Today’s Must Read: a new day, a new probe. A federal investigative unit has Karl Rove in its sights.
In the Roman Republic, particularly in its last century or so, as the system slid out of control, there was a key interplay between absolute power and legal vulnerability at the center of the political system. A consul had near limitless powers during their one year in office. But if they offended too many people during their term, they could be prosecuted for their acts once they left office.
So as they readied to leave office, consuls would try secure positions or dispensations that would protect them from their enemies.
Our system is different of course. But not altogether so. So as these various investigations move forward — how are Al Gonzales and Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld and a lot of other people … what arrangements are they making for their safety and immunity after January 2009? Immunity from prosecution in the US? Abroad? We should pay close attention to the details of legislation the White House puts forward over the next eighteen months. You may not be thinking about this issue. But they are.
Nothing surprises me anymore. White House counsel Harriet Miers discussed firing U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles Debra Yang — the prosecutor who was heading up the investigation into Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) when she resigned last November.
Paul notes below that Harriet Miers’ apparently discussed firing Debra Yang, the US Attorney from Los Angeles who was investigating then-House Appropriations Chair Jerry Lewis (R-CA) as part of the expanded Cunningham investigation. Let’s not forget though. Yang did leave. Yang stepped down on January 1st 2007, though she has said she was not forced out.
Whatever the story with Yang, we are looking at a series of US Attorney resignations that we’ll call ‘resignations of concern’, departures where the departing USA has either refused to comment on why they left or denied being pushed but in rather unconvincing ways. Minnesota and Western District of Missouri are two other cases we’re looking at very closely, among others.
As mentioned below, another case we’re looking at very closely in the turnover in US Attorney’s in the Western District of Missouri. That’s where former US Attorney Todd Graves resigned his office in March of last year to be replaced by Brad Schlozman. We’ll be bringing you more on Schlozman presently at TPMmuckraker. But before becoming US Attorney he headed up the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division — where he focused on purging the Division of non-conservatives and generally emasculating voting rights enforcement around the country.
We’ve been looking closely at the circumstances of Graves’ departure. But another reporter on top of this story is Dave Helling of the Kansas City Star. Unfortunately the KC Star’s “Buzz” blog is subscription only. (You can at least get a free two week trial. So if you want to follow the situation in this district, I’d suggest signing up.) But in a post that Helling ran yesterday he notes a very suggestive timeline …
1) Oct. 25, 2005: Schlozman writes Missouri, authorizing lawsuit for failure to maintain voter lists; lawsuit filed later in 2005
2) Jan. 9, 2006: Kyle Sampson writes a memo, listing at least seven U.S. attorneys to be replaced; three of those names are redacted.
3) March 10, 2006: Todd Graves announces departure from U.S. attorney office
4) March 23, 2006: Schlozman announced as replacement as interim U.S. attorney; first U.S. attorney appointed under broadened Patriot Act that exempts him from Senate confirmation
5) October 2006: Schlozman prosecutes four workers for ACORN for allegedly filing false voter registration forms; apparently it’s the only known federal case against ACORN in the nation. (At a news conference, Schlozman denies any political motive for the prosecutions.)
The suit to force more aggressive voter purges in Missouri is a story in itself — and the DOJ pushed this in several other key swing states. There’s a lot more smoke here. So stay tuned.
Alleged Duke Cunningham-briber Brent Wilkes pushes to have his case dismissed.
Why? His lawyer argues that the U.S. attorney, Carol Lam, leaked details of the case to the press in order to land the indictment before she was forced from office.
Roll Call: Senate Dems to hold “no confidence” vote on Gonzales.
Harry Reid reminds the President what the American people voted for in 2006.