Gonzales Preps for Showdown with Senate
“His job on the line, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales shelved plans for a family vacation and began prepping Monday for a showdown with senators over the firings of federal prosecutors. An appearance next week in front of a Senate panel that oversees Justice Department spending is shaping up as a trial run for Gonzales’ scheduled April 17 testimony to a separate Senate committee investigating the eight dismissals.” (Associated Press)
Republicans Gird for Surge of Investigations
“The hearings over the firings of eight U.S. attorneys are just the start for Democratic congressional investigators, and Republicans at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue know it. For the first time since 1994, Democrats control both houses and have a long list of issues they say demand investigation.” (Washington Times)
Lawyers to Ask Charges Against Wilkes, Foggo Be Dropped
“A lawyer for a defense contractor accused of bribing a congressman and committing fraud with a top CIA official said Monday that he would seek dismissal of the charges because details of the investigation were leaked to news organizations. Attorney Mark Geragos said he believed the information was leaked to pressure Justice Department officials in Washington into approving criminal charges sought by prosecutors in San Diego against defense contractor Brent Wilkes and his best friend Kyle ‘Dusty’ Foggo.” (Associated Press)
Stretched Army Sends Troops Back to Iraq
“For just the second time since the war began, the Army is sending large units back to Iraq without giving them at least a year at home, defense officials said Monday. The move signaled how stretched the U.S. fighting force has become. The Pentagon announced that 7,000 troops will be going to Iraq in the coming months as part of the effort to keep 20 brigades in the country to help bolster the Baghdad security plan. A brigade is roughly 3,000 soldiers.” (Associated Press)
Pentagon is Asked for Report on Iraq Readiness
“Despite repeated requests from a House committee chairman and government investigators, the Pentagon has failed to hand over its official assessments of the readiness of US-trained Iraqi security units to take over key functions from the US military. But the Defense Department has balked on several requests so far, without giving any official explanation.” (Boston Globe)
Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Guantanamo Cases — For Now
“Detainees at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were dealt a setback Monday by the Supreme Court, which refused â for now â to hear their claim that they were being denied the right to habeas corpus that is protected by the Constitution. On Monday, the justices voted 6 to 3 against taking up the issue of the scope of habeas corpus and deciding it in the current term.” (LA Times)
US Immigrant Raids Spur Fear in Children
“As the government’s crackdown on illegal immigrant workers has intensified in recent months, so have the consequences for a large group of US citizens: American-born children of illegal immigrants. Until recently, their parents’ illegal status had limited impact on these children’s lives, because, although every year hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are detained attempting to cross the US border, once they make it in they are rarely caught. But the increase in raids against companies employing illegal workers is beginning to change that.” (Washington Post)
Lawmakers Urge Bush to Fire NASA Official
“NASA’s inspector general created a hostile and dysfunctional workplace with his ‘aggressive management style’ and compromised his independence by appearing to be close to former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe, two lawmakers said yesterday after reading an investigative report on his conduct. In a letter to President Bush, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) said that the investigators who reviewed complaints against Robert W. Cobb unanimously ‘believed that disciplinary action up to and including removal could be appropriate.'” (Washington Post)
