Early Victory for Defense in Libby Case
“A federal judge handed a victory to the defense Thursday in the Valerie Plame case, siding with Vice President Dick Cheney’s indicted former chief of staff in a fight over release of classified information.
“U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton decided that he won’t impose strict standards sought by prosecutors who want to limit the amount of classified information used in the trial of defendant I. Lewis Libby.” (AP)
Justice Department Looks to Appeals Court to Dismiss Wiretapping Suit
“The Bush administration asked an appeals court Thursday to step in immediately and dismiss a lawsuit over the government’s warrantless eavesdropping program, calling a lower judge’s ruling dangerous and wrong.
“The Justice Department asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the decision earlier this month by U.S. District Judge Garr King in Portland, Ore., that kept the suit alive. Government attorneys argued that continuing the case would risk the disclosure of ‘highly sensitive foreign intelligence information.'” (AP)
IG Report Leads Rep. Waxman to Demand HUD Secretary’s Resignation
“An investigation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspector General found that HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson instructed staff to award contracts to President Bushâs political allies and withhold them from his political opponents.
“The news prompted Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) â the ranking member on the House Government Reform Committee â to call for Jacksonâs resignation.” (Think Progress)
GOP Gov. Candidate Faso’s Role In One of NY’s Biggest Financial Deals
“[GOP candidate for Governor of New York John] Faso has said that lobbying played âa very minor partâ in the legal work he did after leaving state government. And after he was hired last year by the stateâs Public Asset Fund, he said lobbying played no role at all in his work on one of the biggest financial deals in state history, the fundâs sale of stock that the state received for allowing Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield to become a profit-making company….
“The billing records indicate that Mr. Faso, a Republican, held daily discussions with officials in Gov. George E. Patakiâs office about the legislation in the days before it was passed in June 2005. When the Legislature agreed to pass the bill, Mr. Faso forwarded board members an e-mail message he had received from one of the governorâs aides informing him that ‘the Legislature agreed to a package,’ and adding, ‘Thanks for your help!'” (NY Times)
Senator Graham Censured by Army Court
“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has been censured by an Army court on the same day he agreed to a deal with the White House outlining new provisions for military justice in cases involving suspected terrorists.
“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces yesterday held that Sen. Graham violated the Incompatibility Clause of the Constitution when, as a Reservist, he sat on the Air Force’s intermediate appellate court while also a member of the Senate.” (The Blotter)
English Civil Liberties Groups May Throw Support Behind Wiretapping
“The U.K. is one of only two countries in Europe, Ireland being the other, which refuses to allow wiretapping evidence to be used to prosecute criminals. Despite the controversy in the U.S. over recent wiretapping scandals, British civil liberties groups are voicing very few reservations about Lord Goldsmith’s proposal.
“Many civil rights advocates in the U.K. think that the use of wiretaps would allow British prosecutors to charge suspects more easily and sooner, rather than holding them in custody without charges.
“‘Our reluctance to use phone tap evidence in terror cases like most other countries is frankly mind-boggling,’ said Shami Chakrabati, director of the civil rights group Liberty U.K.” (The Blotter)
Ney’s Gambles
The ins and outs on Rep. Bob Ney’s (R-OH) trip to London, and how he came across his massive “winnings” while gambling with a Syrian business man looking for favors. (Newsweek)
Tainted Cash Puts Harris in a New Jam
“U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris received a campaign contribution from an Ohio congressman who has agreed to plead guilty to accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for political favors, marking the third time the Florida congresswoman has received money from a tainted source.
“Harris, who received illegal campaign contributions from a disgraced defense contractor and years ago accepted contributions in one of the Legislature’s biggest fundraising scandals, received $6,000 from U.S. Rep. Bob Ney’s political action committee, American Liberty PAC, when she ran for Congress in 2002 and 2004.” (Miami Herald)
Claim 9/11 Terrorists Were Identified Is Rejected
“The inspector generalâs office, which acts as the Defense Departmentâs internal watchdog, said in a report that its investigators found no evidence to suggest that the intelligence program, known as Able Danger, had identified Mr. Atta, the Egyptian-born ringleader of the attacks, or any of the other terrorists before Sept. 11. . . .
“The inspector generalâs report, prepared at the request of several members of Congress, was criticized Thursday by Representative Curt Weldon, Republican of Pennsylvania, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and who helped bring information about Able Danger to light.
‘”I am appalled that the Department of Defense inspector general would expect the American people to actually consider this a full and thorough investigation,’ Mr. Weldon said, describing the inspector general as having ‘cherry-picked testimony from witnesses in an effort to minimize the historical importance of the Able Danger effort.'” (NYTimes)
Lennon Spying Case Example of Surveillance Abused
“The F.B.I.âs surveillance of [singer John] Lennon is a reminder of how easily domestic spying can become unmoored from any legitimate law enforcement purpose. What is more surprising, and ultimately more unsettling, is the degree to which the surveillance turns out to have been intertwined with electoral politics. At the time of the John Sinclair rally, there was talk that Lennon would join a national concert tour aimed at encouraging young people to get involved in the politics â and at defeating President Nixon, who was running for re-election. There were plans to end the tour with a huge rally at the Republican National Convention.
“The F.B.I.âs timing is noteworthy. Lennon had been involved in high-profile antiwar activities going back to 1969, but the bureau did not formally open its investigation until January 1972 â the year of Nixonâs re-election campaign. In March, just as the presidential campaign was heating up, the Immigration and Naturalization Service refused to renew Lennonâs visa, and began deportation proceedings. Nixon was re-elected in November, and a month later, the F.B.I. closed its investigation.” (NY Times)
GOP Leaders Acknowledge “Pink Sugar”
“President Bush came to Florida on Thursday and publicly complimented Rep. Katherine Harris for the first time since she won the GOP Senate nomination over the opposition of her own party.
“‘I’m proud to be here with Congresswoman Katherine Harris, who is running for Senate,’ Bush told a crowd of about 400 people at a fundraising event in Tampa.
“The brief acknowledgment came after months of unsuccessful efforts by Republican leaders to push Harris out of the race in hopes of finding a candidate they felt had a better chance of winning against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.” (AP)
Candidate For Senate Disavows Inflammatory Ad
“A national black Republican group is running a radio advertisement accusing Democrats of starting the Ku Klux Klan and saying the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican, a claim challenged by civil-rights researchers….
“At an event in Baltimore, [GOP candidate for Senate Michael] Steele said, ‘I don’t know exactly what the intent of the ad was’ but that ‘it’s not helpful to the public discourse.'” (AP)
1,100 Laptops Missing From Commerce Dept.
“More than 1,100 laptop computers have vanished from the Department of Commerce since 2001, including nearly 250 from the Census Bureau containing such personal information as names, incomes and Social Security numbers, federal officials said yesterday.
“This disclosure by the department came in response to a request by the House Committee on Government Reform, which this summer asked 17 federal departments to detail any loss of computers holding sensitive personal information.” (WPost)
FBI Raids Cook County Human Resources Bureau
“Setting off an instant political furor, FBI agents Thursday raided the offices where Cook County keeps records of hiring for government positions, an FBI spokeswoman said.
“The agents arrived at Cook County’s Bureau of Human Resources at 9 a.m. and remained behind closed doors there into the afternoon. The FBI spokeswoman said the raid was part of ‘an ongoing investigation’ but would not disclose the precise target of the search of the office where County government keeps its hiring records.
“Federal prosecutors have said they are investigating hiring practices at the state level.” (Chicago Business)
