TPMMuckraker
Zachary Roth

Armey Leaves Lobby Firm, Citing Negative Attention Brought by FreedomWorks

Zachary Roth | August 14, 2009, 4:16PM

Dick Armey, the former House Majority Leader, is leaving his job with top Washington lobbying firm DLA Piper, citing negative attention that the firm is receiving thanks to the role of Armey's corporate-backed outfit, FreedomWorks, in turning out protesters to shut down town hall meetings on health care.

In a Friday afternoon news dump, Armey, a committed anti-government extremist, gave Politico the following statement:

It is painful and frustrating to see a good, decent, able and effective partnership of honorable men and women and their clients attacked for things in which they are not involved simply because of their association with me. One would expect a higher degree of competence and professionalism from members of the media than spurious attacks on innocent bystanders.

Read more »
PERMALINK | COMMENTS (45) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (18)
Topics: Astroturf, Dick Armey, FreedomWorks, Lobbyists

C Street

Christian News Show Poses The Real Question On C St.: How Many Affairs Has It Thwarted?

Zachary Roth | August 14, 2009, 1:33PM

Here's some summer Friday fun.

The right-wing Christian Broadcasting Network does damage control for C Street, explaining that the real question isn't, how many affairs were covered up, but rather, "how many affairs were thwarted."

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (43) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (12)
Topics: C Street, Right-wing extremism, Sex

John Sweeney

Sweeney Charged With Drunk Driving Felony

Zachary Roth | August 14, 2009, 1:08PM

Troubled former GOP congressman John Sweeney was indicted this morning on a felony drunk driving charge, reports the Albany Times-Union.

The charges concern an April 5 incident. But in 2007, Sweeney pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunk driving charge offense.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (3) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)
Topics: Jack Abramoff, John Sweeney

Global Warming

"Sensitive" Oil Industry Memo Lays Out Plan For Astroturf Rallies Against Climate Change Bill

Zachary Roth | August 14, 2009, 11:21AM

A leaked memo sent by an oil industry group reveals a plan to create astroturf rallies at which industry employees posing as "citizens" will urge Congress to oppose climate change legislation.

The memo -- sent by the American Petroleum Institute and obtained by Greenpeace, which sent it to reporters -- urges oil companies to recruit their employees for events that will "put a human face on the impacts of unsound energy policy," and will urge senators to "avoid the mistakes embodied in the House climate bill."

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (34) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (29)
Topics: Global Warming, Lobbyists, Oil

Jack Bonner

Coal Industry Group Responds To Congress On Forged Letters -- But Won't Give Details

Zachary Roth | August 14, 2009, 9:57AM

The coal industry lobbying group on whose behalf those forged letters were written has responded in part to a congressional inquiry about the matter -- but won't offer any details.

Roll Call reports (sub. req.) that the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity last night wrote to Rep. Ed Markey, who last week asked for answers from the group about the episode. But ACCCE wouldn't make its letter public, nor would it say whether it had found any additional forged letters, beyond the ones already reported on.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (5) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (6)
Topics: ACCCE, Global Warming, Jack Bonner

Don Siegelman

In Testimony, Rove Hedged On Role In Siegelman Prosecution

Zachary Roth | August 13, 2009, 4:50PM

Hat tip to Roger Shuler at the Legal Schnauzer blog for this one...

It didn't get much attention, but the testimony from Karl Rove that was released this week concerned not just the U.S. attorney firings, but also another alleged instance of politicization of the Justice Department: the Don Siegelman prosecution.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (23) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (28)
Topics: Don Siegelman, House Judiciary, Karl Rove, Leura Canary, U.S. Attorneys

John Ensign

Nevada GOP Rep: Ensign Should Answer Questions About Affair

Zachary Roth | August 13, 2009, 12:34PM

The pressure is growing for John Ensign to break his silence over his affair with a staffer who was his close friend's wife.

Rep. Dean Heller has become the first high-ranking Nevada Republican to call for the senator to address the numerous unanswered question about his torrid liaison with Cindy Hampton. Speaking in a televised interview to Las Vegas Sun political columnist Jon Ralston -- who has led the way in keeping the story in the spotlight -- Heller said: "I don't want to speculate, but until John talks, we haven't seen the end of it."

