Let's recap for a moment.
Back in January, Sen. Arlen Specter "confirmed that as Judiciary
Committee chairman last year he made a last-minute change to (the
Patriot Act) that expanded the administration's power to install U.S.
Attorneys without Senate approval," according to TPM Muckraker.
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002357.php
Shortly afterwards, Alberto Gonzales defended this provision, telling
the Senate Judiciary Commitee - under oath, mind you - that, "I am
fully committed, as the administration's fully committed, to ensure
that, with respect to every United States attorney position in this
country, we will have a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed
United States attorney."
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/16/gonzales-caught-on-tape/
Fine - except it appears that Gonzo was lying.
Last December, his chief-of-staff Kyle Sampson wrote an email about
that very same Patriot Act provision which said, "There is some risk
that we'll lose the authority, but if we don't ever exercise it then
what's the point of having it?"
Sampson also plotted with a White House aide to install "a former GOP
operative and protege of presidential adviser Karl Rove," Tim Griffin,
as a U.S. attorney.
Sampson wrote, "We should gum this to death, ask the senators to give
Tim a chance ... then we can tell them we'll look for other
candidates, ask them for recommendations, evaluate the
recommendations, interview their candidates, and otherwise run out the
clock. All of this should be done in 'good faith,' of course."
By EarlG
Democratic Underground
http://www.democraticunderground.com/
Harry
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