks fair - property values ticked up in 03 and leveled off in early 06.

Michael Stevens wrote on March 27, 2007 4:14 PM:

I was discussing this with friends last night and we came to a similar conclusion; she had suborned perjury.

But if the only criminal act she knows about is her own, she is not a good candidate for immunity. I don't think a bit of dirt on Sampson or McNulty is going to cut it. To receive a grant of immunity, the congress should require she provide some evidence of criminal acts by her boss or those in the White House.

I'm also interested as to why some think this is a low-risk strategy by her attorney. Wouldn't the Senate Judiciary Committee jump at the chance to have her plead the 5th on national TV? If she were to publicly plead the 5th, she would become the poster child for corruption in this administration.

The mere promise to make her publicly plead the 5th could also motivate her to review her recollections as to the criminal actions of others. She has to be praying (literally) for a grant of immunity. Every day this goes on, the likelihood becomes stronger that a Special Prosecutor will be named. And thus far, she is the only official who has committed a smoking-gun criminal act. She would be hanging fruit for any special prosecutor, espeically a Republican SP who didn't want to shake the tree too much.

eric wrote on March 27, 2007 4:25 PM:

They should put her on TV and show the entire country that a 33 year-old who graduated from a light-weight religious law school in 1999 and with no significant experience has an important position like "Counsel to the Attorney General and White House Liason".

It's ridiculous.

drational wrote on March 27, 2007 4:27 PM:

Mrs Panstreppon

The North Carolina link should be explored further.
Charles H. Taylor was implicated in fraud, but the U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina did not pursue. At the time the US Attorney was Robert J. Conrad Jr. (who was then offered a federal Jusdgeship), whereas Gretchen Shappert was assistant USA in the same office. Kinda makes you wonder about why Ms. Goodling spared Shappert the chopping block.

The cited article notes "They have filed an unusual motion in federal court that raises questions about whether a Republican administration in Washington stopped the FBI from investigating a Republican congressman"

Is there any way any law types out here can get a PDF of the filed motion? It may shed light on what role if any Shappert might have played in the fraud case and stifling investigation of Taylor.

This might have earned Shappert a pass from Goodling and her handlers.

TheraP wrote on March 27, 2007 4:43 PM:

I'm copying this from the thread related to Lam:

Monica Goodling's lawyer is John Dowd. Is it the same John Dowd who was linked to the New Hampshire phone jamming scandal and who is a high-ranking official of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee?

"Chuck McGee wouldn't have gone through with this if he didn't believe that he had been authorized to do so by his boss, John Dowd," Donovan said.
http://betsydevine.weblogger.com/stories/storyReader$1363

Posted by: mo2
Date: March 27, 2007 04:27 PM

Maybe it's a false trail - but if not.... (the word is poison!!!)

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 5:28 PM:

drational@March 27, 2007 04:27 PM

I'll see if I can find the motion but I am not very good at digging through those kinds of records.

The Taylor story gets even better. The guy is under suspicion for bank fraud and then somehow he winds up with an interest in a Russian bank worth somewhere between $1 and $5 million.

Keep your eye on the Russian angle - Delay, Weldon, Taylor etc. etc. etc.

Steve from Messiah wrote on March 27, 2007 5:28 PM:

boy, 8 firings that came from within the justice dept and the whole justice system is now in jeopardy? What about the 93 attorneys that were fired at the direct request of President Clinton?

P.s. What do you think those attorneys had in common... oh thats right they were all republicans. but i suppose those firings were in the interest of justice, right?

G Spot1 wrote on March 27, 2007 5:34 PM:

Who's paying Goodling's legal fees? Dowd ain't cheap...

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 5:38 PM:

Steve from Messiah@March 27, 2007 05:28 PM

Get lost.

eric wrote on March 27, 2007 5:44 PM:

"Steve from Messiah" is doing a good job of helping us all understand the quality of education and the intelligence of the students at his college.

Buck wrote on March 27, 2007 6:11 PM:

Let's not be too hard on Messiah College. They had a fair number of Howard Dean supporters. Steve might do well to look some of them up. They're not all True Believers at Messiah (the Eric Hoffer definition of it I mean).

