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Newsweek: Agency to Investigate Iglesias Firing
It's almost too perfect.
When Justice Department official William Moschella was asked why the Department had fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, he told Congress that “Iglesias had delegated to his first assistant the overall running of the office. And, quite frankly, U.S. attorneys are hired to run the office.” Internal documents from the time show officials planning to accuse Iglesias of being an "absentee landlord" to justify his firing.
Iglesias did, in fact, leave the office for 45 days each year. But that's because he's a a captain in the Navy Reserve -- something that was no secret to his superiors.
So now the Office of Special Counsel is investigating whether Iglesias was wrongfully terminated due to his reserve duty, Newsweek reports. It is against the law for employers to discriminate against members of the U.S. military.
Now, as Kyle Sampson admitted last week, there was no real performance reason to fire Iglesias. And in fact, it's indisputable at this point that Iglesias was actually fired because he didn't indict enough Democrats.* So the "absentee landlord" line was just a cover story -- but one that seems to have gotten them into some trouble now.
It's not the first time that one of the phony justifications has backfired for the Justice Department. When Karl Rove's former aide Tim Griffin replaced Bud Cummins as the U.S. attorney in eastern Arkansas, a Justice Department spokesman told the press and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) that Griffin had been installed as the U.S. attorney instead of Cummins' first assistant because she was on maternity leave at the time.
Of course, Justice Department officials had been scheming for almost six months to install Griffin when he was finally appointed last December, so the maternity excuse was a lie. But as Pryor later pointed out, it's against the law for employers to discriminate against women on the basis of a pregnancy -- something well known at the Justice Department, of course.
*Update: To answer the reader question below as to whether this claim goes too far.... The only reason Kyle Sampson could offer in his testimony last week for Iglesias' firing was a complaint from Karl Rove about Iglesias' performance on voter fraud cases. Since Iglesias was lauded by the department for his voter fraud task force, there can be no doubt that his office vigorously investigated the issue. What his office didn't do, however, was indict Democrats -- much to the chagrin of several prominent New Mexico Republicans, who subsequently complained to the White House about Iglesias' failure to deliver.
Now, prominent Republicans (like Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)) were also upset about Iglesias' failure to indict a state Democrat on corruption charges. But whether that was the reason for Iglesias' firing or it was the voter fraud issue, or both -- it all amounts to the same thing: he was fired for not indicting Democrats.
Comments (80)
Citizen 92 wrote on April 4, 2007 5:01 PM:OH THE IRONY!
Griffin himself is a reservist in the JAG corps.
So they were prepared to terminate Iglesias (illegally) for his military commitments, but then bring on Griffin who could possibly fall into the same category if he was called up?
Were they going to fire Griffin too at some point?
Orwell's Intuition wrote on April 4, 2007 5:04 PM:Iglesisas just looks more and more sterling as this debacle goes on. Now America knows that Rove had a hand in discriminating against our troops. Oy!
Citizen 92 wrote on April 4, 2007 5:04 PM:Don't overlook the possibility of additional bad blood between Tim Griffin and Senator Pryor.
Griffin was the campaign manager for 1998 Arkansas Attorney General candidate Betty Dickey. Her opponent? Pryor.
Pryor won that race.
Griffin as an opposition researcher would have both a long memory and probably a grudge. There's gotta be a personal angle rolled into this whole mess too.
oh my wrote on April 4, 2007 5:04 PM:Isn't anybody else frightened by the incompetence of those who represent us?
EH wrote on April 4, 2007 5:06 PM:Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
Chief wrote on April 4, 2007 5:07 PM:Hmmmm!!!
Jersey Blue wrote on April 4, 2007 5:07 PM:The only problem I see with this is that by setting forth a discriminatory reason for the firing of Iglesias and the appointment of Griffin, the cronies in Justice end up covering up the true political motives for the terminations.
Security word: "bent" . . . as in get bent!
Brianm0122 wrote on April 4, 2007 5:07 PM:Some way to
"Support the troops"!!
Ian wrote on April 4, 2007 5:09 PM:Why hasn't Griffin been brought for confirmation to the Senate? Is he still the USA in Arkansas?
