Comments (31)

Anonymous wrote on March 29, 2007 12:13 PM:

We know from the Plame case that John Ashcroft was regularly receiving updates on that investigation until he recused himself.

The reason for the updates? Because it was "standard practice" for the DOJ to update management/leadership on "major developments" in cases.

I think that Lam's impending actions of delivering subpoenas/indictments to the CIA and Brett Wilkes would have been a "major development" that DOJ leadership would have been appraised of.

Sampson is obfuscating.

Richard L. Adlof wrote on March 29, 2007 12:18 PM:

The problem was she was doing fer job . . . Hey! Yeah! That's performance related . . .

Score one for the fascist plutocracy.

Jason wrote on March 29, 2007 12:18 PM:

Trust but verify. Who said that? Does what any Republicon say jive with the written record? Republicon's take everything a Republicon says at face value EVEN THOUGH the written record contradicts EVERYTHING they say. Bush or anyone in his cabal CANNOT be taken at face value. The swaggering SOBs must be held to account. Only the Democratic congress can do that. Republicons won't.

amm2000 wrote on March 29, 2007 12:22 PM:

Unrelated question:

we are all familiar with those who supported the war and now regret their mistake. Has there been a story about those who opposed the war before and now turn to supporting it? I doubt there are many. But it may be worth investigating, I think.

EH wrote on March 29, 2007 12:32 PM:

amm2000: Go ahead. Let us know what you come up with.

Sampson leaves a couple doors to drive through in his response here, not the least of which are, "there was never any connection *in my mind* between ..." and that immigration was not the sole reason for Lam's dismissal.

Steve H. wrote on March 29, 2007 12:35 PM:

Has anyone asked Sampson if he was aware, on May 11, that Lam had issued the subpoenas the preceding day?

Or, has anyone asked why Lam's treatment of immigration issues was a "real problem" on May 11, as opposed to any other day?

John Latimer wrote on March 29, 2007 12:48 PM:

Is it just me or does this Sampson guy look like George Costanza?

davis¹³ wrote on March 29, 2007 12:50 PM:

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Ben wrote on March 29, 2007 12:54 PM:

Things get too "inside baseball" for the average citizen to be able to follow in these Washington scandals.

Two simple facts need to be driven home again and again: (1) Arlen Spector slipped a change into the Patriot Act that allowed the Bush administration to replace US Attorneys without oversight. (2) All the US Attorneys are Republicans, so no one can claim this is a partisan witch hunt.

r€nato wrote on March 29, 2007 1:10 PM:

what the hell is an ad for Ann Coulter doing on TPM?

(I clicked on the link just to waste their clickthrough money - I suggest everyone else do the same)

daCascadian wrote on March 29, 2007 1:14 PM:

MUCH MUCH bigger than Watergate

Bet on it.

"...Churches have given us great treasures. Whether that pays for the harm they have done is another matter." - Daniel C. Dennett

party-of-one wrote on March 29, 2007 1:34 PM:

For Bushies, the "truth" is whatever you can make someone believe. They try it and if it doesn't fly they spin another answer. I hope they have now hit the wall of true accountability and Democrats in Congress will fry them on their bogus statements and continual revisions.

JT wrote on March 29, 2007 1:49 PM:

Have agree with daCascadian. Watergate was a warm-up act. This is the drum solo and pyrotechnics display.

Someone had better go to jail over this. Corruption of law enforcement for political purposes is a very, very serious issue.

It's The Rule Of Law. Repeat this statement as needed.

Coyoteville wrote on March 29, 2007 2:07 PM:

Ya think former USA Lam might have had something to do w/ this prosecution?

"SAN DIEGO -- Sentencing was scheduled Monday for a former Customs and Border Protection officer who admitted allowing hundreds of illegal immigrants to be smuggled through his inspection lane in return for cash and gifts."

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/11385071/detail.html?subid=10101581

Mark F. wrote on March 29, 2007 6:45 PM:

So Carol Lam is working on a major public corruption case, making great headway in putting corrupt Republican officials in jail. Next, she issues search and seizure warrants for another Republican figure, and it's looking like she may be onto something that could seriously damage people high up in the Republican party.

Meanwhile, Justice has decided that these cases aren't at all important, but the fact that she's not prosecuting enough immigration cases IS. So let's just have her drop this unimportant corruption stuff and get someone in there who can focus on more important matters.

And we're supposed to buy this crap? This truly is worse than Watergate. Heads--big, fat, bald Baby Huey-lookin' Texas heads--are gonna roll...

My favorite statement was when Sampson said, "There was never any connection in my mind." There might have been a connection, but it wasn't in his mind. It was somewhere else.

wnsrfr wrote on March 29, 2007 8:41 PM:

This testimony is more about not knowing than knowing. It is truly damning, but by the very LACK of information, the damnation is subtle...but damnation is absolute no matter how subtle.

The proposition that these firings would proceed with so little documentation, verification or true deliberation at the highest levels is to any thinking adult, absurd. Particularly if you have ever operated in any organization larger than, say, one person.

The big question is how to find the black hole here. We are all good at spotting a burning sun, but it is the black hole that is hard to detect, and this entire testimony and the comments by all at the DOJ is just one big black hole of both information and intelligence. It has been sucked away, leaving a void that of itself is evidence of a very basic corruption of our country's legal and moral standard.

31 Tudor wrote on March 29, 2007 9:35 PM:

Does ANYBODY believe Sampson? This is ridiculous!

Frank wrote on March 30, 2007 10:52 AM:

The operative words from Simpson are "in my mind"...Facts mean nothing; it is the mind that tells the tale. Is it any wonder that he is a practicing Morman??? Faith my boy, faith...

Ms. Daisy wrote on March 30, 2007 12:04 PM:

What is the deal with Specter? Didn't someone on HIS staff slip into the Patriot Act the line about no Senate confirmation required for interim federal Prosecuting Attorneys? So why is he all hot and bothered? He's just a slimeball--I don't get it!

John Harvey wrote on March 30, 2007 12:07 PM:

John Latimer said, "Is it just me or does this Sampson guy look like George Costanza?" I was trying to think who he looked like. Never having been a big fan of Steinfeld, George did not come to mind. But since you mention it that is who he looks like. Moreover, everything he said was on about the same level as Steinfeld--totally meaningless drivel.

Mike Valentine wrote on March 31, 2007 12:52 AM:

another impressive Bushie, where do they find the rats? Around the cheese.

Brett Wilkes wrote on April 24, 2007 7:18 PM:

Idiots. All of you.

You'd think a bunch of left-wing conspiracy theorists would know better than to beleive everything the see on TV or read in the newspaper.

The truth is out there...but you putzes are never gonna find it.

Oh, and why are you pulling my name into this?

Brett Wilkes wrote on April 24, 2007 7:18 PM:

Idiots. All of you.

You'd think a bunch of left-wing conspiracy theorists would know better than to believe everything they see on TV or read in the newspaper. The truth is out there...but you putzes are never gonna find it.

Oh, and why are you pulling my name into this?

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Hey, how about one more...

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