Check out the comments section of this post at TPMCafe. Two giants of progressive organizing discuss what went wrong over the last 30 years.
It’s interesting. There’s certainly no question that on balance the Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee have been more critical and aggressive than the Republicans. But most of the latter have at least gone through the motions of taking Sampson’s bad acts seriously. Some I think more than that. Certainly Specter. I’d even say Sessions and Kyl have asked some solid questions. But no one has been as shameless and undignified as Sampson’s former employer, Sen. Hatch (R-UT), even including clear false statements. I mean, his sheer lickspittlehood is bracing in its magnitude and scope.
Back in 2000, did Patriot Act-appointed US Attorney Tim Griffin really say he makes the bullets in the war against Democrats? Stay tuned.
Remember San Diego FBI chief Dan Dzwilewski? He’s the one who said he “guaranteed[d]” politics was at the bottom of Carol Lam’s firing and that her dismissal would adversely affect her public corruption investigations. He just announced he’s resigning from the Bureau.
A question from TPM Reader PE: “Did Sampson ever explain how names got put on the list? Who was responsible for that? It seems he just kept saying he just kept the list.”
No. No. And you’re right.
A slightly longer answer would be that on every delicate particular Sampson said that he was collecting viewpoints from various administration officials about their views on particular US Attorneys but that he couldn’t remember specifics and that no one issue was ever determinative. He also said whatever records or notes he kept about the process likely no longer exist.
Today’s Must Read: who will emerge as the most shameless hack of the Bush administration? A little known Bush appointee at the Fish and Wildlife Service vies for the title.
House Dems strike deal for private testimony from Justice Department officials.
More muck on Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons (R), courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
Your media. Behold the wit and wisdom of columnist Margaret Carlson on Bill Clinton:
“Only Hillary thinks he has changed his ways.”
Update: Don’t miss the exchange on video, where the buffoonery really shines.