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Senate Committee Wants to Hear from Schlozman
Today Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT) and ranking member Arlen Specter (R-PA) wrote Bradley Schlozman, asking that he cooperate with the committee's investigation into U.S. attorney firings. You can read the letter here.
There are a number of reasons why congressional investigators would want to talk to Schlozman: his politicization of the hiring process when he was the deputy head of the Civil Rights Division, his efforts to squash career attorneys in the division who disagreed with him, and his rush to bring a group of voter fraud indictments just before the election when he was the U.S. Attorney for Kansas City. The committee, at least for now, appears mainly interested in Schlozman's efforts to push voter fraud allegations. From the letter:
Recent news accounts have suggested that Todd Graves, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri and the person you succeeded as an interim United States Attorney, may have been on a list for replacement because of his refusal to endorse a lawsuit against the State of Missouri alleging voter fraud before the 2006 election. This is a lawsuit you approved while Acting Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and then filed soon after you were interim appointed as Mr. Graves’ successor by Attorney General Gonzales. Several weeks ago, a federal judge ruled in favor of Missouri in that case, finding “no evidence” of major voter fraud in the state.We believe the Committee would benefit from hearing directly from you in order to gain a better understanding of the role voter fraud may have played in the Administration’s decisions to retain or remove certain U.S. Attorneys.
Comments (36)
RandyR wrote on May 7, 2007 6:30 PM:In Gonzales testimony he said that all appointments would go through the Senate and this porker was in for a year with no approval. Put that on the question list.
profmarcus wrote on May 7, 2007 6:30 PM:get schlozman, shackle him hand and foot, blindfold him, strip him naked, make him stand in "stress positions," play country music at top volume 24 hours a day, keep the lights on and the temperature down, have scantily dressed female interrogators parade around suggestively, and make gonzo watch, until he breaks down and tells us the whole truth, of which i am convinced we only know a very small part...
LTO wrote on May 7, 2007 6:33 PM:Forgot the waterboard.
Code word "warm", so make it warm water...
wrb wrote on May 7, 2007 6:34 PM:The count game with these folks is getting fun. There needs to be a place to place wagers. Adding up the counts already probable, and projecting into the future, I'd currently put my money on there being at least a dozen of these guys who don't see blue sky again.
Most entertaining, and satisfying
Anonymous wrote on May 7, 2007 6:34 PM:Leahy must NOT let Schlozman get off so easily. The Missouri suit is one small part of a much bigger story. The hiring in the Voting Section is a bigger part. The Section's preclearance decisions under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act are the brass ring.
Security code: sleep, as in what Schlozman and the cronies he left behind in CRT aren't getting much of these days.
Ron Byers wrote on May 7, 2007 6:45 PM:Goodling is a conduit to Karl Rove. Schlozman was a soldier. I am more interested in hearing what Goodling has to say than Schlozman. For that reason I would be very reluctant to cut him a deal. He would need to prove to me that he could deliver the goods up the line, right past Gonzales. I don't think he can get that high in the food chain. Maybe he can, but he would have to make one heck of a proffer.
Damn, it is horrible when you have to think about the DoJ the same way you think about the mob.
Security Code blood, as what is in the water with Brad Schlozman.
djcrow22 wrote on May 7, 2007 7:19 PM:The security code cuteness is REALLY getting old.
CJ wrote on May 7, 2007 7:30 PM:Any chance we could keep the "witty" and increasingly ill humored comments to ourselves? Sorry, but it doesn't add anything constructive... feel free to bash away.
I love the commentary, but must agree with djcrow22 and other recent posters. At first the security code was funny (dare one say, cute?) but it has outlived its transient wittiness. Please keep up the comments, but leave the security code behind. It's got whiskers.
jeffgee wrote on May 7, 2007 7:48 PM:When I clicked on this page, the arrow cursor was upside his head, like a horn. With the goatee, it completed the picture. Satan incarnate.
bjobotts wrote on May 7, 2007 7:51 PM:Hey profmarcus...torture won't work on Scholzman, he would just tell you the ropes aren't tight enough and ask if you had more than one dog. This guy is a hatchet man alright and certainly didn't need the likes of Goodling standing in his way. He approved the prosecution from the Civil Rights division and then went to KC to execute it. He probably asked for the assignment. He broke the law by his hiring practices and should definitely be prosecuted and dis-barred and there is a long following of attorneys in his history that would support the prosecution, standing in line to testify against him due to his "dick-ta-torial" personality.
mg wrote on May 7, 2007 7:51 PM:And a big AMEN to that!