Frederick wrote on April 4, 2007 5:10 PM:You got to hate it when a good lie go's bad. Gonzales
Beth wrote on April 4, 2007 5:11 PM:screwed up the Justice Dept. sooo bad they don't even
realize it's going to come back and bite them in the ass.
I swear on the graves of my grandparents that I'm calling in sick the day of Monica Goodling's testimony. I want to see her have some sort of nervous breakdown on the teevee.
oldtree wrote on April 4, 2007 5:15 PM:can we help david geffen and zell get together for the LA TIMES?
earlofhuntingdon wrote on April 4, 2007 5:19 PM:we might be able to get someone to print the real news, on paper, online, and if we are lucky, replace what was CNN on teevee.
How Rovian. The "absentee landlord" allegation does accurately describe Kevin Ryan - the one USA among these eight to be properly fired for incompetence.
Ryan, in SFO, left much of the running of his office to the proverbial assistant principal from hell, swat paddle and all. Reportedly, a federal district judge was so appalled at his performance that s/he threatened to out Ryan with Congress if DOJ failed to fire him. That took place in Nov. 2006.
Mark wrote on April 4, 2007 5:19 PM:How are our brave troops, who selflessly volunteer to serve and defend America, able to do so when The Bush Whitehouse is willing to break The law and take away their jobs?
Why doesn't the Bush Whitehouse support our troops and the families they leave behind?
Explosive Logorrhea wrote on April 4, 2007 5:21 PM:I'm with Jersey Blue. How do we know this new DOJ investigation is in good faith? Who pushed for it, who authorized it?
Nosey noses wanna know.
[Security code: Clean. I love security codes with built-in snark.]
Pinson wrote on April 4, 2007 5:22 PM:Ian - Griffin is still the USA in Arkansas, though for how much longer... who knows. Like a lot of justice dept. employees, he's not having a lot of good times lately. The New Yorker had a short piece on his last week. Quote:
Ralph Kramden wrote on April 4, 2007 5:23 PM:“It’s no fun being me right now,” he said over his cell phone from Arkansas
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2007/03/26/070326ta_talk_mayer
"it's indisputable at this point that Iglesias was actually fired because he didn't indict enough Democrats"
Do we really know enough to say this at this point? It's a leading suspicion, sure, and it has become nearly dogma for some. But do we have any actual evidence or actual sworn testimony for this?
(security code "moon", as in "To the moon, Alice!")
Vulture Breath wrote on April 4, 2007 5:26 PM:It's hard to figure out who hates the troops most: the bureaucracy and brass at Walter Reed, the DOJ, or the White House. Am I forgetting anyone? Oh yeah, the Pentagon.
Re discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, we know that would be A-OK with Monica Goodling because she posted a paper about it on her Regent University webpage. Quote:
"A "HOT POTATO" BABY
In addition to the contributing factors of attitude changes, divorce, single parent homes, and fatherlessness, one other factor contributes
gcs wrote on April 4, 2007 5:26 PM:to the devaluation of America's children. That is the increasing number of married women who leave the role of being a full-time mom in order
to contribute to the Gross National Product."
There's one good thing, albiet small, to come out of all the scandals that are starting to overwhelm this administration - even the wing nuts haven't bothered to blame Clinton for the mess Bush is in. I suppose even they sense that people will finally see that lie for the red herring it always was.
jt wrote on April 4, 2007 5:29 PM:You would think that by now, any DOJ official should just keep their mouths shut when asked questions about the attorney purge. Every time an excuse -ANY EXCUSE - is offered, it is almost immediately identified and proved to be a lie.
I almost feel sorry for them.............almost
Uncle Don wrote on April 4, 2007 5:30 PM:Iglesias was fired at the urging of Pete Domenici and Heather Wilson, both Republicans from New Mexico, because he refused to go forward with corruption indictments of Democrats before last November's election. Wilson barely won re-election over New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid (less than 1,000 votes) and an indicment of a top state Democratic officeholder two weeks before November 7th was believed to have been a boost for Wilson's chances for re-election.
