Political Briefings at US Agencies Disclosed
“White House officials conducted 20 private briefings on Republican electoral prospects in the last midterm election for senior officials in at least 15 government agencies covered by federal restrictions on partisan political activity, a White House spokesman and other administration officials said yesterday. The previously undisclosed briefings were part of what now appears to be a regular effort in which the White House sent senior political officials to brief top appointees in government agencies on which seats Republican candidates might win or lose, and how the election outcomes could affect the success of administration policies, the officials said.” (Washington Post)
Gonzales Watch: Sen. Pryor Again Calls on AG to Quit
“Arkansas Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor, in a face-to-face meeting with Alberto Gonzales, directly told the embattled attorney general to resign, his communications director said today. ‘The trust level has been diminished greatly,’ Michael Teague told News Desk.” (US News)
Rice Signals Rejection of House Subpoenas
“Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she has already answered the questions she has been subpoenaed to answer before a congressional committee and suggested she is not inclined to comply with the order. Rice said she would respond by mail to questions from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the Bush administration’s prewar claims about Saddam Hussein seeking weapons of mass destruction, but signaled she would not appear in person.” (Associated Press)
Court Asked to Limit Lawyers at Guantanamo
“The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to impose tighter restrictions on the hundreds of lawyers who represent detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the request has become a central issue in a new legal battle over the administrationâs detention policies. Saying that visits by civilian lawyers and attorney-client mail have caused ‘intractable problems and threats to security at Guantánamo,’ a Justice Department filing proposes new limits on the lawyersâ contact with their clients and access to evidence in their cases that would replace more expansive rules that have governed them since they began visiting Guantánamo detainees in large numbers in 2004.” (NY Times)
Contractors Playing Major Role in US Intelligence
“Private contractors, including for-hire intelligence analysts, computer technicians and spies, now form a “key part” of the overall intelligence workforce, according to a survey by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The hiring of contractors has surged since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, said the report’s author, the office’s chief human capital director, Ron Sanders.” (USA TODAY)
Courting the EPA
“The Center for Public Integrity reported yesterday on the enormous industry expenditure spent in their interactions with the EPA. One study finds that companies linked to more than 600 of the nation’s most dangerous toxic waste sites have spent more than $1 billion lobbying Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies in the federal government from 1998 through 2005. Another finds that hundreds of companies and organizations bankrolled nearly $12 million in trips for Environmental Protection Agency employees, according to a study by the Center for Public Integrity of EPA travel disclosed between October 1997 and March 2006.”
White House Turns Over 2002 Docs On MZM Contract
The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the White House has turned over to a House committee about 200 pages of documents related to its contract with MZM, whose leader has since plead guilty to bribing a congressman.
Laura Rozen reports that the 2002 MZM contract with the White House was to scan email to the White House for threats.
Wilkes’ Attorneys Target Classified Information Rules
“Rules governing the use of classified information in the case against former Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes and ex-CIA official Kyle âDustyâ Foggo are unconstitutional and should be scrapped, defense lawyers said. In documents filed late Monday in federal court, Wilkes’ attorneys said a requirement that defense attorneys reveal the classified information they intend to use at trial is a violation of Wilkes’ rights.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Senator Demands Full Disclosure on Possible Meddling with Renzi Probe
“A New York senator is demanding the Justice Department disclose all contacts related to a corruption investigation targeting Rep. Rick Renzi, a day after the Arizona Republican’s top aide said he called his state’s U.S. attorney’s office about the matter. In a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., says the revelation Tuesday from Renzi’s chief of staff, Brian Murray, raises ‘new and serious questions’ about the dismissal of the state’s former prosecutor.” (Associated Press)
Lewis Holds Fast to Approps Seats
“Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is holding tightly onto his Appropriations panel seat even though two House GOP members resigned committee assignments in the last week after the Department of Justice escalated its investigations of them. The Department of Justice has spent more than a year looking into Lewisâs relationship with a lobbying firm and the millions of dollars in contracts its clients received from Congress. Lewis, the ranking member of the spending committee, has outlaid an estimated $900,000 on defense lawyers since the probe began, but the investigation has been quiet in recent months.” (The Hill)
Jefferson Likely to Keep Panel Seat
“House Democratic leaders are not expected to pressure embattled Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) to forfeit his lone remaining committee assignment, even as two Republican lawmakers who similarly face intense FBI scrutiny have relinquished their posts in recent days. Democratic sources indicated that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is unlikely to ask the Louisiana lawmaker, who is under federal investigation, to give up his seat on the Small Business Committee.” (Roll Call)
Congres Slated $5.6B in Bills for Private Sector
“Congress steered $5.6 billion to private companies in 2005 â more than state and local governments combined â through its power to add special-interest items to spending bills, a new government database shows. The database, completed by the White House Office of Management and Budget this month, identifies nearly 15,000 earmarks totaling almost $19 billion. Earmarks, which are inserted into spending legislation at a lawmaker’s request for specific programs or projects, have been involved in recent scandals at the Capitol.” (USA TODAY)
