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The Daily Muck
Although Goodling hired career employees based on political preferences, officials within the Justice Department say she was following the example set early by the Bush administration. (Washington Post) The LA Times profiles some of those immigration judges with no background in immigration law but plenty in politics.
Newsweek offers the fullest account so far of Alberto Gonzales' and Andrew Card's now infamous hospital visit. Nearly 30 top DOJ officials were set to resign when the Justice Department's legal opinion on the surveillance program was ignored.
Slate points out that Monica Goodling played to the stereotype of the helpless little girl in her testimony, and it worked. Smashingly.
Bill and Hillary have been flying around the world courtesy of a longtime benefactor Vinod Gupta. A suit being filed by infoUSA claims that the $900,000 spent by Gupta jetting the Clintons around is a “serial misuse of corporate assets and resources.” Gupta also secured $3 million in contracts for former President Clinton to consult for his company. (Associated Press)
Lawyers for Lurita Doan, whose efforts to use her office to promote Republican candidates were recently found in violation of the Hatch Act, is not taking the allegations sitting down. Her lawyers are furious that a report prepared by the Office of Special Counsel has already leaked to the public, and they allege this as proof that the OSC is biased against their client. (Government Executive)
Former Pentagon spy-master Pat Lang and former State Department Chief of Staff Lawrence Wilkerson share inside stories about the pre-war analysis performed by Wolfowitz, Tenet and Feith. (The Washington Note)
Former Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK) spent almost $7,000 of campaign funds on personal items, including tickets to the 2004 Sugar Bowl (LSU: 21, OU: 14).
Rep. Waxman (D-CA) certainly takes his investigatory role seriously, and some Republicans have suggested that Waxman is simply trying to humiliate the administration. For his part, Waxman claims that he is performing the role of oversight that was abnegated by the GOP Congress.
Comments (17)
G4AM wrote on May 28, 2007 11:02 AM:Go Waxman Go. There has to be some inner humility to be humiliated, so I don't think those Publicans have anything to worry about.
Security word when, as in, Bush will discover his inner humility when Hell freezes over.
d wrote on May 28, 2007 11:21 AM:Vinod Gupta has a long history of questionable expenses at InfoUSA. His children work for the company and live in company-provided housing. He leased his personal plane to InfoUSA, primarily for his own use. If giving too much money to the Clintons wakes up InfoUSA shareholders, good for them.
jillian wrote on May 28, 2007 11:40 AM:infoUSA was just highlighted in the NYTimes as "bilking the elderly."
After reading that story, the Clintons should have known not to do any business that company and return any monies received from them.
Yet another reason to add to my "why I won't vote for Hillary" collection.
Mary wrote on May 28, 2007 12:14 PM:The Lang/Wilkerson piece is really worth the read.
On the Immigration judges - no reports seem to indicate whethr Levin has been asked about the advice he purportedly gave Sampson. You have to wonder if it might be a bit like Sampson's description of Comey's involvement in preparing the list.
Just seems odd that in the battle of the DOJ/Goodling releases, no one mentions asking Levin or even getting a no comment from him.
Mary wrote on May 28, 2007 12:16 PM:The Lang/Wilkerson piece is really worth the read.
On the Immigration judges - no reports seem to indicate whethr Levin has been asked about the advice he purportedly gave Sampson. You have to wonder if it might be a bit like Sampson's description of Comey's involvement in preparing the list.
Just seems odd that in the battle of the DOJ/Goodling releases, no one mentions asking Levin or even getting a no comment from him.
TheOtherWA wrote on May 28, 2007 12:24 PM:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/27/AR2007052700896.html
Sara Taylor, Rove's deputy, has left the White House. The WaPo article says she cleaned out her desk early last week, so apparently she split before Goodling testified. Perhaps she was expecting a close up view of bus tires?
Roberta wrote on May 28, 2007 12:29 PM:Hey! You have labeled Waxman in your snippet as R-CA! Please fix it.
Anonymous wrote on May 28, 2007 12:40 PM:Until the US Attorney or another Bush administration scandal hits the courts, all these hearings are public relations battles. Goodling won hers in a big way.
Compare her demeanor in front of Congress and her deeds and reputation at the DOJ and you come up with a huge disconnect. Which means she's tougher and smarter than her resume, and a much better actress. Which likely means she did even more damage at DOJ than so far revealed.
Combine her secret powers, which everyone she worked with thought were wielded only by the AG or DAG, with direct access to Karl Rove's Shoppe, and you've reincarted a Siren, luring liberals, heretics and Democrats, and the rule of law, onto the bureaucrat rocks.
Ellen wrote on May 28, 2007 12:42 PM:Yup, we don't want the (R)s getting credit for Waxman's good work.
molly wrote on May 28, 2007 3:11 PM:The Clinton/ Bush crime families have merged. Bill gave US NAFTA, 3 strikes and you are out('cept for republicans)and welfare reform. With no jobs for welfare moms to go to. The Bush's finished US off with firing the border patrol, almost stopped the fines for businesses hiring illegals and officially letting corporations govern. Now, what are we going to do to get out of the mess they have made of this country?
Anonymous wrote on May 28, 2007 3:44 PM:RE: WaPo article. quoting FrontPage agazine,
description of Waxman as "spewing out subpoenas all over the place in what is the beginning of an obvious drive toward impeaching the president."
Yes? And what exactly is the problem with that????
Anonymous wrote on May 28, 2007 6:34 PM:Front Page gets financial support from the RNC.
dusty wrote on May 28, 2007 9:28 PM:InfoUSA is a real piece of work..and yes the NYT writeup about them selling info specifically on the elderly to anyone with the bucks shows what tools they are.
Ol Hill better find another player with a jet.
Security code..Snake..love it!
Jack wrote on May 28, 2007 10:15 PM:The other Immigration Court applicants have all of the evidence they need to successfully sue the Department of Justice in a class action lawsuit. The Office of Special Counsel should be prosecuting them all for Hatch Act violations. Except for Scott Fitzgerald, they've been mostly worthless lately, which is why Congress should authorize an Independent Counsel with some real independence from our not-so-ethical Justice Department.
Jack wrote on May 28, 2007 10:16 PM:The other Immigration Court applicants have all of the evidence they need to successfully sue the Department of Justice in a class action lawsuit. The Office of Special Counsel should be prosecuting them all for Hatch Act violations. Except for Patrick Fitzgerald, they've been mostly worthless lately, which is why Congress should authorize an Independent Counsel with some real independence from our not-so-ethical Justice Department.
Anonymous wrote on May 29, 2007 9:35 AM:Past that, Frontpage Magazine is David Horowitz's rag, funded by the usual suspects -- including the Olin, Bradley, Scaife and Randolph foundations ("the four sisters") as well as the Allegheny and Carthage foundations (also Scaife) to the tune of millions of dollars. That's how the wingnut welfare system works.
Yellow Dog wrote on May 29, 2007 1:11 PM:The House Judiciary Committee obviously suffers from a severe lack of Southern Women, who would have exposed that blonde bitch the instant she opened her mouth.
Little Girl Act - no shit. I said it last Wednesday and I'll keep saying it:
Monica - not Fredo, not Sampson, not McNulty - MONICA - is the source of all evil at Just Us. She gets her orders directly from Rove, who gets his directly from Jaaaaayyyyyzzzzzuuuuuzzzzz.
She bamboozled everyone in the room with the oldest trick in the book - and one no female from south of the Mason-Dixon would have ever fallen for.