Senator Demands Attorney General Clear Iglesias’ Name
“Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote Gonzales on Friday demanding that the attorney general clear David Iglesias’ name. Schumer’s letter came the day after Gonzales’ former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, testified before Congress that in hindsight, he would not have recommended Iglesias for dismissal.” (USA TODAY)
Democrat’s Won’t Reschedule Gonzales
“For all the explanations Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has given about his role in the firing of eight U.S. prosecutors, he hasn’t yet given one under oath to Congress. For the White House, it suddenly seems that day can’t come fast enough. The Bush administration scrambled Sunday to move up Gonzales’ planned April 17 testimony. The idea was rejected by Democrats, who said it was too late to adjust the schedule.” (Associated Press)
Leahy Finds Chance to Fight Executive Privilege Strategy
“Thirty-three years ago, Patrick Leahy, a local prosecutor from Vermont, was so outraged at President Nixon’s attempt to use executive privilege to hide damaging revelations during the Watergate scandal that he used the issue to help him win election to the US Senate. Now, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Leahy has found a chance to strike a blow against executive privilege.” (Boston Globe)
Crime Intensifies Debate Over Taping of Suspects
“An Arizona case involving a brutal crime has reached all the way to the halls of Congress, part of a still-stewing dispute within the Justice Department over a critical law enforcement question: Should interviews with criminal suspects be tape-recorded? Paul K. Charlton, the United States attorney in Arizona, was ousted after spending months protesting a Federal Bureau of Investigation policy that, for practical purposes, forbids the taping of almost all confessions, in stark contrast to the practice of many local law enforcement agencies in Arizona and other locations across the country.” (NY Times)
Former House Leaders Weigh In on FBI Cases
“Embattled Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-LA), the target of a two-year public-corruption probe, is finding himself with strange bedfellows these days. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), former House minority leader Robert Michel (R-IL) and Scott Palmer, former chief of staff for Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), are among those who have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, backing Jefferson’s argument that the controversial FBI raid on his office last May was unconstitutional.” (NY Times)
Ex-Partner of Giuliani May Face Charges
“Federal prosecutors have told Bernard B. Kerik, whose nomination as homeland security secretary in 2004 ended in scandal, that he is likely to be charged with several felonies, including tax evasion and conspiracy to commit wiretapping. Kerik’s indictment could set the stage for a courtroom battle that would draw attention to Kerik’s extensive business and political dealings with former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who personally recommended him to President Bush for the Cabinet.” (Washington Post)
Scandals and Missteps Dog Nevada Governor
“As Jim Gibbons campaigned for the Nevada governorship last fall, the five-term Republican congressman ricocheted from scandal to scandal and from gaffe to gaffe. Since Gibbons took office, his troubles have only increased, as scandals continue to break around him and local representatives lambast his ignorance of his own legislation.” (Washington Post)
The First Contract
“New questions arise concerning Mitchell Wade’s first White House contract — and his long and deep-rooted relationship with the vice president.” (American Prospect)
Program’s Creator is Hired to Assess It
“The government contractor RMC Reasearch Corp., which set up a billion-dollar-a-year federal reading program for the Education Department and failed to keep it free of conflicts of interest, is one of the companies now evaluating the program. This section of the No Child Left Behind Act is in the midst of a congressionally mandated evaluation under a 2003 contract with a team that includes RMC.” (Washington Post)
Detainee Alleges Abuse in CIA Prison
“A high-level al-Qaeda suspect who was in CIA custody for more than four years has alleged that his American captors tortured him into making false confessions about terrorist attacks in the Middle East, according to newly released Pentagon transcripts of a March 14 military tribunal hearing here.” (Washington Post)
