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The Daily Muck
The former lead prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay (Air Force Col. Morris Davis) is complaining about the pressure he felt to bring high profile, “sexy” cases in advance of the 2008 election. Davis was also concerned about the use of classified evidence and an emphasis on expediency over thoroughness in the Gitmo cases. He added: "no matter how perfect the trial is, if it’s behind closed doors, it’s going to be viewed as a sham.” (Washington Post, New York Times)
The FBI has been called in to clean up after the CIA. In the terrorism cases against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and 14 other accused Al Qaeda leaders being held at Guantanamo Bay, the FBI has stepped in to bolster the cases for upcoming war crimes tribunals. Much of the CIA obtained evidence is believed to be inadmissible, and officials fear that evidence obtained through torture will shift the focus of the trials. (LA Times)
Senators Orin Hatch (R-UT), Trent Lott (R-MS), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), and Kit Bond (R-MO) have all donated thousands of dollars from their political action committees to Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) despite the fact that Stevens faces a looming FBI corruption probe. According to AP, “the Stevens campaign raised more than $463,000 since July 1, making it one of the senator's most successful fundraising quarters.” (AP)
Blackwater is the target of yet more accusations. This time, representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) wants to know where two Iraqi airplanes, allegedly taken by Blackwater, are being held. Waxman is also seeking wide-ranging information about Blackwater’s contracts, profits, and payments to families of killed Iraqis, and he has asked Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for everything that they know about these matters. (USA Today)
A Federal Magistrate Judge issued a recommendation that a temporary restraining order be issued that would prevent the White House from destroying back-up copies of millions of e-mails. The e-mails in question were destroyed from White House servers between March 2003 and October 2005 but are believed to be preserved on a back-up system. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is suing for the e-mails to be preserved. (Citizens For Ethics)
Part of the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal – that involving former aide to Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) Kevin Ring – will be handled by federal prosecutors in Maryland because of possible conflicts of interest at Justice Department headquarters. Ring, who was a former Doolittle aide and then worked for Abramoff, is in jail and is cooperating with the government. Among Ring’s clients – Justice Department officials. (AP)
Valerie Plame to USA Today: Senate Republicans falsely accused me, the CIA didn't protect me, and certain reporters were used by White House officials to "shoot off propaganda." And no need to mention that politics trumped national security concerns. (USA Today)
Comments (7)
Jake D. wrote on October 22, 2007 11:40 AM:Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ("CREW") is also "a group of partisan hacks doing the dirty work of Democrats." Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of CREW, founded the organization in 2003 to highlight alleged violations by GOP almost exclusively (out of 25 named Congressmen, only 4 were Democrats).
Ms. Sloan has served as an aide to Representative John Conyers and Senator Charles Schumer, both Democrats BTW. She most recently served on the legal team of Valerie Plame, helping her sue Vice President Dick Cheney, Dick Armitage, Scooter Libby and Karl Rove.
According to The Washington Post, CREW is funded in part through the efforts of "Democracy Alliance," a loose group of approximately one hundred progressive-oriented political donors who saw CREW as a possible counterweight to the conservative watchdog group, Judicial Watch. Former Senator Conrad Burns, one of those named by CREW as corrupt for his close ties to Abramoff, leveled the above-quoted charge. In response, CREW has stated they do have an agenda that goes beyond ethics. "We are progressive," said Naomi Seligman, the group's deputy director and a former spokeswoman for Senator Max Baucus of Montana. "We do work within a larger progressive infrastructure." Seligman herself suggested her group is the progressive counterweight to Judicial Watch (which goes after BOTH sides of the aisle equally BTW). Just in the interest of full disclosure:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_for_Responsibility_and_Ethics_in_Washington
Scott L wrote on October 22, 2007 12:01 PM:As Stevens should say " Birds of a feather stick together".
Anonymous wrote on October 22, 2007 3:23 PM:For Jake D -
What is so wrong about preserving documents created on government email? Who knows, maybe in 150 years the emails will make Bush look heroic?
Is the Magistrate Judge a "partisan hack" too?
Jake D. wrote on October 22, 2007 6:10 PM:I have no information that the Magistrate Judge a "partisan hack" (was he / she appointed by a Democrat, or only gave campaign contributions to the DNC?). Nothing is wrong with preserving documents created on the government dime (that's the law when it comes to Presidential / Vice Presidential records), but I would stop short of disclosing confidential advice based on Executive Privilege -- the last thing we need during wartime is a President who does not get a full range of options simply because advisors are worried they will be subpoenaed before Congress -- that applies whether the wartime President is a Democrat or Republican.
Anonymous wrote on October 22, 2007 7:37 PM:ok, so who cares if the emails are preserved based on a CREW petition? Someone else, ie lawyers and judges will figure out what should be released when.
Seems that el jefe has had plenty of room in which to solicit and receive confidential advice and it is not clear that this has served the nation well in either the short term or long term. though, I will wait to judge the long term impact. And i hope that my judgement will be informed
Anonymous wrote on October 22, 2007 7:40 PM:by as many documents as possible so that I don't become a partisan hack.
ok, so who cares if the emails are preserved based on a CREW petition? Someone else, ie lawyers and judges will figure out what should be released when.
Seems that el jefe has had plenty of room in which to solicit and receive confidential advice and it is not clear that this has served the nation well in either the short term or long term. though, I will wait to judge the long term impact. And i hope that my judgement will be informed
bot wrote on October 22, 2007 10:11 PM:by as many documents as possible so that I don't become a partisan hack.
Sorry Jake if the numbers reflect that the GOP in it's present form is more corrupt (which CREWS numbers show). It's the way it is -look at the Jack Abramoff crooks list ---that puts the 'publicans in double figures right there (or check the list on this site of the number of"good Bushies" jailed since he took office)--and Jack's still talking and yep they are all innocent good "publican folk, not a thief among the group.