petersjo wrote on May 7, 2007 8:08 PM:Enough already of the "code word" stuff. It really has run its course here--a waste of space and time and no longer even remotely funny.
bjobotts wrote on May 7, 2007 8:09 PM:the security code is:who gives a shit don't read it getting a little anal and what difference does it make except to control freaks to get a post of its own and why focus here if you get something out of it and relevance is subjective write it in chinese why mention it and who cares if you don't sometimes funny god spelled backwards is security code makes ya' think and isn't it always orange unless god puts 'em there or fate or we all know so wtf
improper wrote on May 7, 2007 8:11 PM:it's stupid no connection four or five letters over my head why not included
This guys looks like an overweight ill-tempered intolerant jewish bulldog.
Hoppalong wrote on May 7, 2007 8:25 PM:I'm just hoping that this scandal will turn out to be the one that gets the House to vote an impeachment bill and Bush and Cheney will resign in 2008.
Mike Valentine wrote on May 7, 2007 9:04 PM:Hey! It could happen!
What are you talking about? Nothing to see here, move along.
Is there a statute of limitations on this stuff? The next President will uncover more maggots and hopefully will have a real live A.G. to go after the official malfeasance of this Anti-President.
Changing the A.G, at this point is like putting (code word) paint on a rotted boat.
Al in Austex wrote on May 7, 2007 9:05 PM:Okey Dokey,
GM wrote on May 7, 2007 9:20 PM:I betcha that the Leahy Conyers Possee has got the goods on TurdBlossom's "Uber Alles" plan to disenfranchise every voter who had the temerity to be a Democrat or Independent. How many "in camera" debriefs have the Hill Staffers done with former career employees at DOJ and elsewhere in the DC governmental environs.
Every BushCo franchise holder should go ahead and lawyer up now. We progressive down here in Texas always allowed how the republicants would eventually be hoisted on their very own Petard. Will its happening now . Yep all of BushCo better go ahead and lawyer up -cause it fixing to get to be a really tough patch of tracks on the TurdBlossom Express.
And by the by the" Earmarks for Campaign Contributions & Bribes " investigation is also going full tilt bogey . Jack Abramoff, & Robert Ney - are giving up the NeoThugs left , right ,& center.. not to mention the little private chats the Hill Staffers have had with Dusty Foggo & Porter Goss, late of Falls Church .
Regarding the name-calling comment from "improper", his religion has not the least relevance to anything--we should leave this subject alone.
ReggaeBass wrote on May 7, 2007 9:34 PM:And Here we have it. This is the exicutioner. He is the logistics man. The Point man on vote supression. It is his job to make sure that Democrats don't vote. He was just one of many. For sure all of the replacesments for the original eight are on the same level as this guy. There jobs were to Supress the vote in swing states. These are the people who's job it is to reffree elections and they were put in place specifically to change the outcome. The plan probably originated with Rove. They have been fixing elections. It's a back door coup. This hearing will be worth watching.
ReggaeBass wrote on May 7, 2007 9:34 PM:And Here we have it. This is the exicutioner. He is the logistics man. The Point man on vote supression. It is his job to make sure that Democrats don't vote. He was just one of many. For sure all of the replacesments for the original eight are on the same level as this guy. There jobs were to Supress the vote in swing states. These are the people who's job it is to reffree elections and they were put in place specifically to change the outcome. The plan probably originated with Rove. They have been fixing elections. It's a back door coup. This hearing will be worth watching.
Sam Sara wrote on May 7, 2007 10:00 PM:Specter signed off on the letter to Schlozman. As long as AG is AG, Republicans on the Judiciary Committee don't seem to be willing to spend any political capital blocking Leahy.
This rule does not apply to Texas Senator John Cornyn because he is a partisan robot. Such blind loyalty does not go unrewarded.
dean moriarity wrote on May 7, 2007 10:59 PM:http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/06/6senate.html
he's ugly. off with his head!
Punchy wrote on May 7, 2007 11:26 PM:This has got "executive privilege" written all over it.
It shouldn't, but it will.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on May 7, 2007 11:47 PM:Help! I'm looking for the four cases of voter fraud filed by Schlozman in Missouri in November 2006 in Lexis-Nexis and PACER.
I found one case, USA vs Stephanie Davis, which I think was the one where the indictment had the wrong name on it because Schlozman's office was in such a rush. The case was dropped 11/20/06.
A blog listed Caren Davis as one of the defendants but her name is not in PACER.
I'm interested in the status of the four cases. Any ideas?