FMArouet wrote on March 27, 2007 6:47 PM:

Mrs Panstreppon,

I'm following your dogged pursuit of Goodling and Sampson with great interest. You must be sitting in a room full of white boards and colored markers to make sense of this tangled web of facts, connections, and hints of cross-woven corruption.

Good luck. Chief Spider Rove's web is unravelling at light speed--or at least at electron speed, thanks to you, Josh, and others helping at TPM.

infotropy wrote on March 27, 2007 7:19 PM:

It still isn't clear how much weight someone like Goodling would carry in derailing a USA firing. But if she links in with Rove's shop, and that's her main role in DOJ, then a word from her might carry considerable weight. And indeed she nixes WDNC USA Gretchen Shappert's firing, and it stays nixed, with no hint of any 3rd parties that might have had a stake in Shappert's fate either way. I think this suggests that Goodling may have been perceived by Sampson & Co. as weighing in for Rove.

The Charlotte News & Observer noted a couple of weeks ago that USA Gretchen C.F. Shappert prosecuted Sam Currin, a former USA, state judge, and state Republican chairman. He agreed to plead guilty last October to money laundering and obstruction of a grand jury investigation into securities fraud.

That might have put Shappert on the lightweights' (Sampson & Co.) short-list to get the axe. Then Monica Goodling gets the word from Rove's shop that maybe it would be best to keep Shappert's name out of play for the first round of firings (and as Barbara Barrett notes in her Charlotte News & Observer piece, Shappert's name is whited out on the documents provided to the Senate.)

Because Shappert has some fairly close connections to some cases in NC under her old boss USA Robert Conrad, and those cases represent exposure for the DOJ/WH project as a whole.

Either way, if there is a federal judgeship up front for Bob Conrad, and if this is all background to how Gretchen Shappert came by her USA job in the first place, then there was more than penny-ante stuff on the table in North Carolina.

Shappert is important because she is a test case for how you might (in spite of all the usual accolades) get on the list-- and then get off. Her removal from the list is the best glimpse the documents have offered of an Invisible Hand at work. And that hand is working through Monica Goodling, not through Kyle Sampson.

The Charlotte News and Observer piece is here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/554149.html

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 7:43 PM:

FMArouet@March 27, 2007 06:47 PM

Nope. Just my laptop and a steno pad. And thanks for the compliment.

E-dog wrote on March 27, 2007 8:09 PM:

Is Goodling related to the former Congressman from Pennsylvania who represented York?

Number8 wrote on March 27, 2007 8:55 PM:

Monica Goodling, from Pennsylvania, graduated from Pat Robertson's Regent University in 1999. In 2001, she was hired at DOJ as a political appointee GS-15 as the Chief Deputy in Public Affairs. Within a few years she had a Senior Executive Service political appointment as the counsel to the AG and the White House Liaison.

So you're wondering how could Goodling graduate from a less than prestigious law school, have zip actual experience in the law, and become the counselor to the chief law enforemment officer of the United States? Easy - the original appointment was courtesy of Bill Goodling, 13-term Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania who retired in 2001. Moving up the ladder she did on her own, or did she?

jorja wrote on March 27, 2007 9:06 PM:

Re: Goodling's missing info on Findlaw and Martindale.

A simple, plausible answer is that she might not have passed any state bar exam and therefore not be admitted to any recognized bar. Numerous attorney jobs, although one with the DOJ wouldn't come to mind under normal circumstances, don't require an attorney to be admitted to the bar of a particular state, e.g., in-house counsel positions doing mostly contracts and no litigation. Typically, different courts have different requirements, and attorneys must be admitted to each court to represent clients in that court, i.e., just because you represented someone in traffic court doesn't mean you can represent them in a state appellate court. Also, at least with Martindale, attorneys are often listed there because they're really good at their jobs, or firms want to advertise how glorious their partners are. But, some are listed because they suck, so Monica G. may show up after all.

Casam wrote on March 27, 2007 10:04 PM:

I found a picture from Messiah that has Monica Goodling listed (find Monica class :-) at a -Class of 1995- 10-Year Reunion.
So...that would mean she graduated from there in 85?

http://www.messiah.edu/offices/alumni/events/homecoming/Classof1995.html

P.S. A Barry Goodling is VP of the college and a Bev Goodling is also an employee.

sorry I don't know how to link to the site.

