Critics Doubt Official Looking Into Rove
“Even as Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch moved forward with plans for a sweeping probe of the Bush administration, several advocacy groups complained that his ties to the administration and to conservative groups, as well as his record on gay rights and whistle-blowers, made him the wrong man for the job. ‘There is a serious question as to whether Bloch will just provide cover for an administration that is covering for him,’ said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a Democratic-leaning group.” (LA Times)
Gonzales Watch: AG to Meet with Angry Senator
“Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has set up a meeting with Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, who has accused Gonzales of lying to him about plans to replace a U.S. attorney in his state. Pryor’s communications director, Michael Teague, told U.S. News that Gonzales’s office called Pryor late Monday and scheduled a meeting for Wednesday morning.” (US News)
More GOP Senators Critical of Gonzales
“Despite vocal backing from President Bush, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales faced new doubts yesterday within his own party about whether he should stay on the job amid strong criticism about his handling of the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys. Several Senate Republicans spoke out against Gonzales for the first time, voicing deep concerns about his performance before the Judiciary Committee last week.” (Washington Post)
The Pentagon’s Chronic Neglect of Iraq Vets
“When the Walter Reed scandal exploded in the media in February, bringing wide attention to inadequate care for veterans at the Army’s flagship hospital, Defense Department officials expressed shock and claimed ignorance. But Salon has learned that the Defense Department had been conducting monthly focus group discussions with soldiers treated at Walter Reed since before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had even begun, and that it continued to do so as wounded veterans of those conflicts arrived at the facility.” (Salon)
Pentagon to End Talon Data-Grabbing Program
“Less than two weeks after being sworn in as undersecretary of defense for intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr. is moving to end the controversial Talon electronic data program, which collected and circulated unverified reports about people and organizations that allegedly threaten Defense Department facilities. Clapper, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, ‘has assessed the results of the Talon program and does not believe they merit continuing the program as currently constituted, particularly in light of its image in Congress and the media,’ according to a statement released in his name yesterday by a Pentagon spokesman.” (Washington Post)
Cost Hidden for Feeney Trip
“Lobbyist Jack Abramoff treated Rep. Tom Feeney and others to a Scotland trip in 2003 that began with a trans-Atlantic flight on a private jet and featured twice-daily golf at world-famous locales. New court documents released Tuesday show Abramoff’s expenses for the luxury trip averaged about $20,000 per person for each of the eight people who went, not the $5,000 Feeney estimated in the travel report he filed in Congress.” (St. Petersburg Times)
Ex-House Aide Snared in Abramoff Probe
“A former congressional aide pleaded guilty Tuesday to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from lobbyist Jack Abramoff in an influence-peddling scandal that has touched the White House, Interior Department and congressional Republicans. Mark Zachares was the 11th person to be convicted in the Justice Department probe. Zachares admitted engaging in official acts on Abramoff’s behalf while working for Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who chaired the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.” (Houston Chronicle)
Davis Defends Rice, Parts Ways with Waxman
“The ranking member of the House Government Reform Committee said he could not support the decision of the panelâs chairman to subpoena the secretary of state, marking the first time this year that he has broken with the committeeâs top Democrat on a significant committee issue. ‘Subpoenaing Secretary [Condoleezza] Rice to discuss the Iraq-uranium issue is duplicative of multiple investigations that have already been concluded,’ said Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA).” (The Hill)
Tillman’s Brother Lashes Out
“The brother of Army Ranger Pat Tillman accused the Pentagon and the Bush administration Tuesday of deliberately concealing the circumstances of the former football star’s friendly fire death in Afghanistan in an attempt to avoid embarrassment. Speaking publicly for the first time since his brother was killed in Afghanistan three years ago, Kevin Tillman at a congressional hearing accused Army and administration officials of exploiting his brother’s death to shift attention away from the detainee abuses at the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, which at the time was about to become a public relations nightmare for the military.” (LA Times)
US Charges Canadian Detainee With Murder
“The Pentagon on Tuesday formally charged a Canadian citizen being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with murder for allegedly killing a U.S. Army medic during fighting in Afghanistan. The charge sets the stage for his trial by a military commission. Omar Khadr, now 20, was just 15 on July 27, 2002, when he allegedly threw a grenade at U.S. soldiers who’d attacked a suspected al-Qaida compound near Khost, Afghanistan.” (McClatchy Newspapers)
State Seeks Limit on “RoboCalls” in Campaign
“State investigators here are still trying to figure out who sabotaged Scott Kleebâs campaign for Congress last November with a barrage of automated telephone calls to voters. The unauthorized calls, officials said, distorted Mr. Kleebâs views and even used a recording of his voice â sometimes arriving in the middle of the night â with the greeting: ‘Hi, this is Scott Kleeb!'” (NY Times)