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (7) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (5)
Topics: FEC, John Ensign, Senate Ethics Committee, Sex

David Iglesias

Iglesias: "I Feel One Hundred Percent Vindicated"

Zachary Roth | August 13, 2009, 10:05AM

David Iglesias has reacted with a combination of satisfaction and indignation to this week's release of documents on the U.S. attorney firings.

"I feel 100 percent vindicated," Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, whose dismissal was the most controversial of the bunch, told TPMmuckraker in an interview.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (16) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (25)
Topics: David Iglesias, Harriet Miers, Justice Department, Karl Rove, Pat Rogers, U.S. Attorneys

U.S. Attorneys

Did Christie Play Politics With Probe? U.S. Attorney Docs Add To Questions

Zachary Roth | August 12, 2009, 4:28PM

Those newly released documents from the U.S. attorney firings raise a few questions about the Republican who may be his party's highest profile electoral contender this year.

That's Chris Christie, the former U.S. attorney from New Jersey, who's also leading incumbent Jon Corzine in that state's race for governor.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (10) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (15)
Topics: Alberto Gonzales, Chris Christie, Harriet Miers, Justice Department, Karl Rove, Kyle Sampson, Michael Elston, U.S. Attorneys

Media

Leaked Email: CNBC Went To Tea Partiers Looking for Angry Protests

Zachary Roth | August 12, 2009, 12:21PM

CNBC approached Tea Party activists, looking for angry protest events that would make good television, according to a leaked email from a Tea Party discussion group. And one Tea Bagger responded by flagging an upcoming event that, he said, "should be a riot ... literally."

Yesterday, Tea Party Patriots national coordinator Jenny Beth Martin sent an email, obtained by TPMmuckraker, to a Tea Party google group. Martin told the group: "We have a media request for an event this week that will have lots of energy and lots of anger. This is for CNBC."

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (70) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (52)
Topics: Health Care, Media, Racism, Right-wing extremism

David Iglesias

Rove Aide Longed to Replace Iglesias With GOP Lawyer Who Helped Get Him Fired

Zachary Roth | August 12, 2009, 11:25AM

After firing David Iglesias as U.S. attorney for New Mexico, Karl Rove's top aide longed to replace him with a Republican party activist who had helped agitate for the firing in the first place, newly released documents reveal.

In early January 2007, several weeks after the firings had been carried out, the Albuquerque Journal reported, based on a press release from New Mexico senator Pete Domenici, that there were four leading candidates for the newly vacant post.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (4) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (13)
Topics: David Iglesias, Karl Rove, Pat Rogers, Scott Jennings, U.S. Attorneys

Media

John Solomon's Sycophantic Email To Justice On Attorney Firings

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 6:17PM

It's fair to say the U.S. attorney firings scandal turned out to be a pretty big deal. It contributed to Alberto Gonzales' resignation as Attorney General, and triggered an ongoing criminal investigation.

But based on those newly released documents, John Solomon's take was pretty much: what's the big deal?

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (3) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (19)
Topics: Media, U.S. Attorneys

Karl Rove

Griffin to Rove: We're Thinking Of Calling Our Baby "Karl"

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 5:43PM

How big of a suckup is Tim Griffin, the Rove protege who the White House was trying to muscle into a U.S. attorney post after firing the previous occupant?

In a January 2007 email, Griffin wrote to Rove:

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (2) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (12)
Topics: Karl Rove, Tim Griffin, U.S. Attorneys

U.S. Attorneys

Email: Rich Lowry Offered To Help White House Spin Firings

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 4:09PM

Here's a fun nugget from the U.S. attorney documents (h/t reader B.M.):

It looks like Rich Lowry of National Review offered the White House his services in doing some positive P.R. on behalf of Rove protege Tim Griffin, who the administration had sought to muscle into the U.S. attorney job in Arkansas as a replacement for the fired Bud Cummins.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (12) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (22)
Topics: Bud Cummins, Media, Tim Griffin, U.S. Attorneys

David Iglesias

Docs Belie Rove's Claim That His Aide Was "Freelancing" In Pushing For Iglesias Firing

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 3:35PM

This won't come as a shock ... but the just released documents on the U.S. attorney firings make it clear that Karl Rove was far from straight with the House committee that interviewed him last month.