Casam wrote on March 27, 2007 10:08 PM:

No wait, that was the class of 95 so that was a 2005 reunion yes...

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 10:16 PM:

Monica may be related to former congressman Bill Goodling but she is not his daughter. His daughter's name is Jennifer and his son's name is Todd. Jennifer is a sports teacher and Todd is an architect.

It certainly is not a stretch that Bill and Monica Goodling could be related. Bill Goodling represented the 19th district in Pennsylvania which is in the south central part of the state. Monica went to Messiah College in PA.

As someone else here pointed out, Monica had to have pull to get the job she did.

But if Monica is related to Bill Goodling, I would have thought someone on the internet would have reported it by now even if the press didn't.

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 27, 2007 10:38 PM:

I could see Monica getting the DOJ job through Bill Goodling if, indeed, they are related but that does not explain how she moved into the WH liason job.

If no one else will bring it up, I will. Is Monica Goodling having an affair with someone high up in the Bush administration?

If she is, don't rely on the Washington press corps to tell you about it. DOI Deputy Secretary Steve Griles and Italia Federici dated openly for at least five years and no one in the press bothered to mention it when Griles and Federici testified during John McCain's hearings on national television.

FMArouet wrote on March 27, 2007 11:00 PM:

The GS pay scale for 2001, including locality pay for Washington, DC lists a GS-15 salary range between $87,864 for a Step 1 up to $114,224 for a Step 10.

It is hard to see how Monica could have legitimately qualified for any kind of subsidized loan with this kind of salary listed on her loan application.

Lots of dedicated civil servants toil for 20 or 30 years to get to GS-15. Not bad for someone like Monica with no experience to start out at that level.

Michael Stevens wrote on March 27, 2007 11:30 PM:

Perhaps she had a co-signer on the house note.

TheraP wrote on March 28, 2007 8:17 AM:

Logic alone says a co-signer would have made it less likely, not more, to qualify for a subsidized loan.

But in bushworld the handouts go to those who need them least.

Mrs. Panstreppon, I was wondering the same thing.... But who?

FMArouet wrote on March 28, 2007 9:29 AM:

As investigators try to unravel who did and said what when--and who is blaming whom--in the AG scandal, Slate's Paul Gottschling and Dahlia Lithwick have produced an excellent chart. Here is the link:

http://www.slate.com/id/2162775?nav=tap3

FMArouet wrote on March 28, 2007 9:50 AM:

Mrs. Panstreppon,

I had a look at the Virginia Housing Development Authority site. While the site reflects today's requirements, not whatever they were in 2002, it is possible that VHDA may have had a special mortgage product for which Monica could have qualified, even with her relatively high starting salary. One such product may have been the "Flex Alt Advantage" loan (if such was offered in 2002). Below is a link to an income level/loan amount page for today's market at VHDA

It looks to me as though this mortgage angle is turning out to be a dry hole, so it is probably best to direct energy in more promising directions .

http://www.vhda.com/vhda_com/Template_app.asp?VHDA_COM_PAGE_NAME=VHDAFederalTargetedAreaLimits

TheraP wrote on March 28, 2007 10:12 AM:

Yes - what happened between '99 and 2001? Where was she? Who did she meet?

working on the campaign or something?

The trail goes back further - maybe to law school.

The word is "sleep." Yes...

TheraP wrote on March 28, 2007 10:15 AM:

And now it's "desire."

TheraP wrote on March 28, 2007 10:17 AM:

"with" ?

This program has the answer!!!

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 28, 2007 10:41 AM:

Re Monica's mortgage

When I first ran the numbers through the VDHA, I used $140k salary which was too high. As FMArouet pointed out, a GS-15 salary in 2001 would range from $87,864 for a Step 1 up to $114,224 for a Step 10.

At $105k, Monica would have qualified for two types of VDHA loans offered. At $114k, she would have not qualified.

The mortgage issue is moot.

Back in a few with another court case with Monica's name on it.