Senator Domenici called Attorney General Alberto Gonzales THREE TIMES to complain about Iglesias and to urge his termination, despite a close earlier relationship between Iglesias and Domenici.
When both Domenici and Wilson called Iglesias, the U. S. Attorney for New Mexico said he felt that he was being "pressured" by these officeholders -- and that could be construed as interference with an ongoing federal investigation.
Jean wrote on April 4, 2007 5:38 PM:Lick Bush.
Worst.
President.
EVER!
Heaven help us.
Mary wrote on April 4, 2007 5:39 PM:When pressed re: Iglesias, Sampson said Margolis had complained that Iglesias and IIRC Sampson said that was a complaint about Iglesias delegating too much to his first assistant.
So I'm guessing that they are cleaving to that - Margolis is career DOJ and they think that helps to "cleanse" them.
I'm sure it has nothing to do with a first assistant who, according to Iglesias, has been dissing the political overtones.
******"I'd heard that things had gotten more political under Bush from career people in Justice. My first assistant has been around since the Carter administration, and he told me that he's never seen anything like this, that politics historically don't play any role in our prosecutive decision-making. But I don't have a really good baseline since I was only there for this administration."********
http://men.style.com/gq/blogs/gqeditors/politics/index.html
Vulture Breath wrote on April 4, 2007 5:44 PM:"Why hasn't Griffin been brought for confirmation to the Senate" - he has requested that he not be nominated for confirmation bc apparently he thinks someone might ask him a mean question. Yes he is still USA and I don't know how the Bill passed by the Senate to undo the AG's appointment powers addresses the situation of those already appointed, like Griffin.
Hi Mary.
gjdodger wrote on April 4, 2007 5:44 PM:"oh my"--I am getting madder and madder every time I see somebody chalk up the Administration's misadventures to "incompetence." They are only incompetent in the sense they've brought in cronies and members of their inner ring to conduct business for which they have no aptitude, much as a Mafia boss might designate his chief lieutenants to tasks which they cannot capably perform. This is wrongdoing, plain and simple, and the more light is shed on it, the more fearful and obstreperous they become. They will not lose their mandate for their lack of skills; they will lose it because they are venal.
Code word: "Bent". Just like this administration.
Arkansan wrote on April 4, 2007 5:51 PM:"Why hasn't Griffin been brought for confirmation to the Senate? Is he still the USA in Arkansas?"
One reason is because his resume is fiction. His credentials don't approach his claims, which make his confirmation impossible under the best of circumstances.
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/040307b.html
"Military Lawyer
Griffin’s brief White House service was interrupted in September 2005 when he reported for active duty as an attorney at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. It was there where Griffin claimed to put significant prosecutorial experience under his belt.
Griffin’s Web site states that “At Fort Campbell, he prosecuted 40 criminal cases. One of those, U.S. v. Mikel drew national interest after Private Mikel attempted to murder his platoon sergeant and fired upon his unit’s early morning formation. Private Mikel pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.”
When I asked the Army to identify the cases prosecuted by Griffin at Ft. Campbell, the Army’s public relations office replied, “According to our SJA [Staff Judge Advocate] office, Major Griffin was involved in these three cases (guilty pleas before a military judge alone) as an assistant trial counsel at Ft. Campbell, US vs. Hurst, vs. Mikel, and vs. Edwards.”
Then, after a tour of about three months as an Army lawyer in Iraq, Griffin returned to the United States where the White House offered him the job as U.S. Attorney in Little Rock. Over the preceding two years, White House and Justice Department officials had collaborated to create the vacancy by ousting Griffin’s old boss, U.S. Attorney Cummins."
-----
CarolSoprano wrote on April 4, 2007 5:53 PM:The whole article is well worth a read. It's jaw-dropping.
I just had to post because of the Security Code:
Crime
Isn't that awesome? I'm with Beth - I'm definitely parking my butt in front of the TV the day of Goodling's testimony (not to mention Gonzalez's). These are happy days for those of us who have been screaming for oversight for the past 6 years!
J3 wrote on April 4, 2007 5:54 PM:Questions to ask those plying the "incompetence" excuse:
When did you realize you were incompetent?
