If you’re following the new Rep. “Doc” Hastings (R-WA) dimension
of the fired US Attorneys story, the Seattle Times has the latest on what might charitably be called Hastings’ side of the story.
The short and sweet version is that Hastings’ office first denied that Ed Cassidy, Hastings’ former chief of staff had made the nudge call. Later Hastings released a statement insisting that Cassidy’s call and conversation with US Attorney McKay “were entirely appropriate.”
I guess that means he did call, right?
Then there’s this …
“It was a simple inquiry and nothing more — and it was the only call to any federal official from my office on this subject either during or after the recount ordeal,” Hastings said.
He said Tom McCabe, the executive vice president of the Building Industry Association of Washington, which backed Rossi, did contact his office in July 2005 to ask that Hastings urge the White House to replace McKay.
“I flat out refused to do so, which Ed Cassidy told him in the bluntest of terms,” Hastings said.”
So, Cassidy gets a call from a Rossi backer (Rossi’s the failed gubernatorial candidate) asking that Hastings ask the White House to can McKay. Then Cassidy calls McKay asking for an ‘update’. Clearly McKay’s subsequent firing is a coincidence.
Someone send us a database programmer so we can keep track of all the sub-scandals coming out of this US Attorneys mess.