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 28, 2007 11:44 AM:

Before I post the appeals case with Monica's name on it, let's look at the other three cases she was prosecuting.

Case #1
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA (Alexandria)

USA v. Doe
DEFENDANT: JANE DOE AKA: Sarah Jane Gibbins; Bintu Sesay

DOCKET NUMBER: 1:04cr422

RELATED CASE NUMBERS: Other Dkt # 1:04-m-00814

FILING DATE: 10/28/2004

JUDGE: Assigned to T. S. Ellis, III

FILING TYPE: Criminal

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY(S):
Monica Goodling [COR LD NTC]
United States Attorney's Office
2100 Jamieson Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
**NA** (703) 299-3700

DEFENDANT ATTORNEY(S):
Anne Michelle Chapman [COR LD NTC pda]
Office of the Federal Public Defender
1650 King St Suite 500
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 600-0800

Complaint:18:1543 18:1543.F 18:1543 False Use of Passport
1:04-m-814

Case #2
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
(Alexandria)

USA v. Atapaucar

DEFENDANT: HUGO ATAPAUCAR

DOCKET NUMBER: 1:04cr509

RELATED CASE NUMBERS: Other Dkt # 1:04-m-01050

FILING DATE: 12/23/2004

JUDGE: Assigned to James C. Cacheris

FILING TYPE: Criminal

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY(S):
Monica Goodling [COR LD NTC]
United States Attorney's Office
2100 Jamieson Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
**NA** (703) 299-3700

DEFENDANT ATTORNEY(S):
Suzanne Little [COR LD NTC pda]
Office of the Federal Public Defender
1650 King St Suite 500
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 600-0850 (703) 600-0800

Complaint: 18:1546(a) I-94 18:1546(a) Possession of Fraudulent I-94 Form
1:04-m-1050

Case #3
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
(Alexandria)

USA v. Austin

DEFENDANT: RONALD AUSTIN

DOCKET NUMBER: 1:05cr54

FILING DATE: 2/3/2005

JUDGE: Assigned to Leonie M. Brinkema

FILING TYPE: Criminal

PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY(S):
Monica Goodling [COR LD NTC]
United States Attorney's Office
2100 Jamieson Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
**NA** (703) 299-3700

Pending: 18:922(a)(6) 1: 10.17.03) 2: 12.12.03) 18:922A.F 18:922(a)(6) False Statements to a Licensed Federal Firearms Dealer (Ct. 1: 10.17.03) (Ct. 2: 12.12.03) (1-2)18:924(a)(1)(A) 3: 10.17.03) 4: 12.12.03) 18:924A.F 18:924(a)(1)(A) False Records in Gun Transactions (Ct. 3: 10.17.03) (Ct. 4: 12.12.03) (3-4) Offense Description/Level: Opening/4

The cases involved a fraudulent passport, a fraudulent immigration form and a violation of gun laws. Fairly ordinary, low level stuff, imo.

Two of the three defendants were represented by the federal public defender. We don't know who represented Ronald Austin because the case record is incomplete.

The Austin case was first filed on 12/23/04 so all three cases were initially filed between 10/28/05 and 12/23/05.

We don't know why Monica Goodling was prosecuting criminal cases while she was DOJ WH liason.

If, and I say if, she was prosecuting criminal cases to enhance her resume to support an appointment to a USA or even AUSA position, we are talking about the worst kind of corruption, a corrupt justice system.

No way could Monica Goodling lose any of these case if she was prosecuting them to enhance her credentials. The DOJ would want a 100% prosecution success rate to tout Goodling's qualifications.

You better believe those judges would be told which way to rule in those cases.

If, and again I say if, this is what happened, those three defendants never stood a chance in court. The outcomes were fixed and they were robbed of their legal rights.

I can't do it but someone has to follow up on the outcome of these cases and find out why Monica Goodling was prosecuting them.

There may be a perfectly legitimate reason why Goodling was prosecuting the three minor criminal cases but after what we have seen from the DOJ to date, there also may be a perfectly illegitimate reason.

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 28, 2007 11:47 AM:

Correction: All three of Goodling's cases were initially filed between 10/28/04 and 12/23/04.