If you realized you were incompetent, and in an important position, did you inform any of your superiors of your incompetence? If so whom and how did they respond?
Incompetence is not a free pass.
draftedin68 wrote on April 4, 2007 5:55 PM:.
Out of the manure spreader...
... into the bullshit.
.
OhSnap! wrote on April 4, 2007 5:56 PM:This is beyond awesome-o! These Bu$hCo cronies, hacks, etc. were so used to their "Rubber Stamp" Congress that they have not been keeping a CYA file this entire time. These so-called attorneys should understand the importance the CYA file/drawer/storage unit. And yet, now that those big, ol' meanies up on Capitol Hill are questioning their author-i-tay (yell it like Cartman), they are beside themselves.
Their lies are so lame that former GOP-Rubber Stampers don't even belive AbuG was being truthful...
This feels like a script from a bad/screwball movie or TV show.
almcq wrote on April 4, 2007 6:01 PM:I agree it is not indisputable Iglesius was fired for not indicting enough democrats. It appears he was fired for not indicting democrats in a specific case before November's election. Sampson's testimony concerning Iglesius' appearance on the list was highly entertaining, much as The Castle is.
Vulture Breath wrote on April 4, 2007 6:01 PM:"Kevin Ryan, who led the U.S. Attorney office in San Francisco, announced this morning that he’s joining Allen Matkins Leck Gamble & Natsis as a partner....
Here’s an unconventional quote from Allen Matkins’s press release from Joe Cotchett, a noted California trial lawyer who doesn’t work at Allen Matkins: “Allen Matkins and frankly any firm is very lucky to have Kevin. He is a guy who calls balls and strikes and is an excellent lawyer. I think the former is why he is no longer US Attorney. Kevin brings excellent street skills to the practice of law.” "
(WSJ law blog)
gloria wrote on April 4, 2007 6:02 PM:I notice that Ann Coulter, on her website, says Randy Duke Cunningham is an american hero. What a shame he was treated so badly by these DOJ renegades!
xoxo wrote on April 4, 2007 6:05 PM:How soon they forget:
Office of Special Counsel is headed up by the infamous Scott Bloch. A little refresher is at http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001498.php
Translation: Don't hold your breath waiting for OSC to find wrongdoing.
anonymous wrote on April 4, 2007 6:06 PM:I love these guys. They're so corrupt that discrimination against women because they're pregnant or discrimination against service members because they are serving would actually be a step up!
Adrian C wrote on April 4, 2007 6:09 PM:The Justice Department is giving lawyers a bad name?
Where is the Bar Association when you need one?
Security code : school, as in back to Law ..
Anonymous wrote on April 4, 2007 6:31 PM:You know of course that there is going to be a coverup of this coverup, which will end up sending some more of these ( bent )lawyers to jail.
Anonymous wrote on April 4, 2007 6:34 PM:The fact that the Bush Administration has NEVER played up Griffin's military credentials is a clear indicator that the credentials are questionable, if bonna fide at all.
Jim Houston wrote on April 4, 2007 6:39 PM:Translation: Don't hold your breath waiting for OSC to find wrongdoing.
yeah,We need a special prosecutor.
otob wrote on April 4, 2007 6:42 PM:So just off the cuff - Griffin got a few months of prosecutorial practice, just like Goodling? Both seem to have participated in about 3 cases each.
Sounds like a summer intern program for 2L's.
Anonymous wrote on April 4, 2007 6:49 PM:The point about Griffin's imaginative resume is excellent. His undergraduate school was local, his law school regional. He implies he was admitted into an University of Oxford degree progam; he was really admitted as a visiting student for a one-year non-degree program, which can be accomplished with much lower credentials.
He softens his RNC work, especially his time in Florida, where he had two money quotes: "On My Command, Unleash Hell [on Al Gore]" an unacknowledged quote from General Maxiumus in Gladiator. And his quote about making bullets for Democrats (sorry, haven't got the text).
He implies a lot of Army experience, but only a few months of it was full time. His rank of "major", consequently, seems odd. His many decorations also seemed odd, until it was clear that he "earned" most of them after having already worked for Karl.