According to the transcript of the interview, Rove said that his top aide, Scott Jennings, was "freelancing" in trying to get David Iglesias fired in the summer of 2005. Rove told his interviewers that Jennings "had strong feelings about Iglesias" after having done political work in New Mexico.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (19) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (25)
Topics: David Iglesias, Harriet Miers, Karl Rove, U.S. Attorneys

Karl Rove

Docs Show Rove Pushed For Iglesias Firing

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 3:20PM

Perhaps the key takeaway from the just released documents on the U.S. attorney firings is this:

Karl Rove claimed recently that he and his staff acted merely as a conduit for passing on concerns about David Iglesias. But it's now clear that Rove's office pushed from 2005 for Iglesias to be canned, and was intimately involved in the decision.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (23) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (21)
Topics: David Iglesias, Harriet Miers, Karl Rove, U.S. Attorneys

David Iglesias

Rove Aide: "I Would Really Like To Move Forward With Getting Rid Of" Iglesias

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 2:58PM

Here are two quick juicy parts from the just-released documents on the U.S. attorney firings, about the decision to fire David Igleisas of New Mexico -- as flagged in a House Judiciary committee press release:

• 2005 White House "Decision" to fire David Iglesias - It has previously been known that New Mexico Republicans pressed for Iglesias to be removed because they did not like his decisions on vote fraud cases. New White House documents show that Rove and his office were involved in this effort no later than May 2005 (months earlier than previously known) - for example, in May and June 2005, Rove aide Scott Jennings sent emails to Tim Griffin (also in Rove's office) asking "what else I can do to move this process forward" and stressing that "I would really like to move forward with getting rid of NM US ATTY." In June 2005, Harriet Miers emailed that a "decision" had been made to replace Iglesias. At this time, DOJ gave Iglesias top rankings, so this decision was clearly not just the result of the White House following the Department's lead as Rove and Miers have maintained.
• Iglesias criticized by Rove aide for not "doing his job on" Democratic Congressional Candidate Patricia Madrid - An October 2006 email chain begun by Representative Heather Wilson criticized David Iglesias for not bringing politically useful public corruption prosecutions in the run up to the 2006 elections. Scott Jennings forwarded Wilson's email to Karl Rove and complained that Iglesias had been "shy about doing his job on Madrid," Wilson's opponent in the 2006 Congressional race. Just weeks after this email, Iglesias' name was placed on the final firing list.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (0) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (4)
Topics: David Iglesias, House Judiciary, Justice Department, Karl Rove, U.S. Attorneys

U.S. Attorneys

U.S. Attorney Firings: White House And RNC Docs Released

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 2:46PM

On the U.S. attorney firings, Congress has also released thousands of pages of White House and RNC emails and other documents pertaining to the firings.

Here are the White House documents. Here are the RNC documents.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (15) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (3)
Topics: Harriet Miers, House Judiciary, Karl Rove, U.S. Attorneys

Harriet Miers

Congress Releases Rove And Miers Interviews On U.S. Attorney Firings

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 2:30PM

The House Judiciary committee has posted the transcripts of its interviews with Karl Rove and Harriet Miers, about the U.S. attorney firings.

The Rove transcripts are here. The Miers transcripts are here.

Have at it.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (11) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (7)
Topics: Harriet Miers, Karl Rove, U.S. Attorneys

Health Care

FreedomWorks Says Jump, Tea Partiers Ask How High

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 1:47PM

Lately, there's been an ongoing debate about the Tea Party groups that have been fighting health-care reform. Are these groups organic manifestations of popular discontent, or are they in fact controlled by corporate-funded Washington lobbying groups -- in particular, FreedomWorks, the small-government organization, founded by former GOP congressman Dick Armey, that's worked closely with the Tea Baggers since their inception?

Well, an excerpt from the Tea Baggers' own internal discussions, obtained by TPMmuckraker, sheds some light on that point -- and it points to the latter.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (10) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (10)
Topics: Health Care, Right-wing extremism

Barack Obama

Your Bank Account Is Safe: Running Down The Latest Winger Health-Care Lie

Zachary Roth | August 11, 2009, 11:57AM

Another day, another metastasizing lie about health-care reform that needs debunking.

We've already seen the euthanasia lie -- in which conservatives, including Sarah Palin, have claimed that a provision in the bill that would extend Medicare coverage to end-of-life consultations is really aimed at letting Obama kill your grandmother. But that's old news by now.