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 28, 2007 12:36 PM:

We need someone to explain how appeals cases are handled. In the 9/28/05 case posted below, McNulty, Elston and Goodling are listed as counsel for the DOJ.

Presumably, McNulty, Elston and Goodling handled the original case but I don't know if it is usual for them to handle an appeals even though they are not attorneys with USA-EDVA's office anymore.

Given that McNulty, Elston and Goodling were involved and Michael Luttig was the judge, Douglas D. Washington never had a snowball's chance in hell of winning this one.

Also note that Washington was represented by the federal public defender's office.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, versus DOUGLAS D. WASHINGTON, Defendant - Apellant.

No. 04-5006

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

145 Fed. Appx. 446; 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 22410

September 28, 2005, Submitted
October 18, 2005, Decided

NOTICE: [**1] RULES OF THE FOURTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS MAY LIMIT CITATION TO UNPUBLISHED OPINIONS. PLEASE REFER TO THE RULES OF THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THIS CIRCUIT.

PRIOR HISTORY: Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria. T. S. Ellis, III, District Judge. (CR-04-396).

DISPOSITION: AFFIRMED.

COUNSEL: Frank W. Dunham, Jr., Federal Public Defender, Michael S. Nachmanoff, Meghan S. Skelton, Assistant Federal Public Defenders, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellant.

Paul J. McNulty, United States Attorney, Michael J. Elston, Assistant United States Attorney, Monica M. Goodling, Special Assistant United States Attorney, Alexandria, Virginia, for Appellee.

JUDGES: Before LUTTIG, KING, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.

OPINION: [*446] PER CURIAM:

Douglas D. Washington was convicted by a magistrate judge, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3401 (2000), of simple assault on a federal officer in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 111 (2000). He was sentenced to eighty days in prison followed by one
year of supervised release and a $ 500 fine. Following sentencing, Washington appealed the magistrate judge's ruling denying his motion for judgment of [**2]acquittal to the district court pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 58(g)(2), and the
district court affirmed. On appeal, Washington contends the district court erred in assessing the evidence of force and finding it sufficient to sustain his conviction. Finding no error, we affirm.

Under Fed. R. Crim. P. 58(g), on appeal from a conviction and/or sentence imposed by a magistrate judge, the "defendant is not entitled to a trial de novoby a district judge. The scope of the appeal is the same as in an appeal to the court of appeals [*447] from a judgment entered by a sistrict judge." Fed. R.Crim. P. 58(g)(2)(D). In determining whether sufficient evidence supports a
conviction, the appropriate inquiry is whether, taking the evidence in the light most favorable to the Government, any reasonable trier of fact could have found the Defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Glasser v. United States, 315
U.S. 60, 80, 86 L. Ed. 680, 62 S. Ct. 457 (1942). In bench trials, "the judge weighs the evidence, determines the credibility of the witnesses, and finds the facts ...[and] may [**3] select among conflicting inferences to be drawn from the testimony." United States v. Bales, 813 F.2d 1289, 1293 (4th Cir. 1987). The standard of review for sufficiency of the evidence is de novo. See United States v. Burgos, 94 F.3d 849, 862 (4th Cir. 1996) (en banc).

Our review of the record convinces us the district court properly assessed the evidence under a reasonable person standard, and there was sufficient evidence to support Washington's conviction. Accordingly, we affirm Washington's
conviction and sentence and the district court's order affirming the magistrate judge's decision. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before the court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

Dana W. Henderson wrote on March 28, 2007 3:01 PM:

What I don't understand is how she can "invoke the fifth" and keep her job. She has as much as admitted she did something illegal, and refuses to talk so she doesn't incriminate herself. If it was illegal, and she works for the Justice Department, she should be fired.

Jeanni Skipper wrote on March 28, 2007 11:25 PM:

I just finished reading some of her emails included in the document dump, and was puzzled when I read an email to her on 6/20/2006 (Subject: USATTY meeting) from Scott Jennings, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Political Director (via his gwb.com email addy). "I have a person from New Mexico coming to town this week. He is the President's nominee for the US Postal Board of Governors. He was heavily involved in the Presient's campaign's legal team. His name is Mickey Barnett, and he has requested a meeting at DOJ to discuss the USATTY situation there."

