In 5 Years, Scant Evidence of Voter Fraud
“Five years after the Bush administration began a crackdown on voter fraud, the Justice Department has turned up virtually no evidence of any organized effort to skew federal elections, according to court records and interviews. Although Republican activists have repeatedly said fraud is so widespread that it has corrupted the political process and, possibly, cost the party election victories, about 120 people have been charged and 86 convicted as of last year.” (NY Times)
Democrats Heating Up Prosecutor Probe
“Senate Democrats are getting tougher on the Bush administration by approving more subpoenas for documents and testimony by officials connected to the firings of eight federal prosecutors over the winter. Approval by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday would permit Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., to sign subpoenas compelling the Bush administration to surrender hundreds of new documents and force two officials — Associate Deputy Attorney General William Moschella and White House political aide Scott Jennings — to reveal their roles in the firings.” (Associated Press)
Joining Gonzales in “Challenging Times”
“This week U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O’Connor of Connecticut was named Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales’s third chief of staff in as many months, meaning few can congratulate him on the promotion without a sympathetic laugh. O’Connor, 39, takes the job as Gonzales fights for his professional life amid a congressional investigation into his role in controversial firings of eight U.S. attorneys.” (Washington Post)
A Unified Theory of Scandal
“The ideological roots of the Justice Department scandal aren’t buried in Karl Rove’s office. They reside in a less likely place: the pages of The Harvard Law Review. More precisely, this scandal traces back to a 1992 article co-written by a founder of the Federalist Society, Steven Calabresi.” (The New Republic)
Kurdistan’s Covert Back-Channels
“In June 2004, journalist Seymour Hersh reported in the New Yorker that Israelis operating in northern Iraq under the guise of businessmen were in fact cultivating Kurdish proxies to gather intelligence in preparation for possible future action against Iran. About the same time, I too was hearing about Israelis operating in Kurdish northern Iraq. What followed was a story of how an ex-Mossad chief, a German uberspy, and a gaggle of top-dollar GOP lobbyists helped Kurdistan snag 15 tons of $100 bills.” (Mother Jones)
Waxman Wants Answers on White House Contracts with MZM
“The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is pushing the Bush administration for records of its dealings with a company and two people linked to former U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Waxman wants documents and information regarding contracts between the White House and Washington defense contractor MZM Inc. and any of its subsidiaries or subcontractors.” (North County Times)
Dems Get to Media… Now Gibbons?
“Ray Hagar and Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons are caught on a scratchy audio sharing a dark secret: ‘People have told me that there is an organized Democratic kind of conspiracy that is driving a lot of issues, such as The Wall Street Journal thing, pushing…’. ‘I’ve heard the same thing, Ray, I have heard that actually the Democratic Party paid to have these Wall Street Journal articles written, I’ve heard that.'” (Las Vegas Sun)
