Who’s Afraid of the White House Attorneys Connection?
“After Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty testified to the Senate Judiciary committee, word leaked that Gonzales was upset by McNultyâs claim that former US Attorney Bud Cummins was not fired for performance reasons. On April 15, Congressional sources tell TIME, Gonzales’ former chief of staff Kyle Sampson told a different story. During a private interview with Judiciary Committee staffers Sampson said three times in as many minutes that Gonzales was angry with McNulty because he had exposed the White House’s involvement in the firings had put it’s role ‘in the public sphere,’ as Sampson phrased it, according to Congressional sources familiar with the interview.” (Time)
Federal Watchdogs Facing New Scrutiny
“Four of the federal government’s top watchdogs have found themselves under investigation recently, a trend experts call unprecedented and troubling. The men are inspectors general, known in Beltway parlance as “IGs” — special senior political appointees who serve at each federal agency to expose and remedy instances of government waste, fraud and abuse. Instead, they have found themselves facing investigations into allegations including fraud, wasteful spending and abuse of power.” (ABC’s The Blotter)
Federal Student Loan Official is Resigning
“Under criticism that it has been lax in policing the $85 billion student loan industry, the Education Department announced yesterday that the chief official responsible for overseeing the loan program was stepping down. The resignation of the official, Theresa S. Shaw, was made public two days before Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is to testify to a Congressional committee. Ms. Spellings is expected to face tough questions about the oversight of lendersâ practices and her departmentâs enforcement of policies against conflicts of interest.” (NY Times)
Chevron Seen Settling Case on Iraq Oil
“Chevron, the second-largest American oil company, is preparing to acknowledge that it should have known kickbacks were being paid to Saddam Hussein on oil it bought from Iraq as part of a defunct United Nations program, according to investigators. The admission is part of a settlement being negotiated with United States prosecutors and includes fines totaling $25 million to $30 million, according to the investigators, who declined to be identified because the settlement was not yet public.” (NY Times)
Jury Seated for Padilla Trial
“A jury was seated Tuesday to hear the trial of alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla and two co-defendants, accused of being part of a North American support cell for Islamic extremists around the world. The 36-year-old U.S. citizen was held as an enemy combatant for 3 1/2 years. The government initially claimed he was on an al-Qaida mission to detonate a radioactive “dirty bomb” inside the United States, but that allegation is not part of the Miami case.” (Associated Press)
Wilkes-Foggo Leak Probe Unneeded, Prosecutors Say
“Allegations that the federal government leaked secret grand jury information to the media before indictments were issued against Brent Wilkes and Kyle ‘Dusty’ Foggo are under investigation by the Justice Department. Forge was responding to motions by the defense urging the judge to dismiss the case against Wilkes, based on leaks. The prosecutor wrote that the request should be denied because it is ‘bereft of evidence to establish that the alleged violations substantially influenced the grand jury’s decision to indict him.'” (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Stevens Stops Backing Controversial Board
“Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) has dropped his support for a controversial salmon marketing program he created that has funneled tens of millions of federal dollars to fishing industry interests in Alaska and has become an element of a Justice Department corruption investigation into the Senatorâs former aide and his son, ex-state Sen. Ben Stevens (R).” (Roll Call)
18 Big GOP Donors Dine with the Queen
“An Arizona car dealer, an interior designer and a former Enron executive were among the 18 major Republican donors invited to the dine with the Queen of England, along with celebrities, members of Congress and Bush administration officials, at last night’s White House white-tie state dinner. ‘These are not your rank-and-file donors,’ says Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the campaign finance watchdog group the Center for Responsive Politics. ‘In a sense, this is the GOP royalty.'” (ABC’s The Blotter)
Over Objection, Wolfowitz Inquiry Continues
“he World Bank’s governing board pressed ahead Tuesday with its conflict-of-interest investigation against President Paul D. Wolfowitz, despite protests that he had not been given the required amount of time to review and respond to the charges. Robert S. Bennett, Wolfowitz’s lawyer, said the board had delivered more than 600 pages of reports, transcripts and other documents Sunday night and demanded that Wolfowitz respond by today.” (LA Times)
Marine Says Found Live Children Among Dead in Haditha
“A U.S. Marine who walked through two houses in Haditha, Iraq minutes after other Marines killed occupants with grenades and guns found two wounded children pretending to be dead next to a deceased woman. The two injured children were the only survivors of a Marine Corps assault on two Iraqi homes near the site of a bomb attack on a Marine convoy that left one Marine dead and two injured. Prosecutors contend that the surviving Marines swept through the town on a revenge spree, killing 24 civilians with grenades and guns.” (Reuters)