His only real qualification for US Attorney is that Karl wanted him to have it. Why? What do you think?
Youffraita wrote on April 4, 2007 7:01 PM:Agreed: Iglesias' firing reeks of corruption. But don't forget Carol Lam: She'd already indicted two Guppies and was going after more. And (according to NY and LA Times), fully half of her office was devoted to illegal immigration: the ostensible reason for her firing. Again, the only logical conclusion is she was stopped to save Dusty Foggo et al., no matter what that weasel testified last week.
SLOUCH wrote on April 4, 2007 7:08 PM:That "absentee landlord" crap is possibly the biggest irony I've ever seen,
I'd wager a month's pay that there's no bigger "absentee landlord" in all of the DOJ than MT's USA William Mercer. Yeah, THAT William Mercer, the one who told Charlton and Bogden they needed to resign so political hacks could build their resumes. He's been so busy firing USA's to make room for people to "touch base" that MTs judges have been begging Justice to replace him.
So while he was yukking it up about Carol Lam's inability to "meet a deadline," he was simultaneously getting tore up by a fed judge here for his very obvious "performance issues:"
-"Your lawyers are not getting their briefs in on time," (Chief U.S. District Judge Don) Molloy said. "You're in Washington, D.C., and you ought to be here in Montana doing your work. Your office is a mess."
-snip-
-"I have a very significant concern about how the U.S. attorney's office has handled this," Molloy said. "You have no credibility," he said. "None."-
So why is this joker still standing in the way of those needy "loyal Bushies" that need to touch base? Because his Associate Attorney General slot needs SENATE CONFIRMATION, something he's been working without since last September.
Did you get that? Mercer, who's been a major part of this entire scheme, and who actually wielded the hatchet in at least two cases, really has no legitimate authority in that capacity.
Heckuva job, folks. Heckuva job.
secret code = step, as in STEP THE HELL DOWN!
cal wrote on April 4, 2007 7:11 PM:Excellent. This is who the neocons are driving away from the Republican party - active duty military in the Navy Reserve.
Heckuva job, Dubya!
John Snyder wrote on April 4, 2007 7:15 PM:Reminds me of my favorite deposition story. It was a discrimination lawsuit concerning alleged wrongful termination, and the lawyer for the plaintiff was deposing the plaintiff's former boss.
After getting through all the preliminaries, the plaintiff's lawyer asked the million dollar question: "It's true sir, is it not, that you fired Ms. Jones because she's black."
To which the former boss replied indignantly, "Most certainly not! I fired her because she was old."
Jack wrote on April 4, 2007 7:40 PM:For whatever reason, I think Domenici got Iglesias fired.
I believe he is the one that sent Mickey Barnett, along with Patrick Rogers, to meet with Goodling (at Jennings request).
Did anybody else notice that Domenici subsequently recommended Patrick Rogers for the USA slot?
Swan wrote on April 4, 2007 7:54 PM:There is a great post on The Carpetbagger Report from a few days ago about the mainstream media's (specifically Time magazine's) ignoring the prosecutor purge scandal.
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/10367.html
What explains the failure of the mainstream media to cover the purge scandal for so long, and so many other scandals? Do you think somebody just set up newspaper editors to cheat on their wives, and threatened to tell if the editors wouldn’t play ball when they come back some day and ask for something?
It wouldn’t be that hard to do, when you think about it. People wouldn’t talk about it.
foggylady wrote on April 4, 2007 8:04 PM:Pinson's link to the New Yorker on Griffin also includes this gem:
marblex wrote on April 4, 2007 8:47 PM:"On the phone, Griffin suggested that his experience with the media would be an asset in his new job. “A lot of what I do is communications,” he said. “It’s no different than in the campaign.”
Oh...I was wondering what a USA did.......
uhm
the right wing OWNS the media, as well as several defense contractors... NBC anyone?
GE .. bringin' good things to life...
Like Death
That's why jounralism has been replaced by stenography and propaganda
the MSM is complicit
vox clamantis in red state wrote on April 4, 2007 8:55 PM:If Congress can set a timeline for withdrawal of funding of the war, is there a way to withdraw funding of the Justice Dept, maybe the presnitcy?
vox clamantis in red state wrote on April 4, 2007 8:56 PM:POWER TO THE PURSE!