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on May 7, 2007 11:58 PM:In my previous comment, I said I couldn't find the four cases of votr registration fraud brought by Schlozman on or around 11/1/06.
The USA-WDMO press release index is missing the press release about the four indictments along with Schlozman's statement (link below).
Plus I can't find any reference to the four indictments in Lexis-Nexis News.
What am I missing here?
TEL wrote on May 8, 2007 1:47 AM:Mrs. P:
Don't know if this will help, but I found this link online:
http://kansascity.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel07/identitytheft010507.htm
It's the press release of the registration fraud indictment you asked about. It's listed under identity theft on the Kansas City FBI website.
bjobotts wrote on May 8, 2007 2:16 AM:Hey Mrs Panstreppon...it was against a voter registration organization's employees who were trying to justify their hourly wage....check out the group ACORN. It's a nationwide org but check out the MO chapter. Maybe it's ACCORN...something like that. There was no real attempt to vote illegally just 4 registration forms made up then Scholzman screams they were doing it all over the country to get votes when really it was just made up forms by 4 employees to get that $8.00/hr pay. About thousands of dollars to prosecute what should have been dropped, Scholzman says nothing.
Mauimom wrote on May 8, 2007 3:11 AM:***The security code cuteness is REALLY getting old.
Any chance we could keep the "witty" and increasingly ill humored comments to ourselves? Sorry, but it doesn't add anything constructive... feel free to bash away.***
Thank you. I agree completely. It's juvenile.
Dan wrote on May 8, 2007 9:37 AM:I don't see how even the Bush Admin. could jump to executive privilege here.
Schlozman's position is entirely Justice Dept, unless I've totally missed something.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on May 8, 2007 10:25 AM:TEL@May 8, 2007 01:47 AM
Thanks! That was the missing indictment. As I noted above, one of the four people originally indicated was a case of mistaken identity.
After I posted here, I finally found a blog post in Lexis-Nexis with the names of the four people originally indicted. To date, two plea bargains and one trial scheduled.
The two plea bargains were both in mid-March so I wonder if Schlozman rushed them so he could go back to DC with a couple of wins.
But the questions remains, where is Schlozman's 11/06 press release and his statement? Why did the USA-WDMO take it offline?
BarnOwl wrote on May 8, 2007 10:29 AM:The security code cuteness is REALLY getting old.
Any chance we could keep the "witty" and increasingly ill humored comments to ourselves? Sorry, but it doesn't add anything constructive... feel free to bash away.
Posted by: djcrow22
I'm with you 100%. dj. I'm a new comer here and already tired of these feeble attempts toward artsy fartsy cuteness.
Rebel wrote on May 8, 2007 10:44 AM:Mrs P
A couple more notes for you.
First: On Jan. 5, 2007 Carmen R Davis, aka Latisha Reed, was indicted on Election Fraud and Identity Theft. (See URL) It is not clear if the alleged Social Security number she stole and used belonged to Stephanie Davis or not.
Second: On Feb 66, 2007, Dale D Franklin, an Acorn employee, plead guilty to Election Fraud. According to Schlozman's press release, "Franklin admitted that he knowingly caused to be furnished to the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners a voter registration application on which Franklin forged the signature of the applicant and on which the address and telephone number listed were false." It is not clear if Franklin forged any more than the one he plead guilty for or not.
Link:
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/news2007/franklin.ple.htm
I have yet to find an status on the other indictments you mentioned.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on May 8, 2007 11:15 AM:@May 8, 2007 10:44 AM
I got the information about the status of the cases from PACER.
My mistake. Dale D. Franklin's plea agreement is signed 2/6/07. Franklin pled guilty to one of two counts.
Brian Garnder's plea agreement is signed by 3/7/07. Gardner pled guilty to one of two counts.
Kwaim A. Stenson is scheduled to go to trial in, I think, June.
I didn't check the status of the Carmen R. Davis case.
Mrs P wrote on May 8, 2007 11:20 AM:Brian Gardner, not Garnder. His plea was signed on 3/7/07.
Stan wrote on May 10, 2007 1:24 PM:The White House and DOJ wanted to use the US Attorneys to target Democrats and influence the election process. The scary part is not that 9 prosecutors had too much integrity to go along with this plot and was fired as a result. The scary part is that 84 prosecutors have apparently gone along with the plot AND are still there. How can we investigate those prosecutors? How can we ensure that they will not continue to use their offices to further the neocon agenda?
epenisa wrote on January 11, 2008 12:10 AM:Hi
Nice work from your side... have a nice time with yoru blog :)
Bye