Gonzo Update

Day 21 28 35 49 (see below) of FAUX NEWS Embargo of the Gonzales Story.

So last week, we all got treated to a cute story by former DAG James Comey about how then White House Counsel Gonzales and COS Andy Card tried to strong-arm (See 5/15/07 posting)a barely conscious AG Ashcroft into signing an order Ashcroft already said was illegal and unconstitutional. (Atlantic Constitution, May 22 2007)

So far the only White House response so far has been, "Ummm, we didn't know that we shouldn't have gone to Ashcroft since DAG Comey was the Acting Attorney General." (Newsweek, May 28, 2007)

Update: 33 year old Pat Robertson law school graduate and king maker, Monica Goodling (GOP version 2.0) has been testifying before the House Judiciary Committee (HJC) these past two days. here are some highlights.

Highlight: Monica (GOP version 2.0)say AG Gonzales is a liar.

This is how Monica (GOP Version 2.) described Gonzales's Obstruction of Justice:

One March 14th or 15th, a week after the HJC requested that Monica (GOP Version 2.) testify before the committee, she and Gonzales meet in his office. She asked to be transfer and he said he would think about it. Then he started telling Goodling what he remembered about the firing process.

He just said that he thought that everybody that was on the list was on the list for a performance-related reason. He proceeded to say, 'Let me tell you what I can remember,' and he laid out for me his general recollection of some of the process regarding the replacement of U.S. attorneys.

He then asked her if she had "any reaction" to his memory. " Her reaction? Discomfort.

I remember thinking at that point that this was something that we were all going to have to talk about, and I didn’t know that it was — I just — I didn’t know that it was maybe appropriate for us to talk about that at that point.

Recall that AG Gonzales testified twice before the Senate

On April 19th he said not spoken with "witnesses" to the U.S. attorneys scandal because he did not want to give the appearance of influencing their testimony.

"I'm here to provide what I know, what I recall as to the truth in order to help the Congress help to complete the record. ...But there are clearly some things that I don't know about what happened, and it's frustrating to me, as head of the department, to know that -- to not know that still today. But I haven't done -- I haven't talked to witnesses because of the fact that I haven't wanted to interfere with this investigation and department investigations.

And on May 10th:

I have not gone back and spoken directly with Mr. [Kyle] Sampson and others who were involved in this process. .. In order to protect the integrity of this investigation and of the investigation of the Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of Inspector General -- I am a fact witness, they are fact witnesses, and in order to preserve the integrity of those investigations, I have not asked these specific questions.

Through a spokesman, Gonzales explains this meeting:

The statements made by the attorney general during this meeting were intended only to comfort her in a very difficult period of her life.

As pointed out by Jon Stewart, who comforts someone by recalling events that are the subject of an investigation?

Highlight: Monica (GOP version 2.0) says DAG McNulty lied to the Senate.

"During her testimony today, Monica Goodling pointed the finger squarely at Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, saying that he had not been ‘fully candid’ in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his knowledge of White House involvement in the U.S. attorney firings (McNulty had earlier pointed the finger at Sampson and Goodling for not informing him of the White House’s role).” McNulty released a statement this afternoon, saying Goodling is wrong:

I testified truthfully at the Feb. 6, 2007, hearing based on what I knew at that time. Ms. Goodling’s characterization of my testimony is wrong and not supported by the extensive record of documents and testimony already provided to Congress.

Highlight: After Monica's (GOP version 2.0) testimony, we still don't know who put the USA names on the list or why they were fired.

“I was not the primary White House contact for purposes of the development or approval of the US Attorney replacement plan.”

So far, Gonzales, McNulty, Sampson, or Goodling can not explain how the USAs made the list (or didn't) or why they were put on the list.

“It is curious that yet another senior Justice Department official claims to have limited involvement in compiling the list that led to the firings of several well-performing federal prosecutors. What we have heard today seems to reinforce the mounting evidence that the White House was pulling the strings on this project to target certain prosecutors in different parts of the country. Sen Pat Leahy (D-Vt)

Highlight: Monica (GOP version 2.0) says she violated Civil Service laws.

Monica (GOP version 2.0) “repeatedly declined to estimate how many times she had considered political affiliations in career hiring decisions.: “I don’t think that I could have done it more than 50 times, but I don’t know,” she said. She “further admitted that she ‘occasionally‘ researched career applicants’ political affiliations and checked their political donations.”

Recall, she received this power via a secret memo signed by Gonzales back in March 2006..

Update: "The Justice Department has broadened an internal investigation into whether Monica Goodling and other department aides “improperly took into account political considerations in hiring employees.” The new issue? Whether Goodling used her admittedly illegal selection process to hire 49 immigration judges. (NYT, May 25th, 2007)

Update: Well, it's too long and complicated but if your interested, Google 'caging" and "Griffin" to find out why Rove's friend Tim Griffin was going to by-pass Senate approval. Also, why is he still a USA? His term (120 days) is up.

Addendum: FAUX News has ignored all of this for over a month but on May 16th, Greta V. finally dusted off her bar card and did a little piece on Comey's testimony regarding the late night antics of Gonzales and Card.