If Congress can set a timeline for withdrawal of funding of the war, is there a way to withdraw funding of the Justice Dept, maybe the presnitcy?
the truth will out wrote on April 4, 2007 9:46 PM:POWER TO THE PURSE!
Absentee landlords:
bush in the white house
AG at DoJ
Robin Boerner wrote on April 4, 2007 9:56 PM:I find this very interesting since I received just today a letter from Barb Bracy of the Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in DC claiming the reason the DOJ has not done an investigation of the US Army for Civil Rights violations of my fiance John R. Mitchell is that "the Departmant does not serve as reviewing authority of other Federal or State agencies".
So, is the U.S. Navy going to cooperate when the US Army clearly does not? Is the OSC over the DOJ decisions? According to their website:
"The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency. Our basic authorities come from three federal statutes, the Civil Service Reform Act, the Whistleblower Protection Act, and the Hatch Act."
Two years ago the OSC claimed not to have jurisdiction over the US Army in John's case, that each federal agency could only review itself. Has the law changed in two years?
Of course Ms. Bracy's letter today ignores one little detail. Even if the agency was incapable of being held accountabe by another, individuals in that agency found to have violated Civil Rights of another could be charged criminally with those offenses.
Judge John Sedwick has set a hearing for oral arguments April 20th in John Mitchell vs. United States of America Case No 3:06-cv-00264-JWS in Anchorage, Alaska. Patriot Act US Attorney Nelson Cohen's district. I'd love to hear his answer.
Al in Austex wrote on April 4, 2007 10:07 PM:Remember please that USA Iglesias called his firing a political fragging.That must mean that otherwise team playing /team building regular Republican employees all across the Foggy Bottom infrastructure are getting madder & madder at the miscreant NeoCons, Whose to say how many of the rank & file career employees have not ben steadily ratting out Bush Co. When the final chapter is written on the ridding our government of the NeoCons-much of that undoing will be credited to the Careerist who defended Our Republic . ( Think Colin Powell's INR XO ,Mr. Wilkinson )
HarpboyAK wrote on April 4, 2007 11:07 PM:And don't forget who & how much the Dukester , Ney , Griles, & Abramoff may have already given up on the BushCo Rico activities to "ongoing investigations ".
I am going to go get some microwave Popcorn this is gonna be real fun to watch .Civics 101.
The attack ads against him bought by the wingnut car dealer in Roswell accused him of taking "junkets at taxpayer expense" --- a smear of his annual trips to serve his obligatory reserve service.
WHY are they attacking someone who has resigned the office?
Richard L. Adlof wrote on April 4, 2007 11:22 PM:oh my,
There is no imcompetence here. The Bush 43 Adminstration is intentionally attempting to destroy the US government to the benefit of their fascist plutocratic idealism and the ability of the top one percent of the top one percent to rend as many monetary units from America' decaying hulk.
Wow! I sound really disillusioned.
Scott L wrote on April 4, 2007 11:52 PM:Secret courts - handpicked judges - new and improved DOJ - National Police ( Homeland Security). Welcome to the American Banana Republic
info junkie wrote on April 5, 2007 12:33 AM:Has anyone here discussed that former USA Todd Graves was (probably?) one of the redacted attorneys targeted but who were allowed to leave? There are several different scandal possibilities that he could have been working on.
http://www.firedupmissouri.com/graves_forced_out
djcrow22 wrote on April 5, 2007 1:03 AM:As to the "why" regarding firing these USA's? Josh opined on this a couple weeks back. Rove needs loyal "Bushies" in the USA slots for taking down democrats in 2008. Just as Iglesias refused to do, the new appointees are expected to bring frivolous charges against dems to hurt their chances of election. Tim Griffin is a perfect example. We know he was a "bulletman" for opposition research in 2004(with Monica Goodling)His job is to stir up has much trouble against Clinton and whoever else in Arkansas in '08. McKay,Iglesias,Charlton,Bogden and Cummings would not bend to pressure. Fired. Lam was all over corrupt Republicans. Fired. Ryan was incompetent and Chiara had problems as well, good cover to fire SOMEONE for "poor performance." What does this say for the other 85 USA's? They must be willing to tow the line,which is what Karl needs to have some chance at winning in 2008.