She replies "Sure -- I'm happy to do it if it involves sensitive issues." He responds "It is sensitive -- perhaps you should do it."

What credentials must she have earned to garner this level of trust from the WH? This and a few other emails to/from her struck me as way beyond her pay grade, and ultimately I went from initially believing she was a low-level fall guy/gal, to speculating whether she is much more entrenched (and corrupt) than meets the eye.

Maybe tomorrow will reveal more. There was a lot of correspondence between her and Kyle Sampson, too.

anon ex-doj wrote on March 28, 2007 11:26 PM:

FYI on the stint in the Alexandria U.S. Atty's office: The USAO in Alexandria has a well-established program where it takes in "Special Asst. U.S. Atty's" for six months to do routine criminal cases that are pretty perfunctory, such as minor drug possession, immigration, or weapons cases, or even things as seemingly trivial as speeding on a federal road (like the G.W. Parkway). The idea is to give folks at DOJ who don't usually go to trial an opportunity to get courtroom experience, and allow the career folks in the office the chance to spend time on the more serious matters. This isn't limited to political-appointee-level folks, since folks from all sorts of parts of DOJ take part, so I wouldn't read much into it. If a case was appealed, she'd probably still be listed as an attorney of record as a matter of office procedure.

Mrs Panstreppon wrote on March 29, 2007 12:33 AM:

anon ex-doj@March 28, 2007 11:26 PM

One case was an appeal so I could understand why Goodling's name was on the case. But the three criminal cases she prosecuted between 10/28/04 and 12/23/04 were new cases. Again, why was a high-level DOJ official prosecuting rinky-dink cases?

Goodling's resume circa 12/96:

EDUCATION

1997 - REGENT UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL(S) OF LAW AND GOVERNMENT
Joint Degree Candidate for Juris Doctor and a Masters of Public Policy

1996 - UNIVERSITY OF PARIS/ UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF LAW
Completed the Institute of International and Comparative Law in Paris, France

1996 - AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW
Completed the first year of a Juris Doctor program in the top 20% of the class

1995 - MESSIAH COLLEGE
Graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications
Minors: Political Science & Chemistry

1988 - DALE CARNEGIE & ASSOCIATES
Graduated from the Dale Carnegie Course in Effective Speaking and Human Relations

LEADERSHIP & WORK EXPERIENCE

1994-1995 - PRESIDENT, MESSIAH COLLEGE STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Served as the chief executive officer of the student government association, which entailed organizing and overseeing 80 clubs, organizations, and groups; helping develop and execute the $250,000 budget; and representing students before the board of trustees, administration, faculty, and staff.

1992-1994 - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, MESSIAH COLLEGE YEARBOOK
Served as editor for two years, developing leadership and managerial abilities through the development and supervision of a 320 page publication and $54,000 budget; negotiations with publishing and photography companies; and recruitment, training and directing a fifty person staff.

1991-1997 - SELECTED COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS AT VARIOUS SCHOOLS
Institutional Planning
Finance
President's Cabinet
President's Inauguration (Chair of two committees, member of a third)
Student Association Executive Cabinet and Council (Chair of both)
Senator and Class officer
Homecoming Registration & Hospitality (Cochair), Parade (Chair), and Court (Chair)
Family Weekend Planning Committee and Staff
Fall Welcome Weekend
Dorm Council
Special Olympics
Spring Break Service Projects (Treasurer)
Representative three years, National Student Leadership Conference on Faith & Values (Wash., D.C.)
Representative two years, National Student Leadership Conference at Taylor University (Indiana)
Representative, Conservative Leadership Conference (Wash., D.C.)
American Bar Association Volunteer Work a Day
Political Foundation

1995 SUMMER - HARRISBURG HOLIDAY INN CONFERENCE CENTER AND HOTEL
Worked in Guest Services at the Front Desk.

1995, 1994, 1993 SUMMERS - WEST SHORE COUNTRY CLUB
Organized and coached a 110 person swimming team of children ranging in ages from four to seventeen, while also teaching private lessons and lifeguarding.

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