The Daily MuckA federal judge has ruled that the Department of Justice is allowed to exempt 68 pages of e-mails sent between White House and Department of Justice officials from a Freedom of Information Act request made by the Democratic National Committee – despite the fact that the e-mails were sent using accounts controlled by the Republican National Committee – because the RNC accounts were used for both official and political business. The DNC had argued that because the accounts were controlled by the RNC, the e-mails could not be exempted from a Freedom of Information request. (The Politico)
As Americans in the Green Zone were told to remain in fortified structures and the Iraqi government prepared for an emergency session, President Bush announced that “normalcy is returning back to Iraq” despite the fact that “some … seem unwilling to acknowledge that progress is taking place.” (Reuters, McClatchy)
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brian Mizer, the lawyer for Osama bin Laden’s former driver, alleges that the Bush administration is attempting to turn his client’s trial into a political show trial by orchestrating war-crimes convictions. Mizer has accused Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, who serves as the legal advisor to the White House official overseeing the military tribunals — of exercising “unlawful command influence” and being “so closely aligned” “with the prosecutorial function that he cannot continue to provide the requisite impartial advice to the convening authority.” (LA Times)
Former Secretaries of State Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher, James Baker, and Henry Kissinger called on the next president to close the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, saying such a move “would bolster America’s image abroad.” In related news, today’s Los Angeles Times takes a look at “a day in a Guantanamo detainee’s life.” (Los Angeles Times)
Attorney General Michael Mukasey launched a “rhetorical assault” on public corruption yesterday. Though the U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles, Thomas O’Brien, has disbanded the office’s public integrity unit, Mukasey insisted that corruption remains a top priority and he vowed to close an embarrassing loophole that exempted overseas contractors from waste, fraud, and abuse oversight. (AP)
The EPA has promised to reopen five of its agency libraries by Sept. 30. This follows various concerns voiced by legislators about the original motives in closing the branches. The libraries, usually open to the public, but closed by the EPA because of claimed limited use and online availability of documents, are spread throughout the country, including Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City and Washington D.C. (AP)
Lots of “twenty-somethings” have MySpace pages but how many are also Afghani arms dealers, licensed masseurs, songwriters, and under investigation for allegedly selling Chinese-made ammunition? The multi-talented 22-year old Efraim Diveroli and 25-year old David M. Packouz were managing a $300 million armament supply business for the U.S. government until the New York Times exposed their shady and illegal efforts to equip Afghan forces with degraded equipment. Until we have more on the investigation, or hearing that representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) has ordered, check out Packouz’s poetry and “new agey acoustic alchemy” on MySpace. Diveroli has not updated his page since 2005 when he posted that he is a “super nice guy.”(Radar)
Brent Wilkes, partner in crime with former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, was handed a 12-year prison sentence in February for his improprieties with the Duke. Now federal prosecutors are asking an appellate court for more prison time, saying the sentence given “was a result of an incorrect application” according to federal sentencing laws. (North County Times)