Jim wrote on April 5, 2007 4:41 AM:An article in The Hill on Sampson's testimony indicates that one of the prosecutors the Bush administration thought about pushing out was the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.
I can't help noticing that this seems to go along rather well with a pattern of attorney replacements:
North Carolina - Edwards
Arkansas - Clinton
New Mexico - Richardson
Arizona - McCain
Michigan - Romney
You could also add:
Nevada - Reid
San Francisco - Pelosi
Maybe this is just a late-night conspiracy theory, but it does seem as though The Replacements might have been appointed with a view towards making life miserable (even if only in a low-level, gadflyish way) for many of the presidential frontrunners* and also Bush's chief Congressional opponents.
I assume New York (i.e., Giuliani) couldn't be on the list because even the Bush administration couldn't get away with putting a hack in charge of that office. And ironically, I suppose Obama was also off the hook because getting rid of Fitzgerald would have reeked too much of politics.
(*Why would Bush want to have minions in the backyards of his own party's frontrunners'? Perhaps because he wanted to make sure none of them stray too close to attacking the Commander-in-Chief; the knowledge that a loyal Bushie prosecutor is working away in their home state, with potential access to all sorts of records/skeletons in the closet, might be an incentive for them to abide by the Republicans' 11th Commandment. Along those lines, I would note that though the Bush administration's Michigan appointee is in Grand Rapids-- i.e. the state's Western District-- I would assume that his/her access to state records would encompass Detroit-- the state's Eastern District-- where Romney grew up.)
the truth will out wrote on April 5, 2007 8:46 AM:Nice theory Jim @ 4:41.
It would fit with the idea of putting bushies without experience into 6 month internships - where they are paid (by us!) to really do opposition research. Of course for that to happen, you need people at the top who go along with it.
Just another angle.
Word is "polish" - and I'm polishing your theory.
Aquaria wrote on April 5, 2007 10:02 AM:North Carolina - Edwards
Arkansas - Clinton
New Mexico - Richardson
Arizona - McCain
Michigan - Romney
Uh... Romney is from Massachusetts.
Otherwise, yeah, it is interesting where these purged AGs were serving.
Woodhall Hollow wrote on April 5, 2007 10:08 AM:Isn't Romney originally from Michigan. I know he is not a MA native.
code word is "sheep" -- Goodling is a lamb being led to the slaughter.
Which leads to a question I have. If she tries to invoke the 5th wrt questions that have nothing to do with her (ie, what was Kyle Sampson's role in the compiling of the list, and can you describe what you know about the process he used?) can she be cited and possibly jailed for contempt of congress?
certainot wrote on April 5, 2007 10:19 AM:any investigation should include talking to the radio station AM 770 KKOB in Albuquerque. the local talkers were going on for months about two main issues Iglesias was allegedly fired for- vote fraud and Dem corruption. A timeline as to when Pat Frisch and Jim Vilanuchi, who were bookending Limbaugh and Hannity, began getting prodded to talk about these issues and where the prodding was coming from may lead back to Rove but they would have been part of typical talk radio campaigns to help get Wilson reelected and deflect strong local interest in GOP vote fraud. In this case Domenici and Wilson may have been encouraged to pressure Iglesias by the pressure they themselves were getting from KKOB's idiot dittohead listeners and local GOP operatives. A Rove/White House strategy that went wrong.
Johann wrote on April 5, 2007 10:32 AM:I hope the Democratic National Committee is thinking of recruiting some of these ex-USA's to run as Democrats for the US House and Senate. There are quite a few really pissed off Republican ex-USA's who would make good Democrats.
kernel85 wrote on April 5, 2007 10:57 AM:Want to take donations for a bronze plaque to be placed over the urinal in the Oval Office Executive bathroom?
peacebug wrote on April 5, 2007 12:08 PM:"This fixture dedicated to the memory of George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States. Here, he knew what he was doing."
