This is getting good.

A seventh newspaper has now given the hook to Ann Coulter with some very tough language.

Did the administration intend to replace the fired U.S. attorneys wtih handpicked party loyalists and then avoid Senate confirmation?

Well, that’s what Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said one of the former prosecutors told him.

Bluejersey.com is asking their readers to call up the six Republican members of the New Jersey congressional delegation and ask whether any of them contacted US Attorney Chris Christie about the Menendez investigation, in the lead up to the November election. So far they’ve got one answer, from Rep. Michael Ferguson (R) who says he didn’t call Christie.

The House Dems extend their purged prosecutor investigation into the White House.

Judge threatens gag order for tell-all DC madam. With Video!

Okay, so we’ve made a little progress in solving today’s mystery.

We’ve managed to get just a little closer to figuring out what the deal is with this new group “Firefighters for Rudy.” But only a little.

Update: You won’t want to miss this one. The Associated Press got snookered so badly in its coverage of “Firefighters for Rudy” that it has to be seen to be believed.

A suddenly chastened Alberto Gonzales on his department’s firing of prosecutors: “it’s something that we’re looking at internally about how we got to where we are today.”

Fox-hosted debate is effectively dead as Richardson and Nevada Dems pull out.

I was going to summarize this report from Louisville television station WHAS-11. But I think it’s best just repeated in toto. Note the points emphasized with italics …

WHAS 11 NEWS HAS LEARNED THAT INFORMATION ABOUT POSSIBLE FEDERAL LAW VIOLATIONS BY STEVE HENRY HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO THE U-S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE IN LOUISVILLE.

U.S. ATTORNEY DAVID HUBER CONFIMS HIS OFFICE HAS RECEIVED WHAT HE CALLS QUOTE “A MATTER” INVOLVING THE FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND CURRENT DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR.

HUBER WOULDN’T SAY WHAT INFORMATION HIS OFFICE HAS RECEIVED ABOUT HENRY — BUT TELLS US IT’S BEEN REFERRED TO THE U-S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IN WASHINGTON.

WHAS ELEVEN NEWS HAS OBTAINED THESE DOCUMENTS, WHICH SHOW HENRY GOT CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR WHAT HE SAYS WAS N EXPLORATORY CAMPAIGN FOR U-S SENATE.
CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS TO POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS ARE ILLEGAL AND ARE USUALLY INVESTIGATED BY THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION.

Henry’s campaign manager C.D. Marshall says this is old news. He says Henry followed the law when he was collecting donations for his exploratory committee. Henry earlier told WHAS11 News that he was returning those contributions.

More info for you blog readers: Huber says a “matter” does not imply that there’s any sort of investigation going on, only that his office has received information it has agreed to look into. Also, Huber says he’s in the process of personally recusing himself from any matter involving Henry because he doesn’t want to be accused of playing politics. Huber used to work for Sen. Mitch McConnell.

I guess this doesn’t need a lot of explanation.

Did he get a call?

And it’s quaint, isn’t it, how Huber chooses to recuse himself from the case after discussing it with a local tv news reporter and possibly giving him xeroxes of the documents in question.

I just got this press release from the Committee to Protect Journalists …

New York, March 9, 2007— The Committee to Protect Journalists is disappointed that a freelance video blogger will remain in jail after a court-appointed arbitrator was unable to mediate a settlement that could have led to the journalist’s release. Joshua Wolf has spent 198 days in jail, the longest incarceration of a journalist in U.S. history, for refusing to provide the court with a videotape of a 2005 protest.

“We’re disappointed these talks have thus far failed to lead to the release of Joshua Wolf,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “There is no useful purpose in continuing to imprison this journalist.”

Wolf’s tape documents clashes between demonstrators and San Francisco police during a June 2005 protest by anarchists over a Group of 8 economic conference. One police officer was injured, and some protestors allegedly tried to set a police cruiser on fire. A federal grand jury is investigating the alleged crimes. U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup held Wolf in contempt of court and ordered him jailed on August 1. Wolf was briefly released on bail pending appeal but was ordered back to jail in September.

Last month, a federal judge appointed U.S. Magistrate Joseph Spero to arbitrate the dispute. Wolf’s attorney, Martin Garbus, had asked the judge to consider privately viewing the videotape to determine whether the contempt charges against Wolf could be dismissed.

Spero said in a court filing that four hours of negotiations on Thursday had failed to reach a settlement, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. He said he would consult with lawyers in the case as to whether to schedule another meeting. Wolf could remain in jail until July when the grand jury’s term expires.

Freelance writer Vanessa Leggett, who was jailed in 2001, had been the longest incarcerated U.S. journalist. Leggett spent 168 days behind bars in Texas for refusing to disclose to a federal grand jury her research and sources for a book she was writing on a murder trial.

Here’s a letter we received here at TPM on July 19th of last year from Wolf …

Tomorrow about this time, I will be in front of Judge William Alsup facing contempt in Federal Court. I am an independent video journalist who asserted my constitutional rights when commanded by the Federal Grand Jury to turn over the unedited tape of a protest that I shot on July 8th of last year.

The Federal Government is attempt to circumvent the California State Shield law through this grand jury proceeding, and their only claim to juridiction on this case is that an SFPD patrol vehicle was allegedly vandalized, and as the City gets some of it’s money from the Federal Government, the US feels that they have a legal and fiscal interest in this possible vandalism.

Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi and Chris Daly introduced a resolution yesterday to the Board of Supervisors that would establish that the City of SF opposes these actions of the US Government.

Please help publicize this issue for me, as I may be in jail tommorow afternoon and unable to continue speaking publicly about my case.

Thanks.

I have set-up a resource page with all the documents and media associated with my case at http://joshwolf.net/grandjury/

If you have any questions feel free to contact me via e-mail at mail@joshwolf.net or give me a call at (415)794-2401

Josh