FITZ!!
mauimom wrote on April 5, 2007 1:05 PM:-- omg - security code "expert" - 'nuff said.
Is there any way to get these "dead of night/without Senate confirmation" USA postings reversed, like under FRAUD grounds??
There are so many smelly elements to both the firings and the "hirings." Why doesn't the Senate, which should have jurisdiction over this, demand a "do over" on both the firings & hirings. [Actually, it's the firings I'm more concerned about. I'd like to see the Carol Lams back in their posts and continuing their all-too-dangerous-to-Republicans investigations.]
Post American wrote on April 5, 2007 2:15 PM:You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! Iglesias was Tom Cruise's character in a Few Good Men. He is a Veteran, a Christian, a Republican, and he was fired for not following the RNC strategy "Vote Fraud" to defraud uh Voters!
Constitutional Lawyer wrote on April 5, 2007 10:26 PM:Aren't all the fired US Attorney's from 2008 swing states. I'm surprised the POTUS obstructing justice by firing the US Attorney in Guam, on the orders of Jack Abramoff, in a Jackoff Abramafia investigation in 2002 isn't big big big news?
While I have no sympathy for the AG and his handling of this matter, this particular claim--that a US Attorney can pursue statutory rights (like USSERRA) to challenge his removal--does not even pass the laugh test. US Attorneys are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate and are "officers of the United States" under Article II of the Constitution. The President has unlimited power to remove such officers at will and it is well established that Congress (and the courts) cannot interfere with the exercise of that power. Therefore a US Attorney cannot assert a right created by Congress (i.e. USERRA) to prevent their removal by the President.
Raven13 wrote on April 6, 2007 12:12 PM:TPM Muckraker should not be snookered into giving this one any credence. The real story here has nothing to do with the controversy over Mr. Iglesias' removal. Instead the story is how the discredited head of the Office of Special Counsel (Scott Bloch) has ginned up this absurd theory and solicited Mr. Iglesias to file a complaint to protect Mr. Bloch himself from an on-going investigation of his own serious misconduct. He has done so to create a situtation where it would look like retaliation if the Adminstration sought to take action against Mr. Bloch himself, on the basis of the findings of that investigation.
There is no end to the outrage these Bushies en-
bill@hotmail.com wrote on April 26, 2007 1:07 PM:gender! The hypocracy and self-rightousness is
more than many can take ! I hope that the hearings will bring out all of the information.
Some people say the Dems are overplaying their
hand with investigations. I think NOT. Republi-
cans did not do or allow oversight. We as a democracy have suffered for it. As a vetern, I
am astounded by this absentee-landlord BS, the
administration used against him!
sever a penis
rice@gmail.com wrote on April 30, 2007 2:26 PM:hello
rice@gmail.com wrote on April 30, 2007 2:26 PM:hello
rice@gmail.com wrote on April 30, 2007 2:26 PM:hello
green@gmail.com wrote on May 1, 2007 3:09 AM:hello
dmitry@gmail.com wrote on May 7, 2007 4:16 AM:hello
dmitry@gmail.com wrote on May 7, 2007 4:16 AM:hello
DEBBIE wrote on September 6, 2007 9:38 AM:LOOKING FOR A LAWYER WHO CAN REPRESENT IN WRONGEFULY OF TERMINATION FROM FALSE ACCUSATIONS FROM THE VA HOSPITAL.MY IGLESIA YOU LOOK LIKE A GO GETTER LAWYER WHICH MEANS YOU PUT ALL INTO YOUR CASE YOUR HONESTY SHOWS PLEASE REPLY ASAP THANKS AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.
DEBBIE wrote on September 6, 2007 9:41 AM:LOOKING FOR A LAWYER WHO CAN REPRESENT IN WRONGEFULY OF TERMINATION FROM FALSE ACCUSATIONS FROM THE VA HOSPITAL.Mr IGLESIA YOU LOOK LIKE A GO GETTER LAWYER WHICH MEANS YOU PUT ALL INTO YOUR CASE YOUR HONESTY SHOWS PLEASE REPLY ASAP THANKS AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.