Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Criminal law, Justice, Lawyering, Politics

Rove Admits Involvement in Firing of Federal Prosecutors and Bush’s Likely Involvment

170px-karl_roveKarl Rove spoke to congressional investigators last week and reportedly admitted that he did play a role in the hiring and firing of federal prosecutors, including at least one of the nine U.S. Attorneys at the heart of the scandal.

Rove insisted that his role was minor but also stated that he believes that Bush knew of the intention to fire the U.S. Attorneys before they were terminated.

Emails previously showed that Rove was involved in the scandal, here.

The confirmed involvement of Rove — a political adviser — is further evidence of how Bush and his administration tore down the firewalls at the Justice Department to politicize the department and guarantee loyalty to Bush. The Administration then forced years of litigation and confrontations over getting this information.

Rove reportedly describes himself as “conduit” for political objections to these U.S. Attorneys from Republican members.

For the story, click here.

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28 thoughts on “Rove Admits Involvement in Firing of Federal Prosecutors and Bush’s Likely Involvment”

  3. Josh’s take at TPM:

    [quote] Karl Rove claimed recently that he and his staff acted merely as a conduit for passing on concerns about David Iglesias. But it’s now clear that Rove’s office pushed from 2005 for Iglesias to be canned, and was intimately involved in the decision.
    For instance, the documents show:
    • In May 2005, Rove’s top aide, Scott Jennings, wrote in an email: “I would really like to move forward with getting rid of” Iglesias.
    • The following month, Harriet Miers wrote in an email that the White House had made a “decision” to fire Iglesias.
    • A “very agitated” Rove told Miers in a 2006 phone call that Iglesias was a “serious problem and he wanted something done about it,” according to Miers’s testimony.
    The line about merely being a conduit doesn’t seem to be holding up.[unquote]

    http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/docs_show_rove_pushed_for_iglesias_firing.php?ref=fpa

  4. House Judiciary Committee Releases Rove and Miers Interview Transcripts and Over 5,400 Pages of Bush White House Documents — released by House Judiciary Committee.

    Committee: “The released materials reveal that White House officials were deeply involved in the U.S. attorney firings and the administration made a concerted effort to hide that fact from the American people.”.

    http://judiciary.house.gov/news/090811.html

    Electronic copy of interviews:

    http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/issues_WHInterviews.html

  6. Mespo,
    That’s good, though I think on Craig Ferguson’s show he was portrayed as resembling Elmer Fudd. Hard choice to make.

  8. Rove Admits Involvement in Firing of Federal Prosecutors and Bush’s Likely Involvment”

    That’s plenty good enough for me. Someone quick, go get a rope!

  9. My previous post was intended for another thread and I reposted it there.

  10. Gyges,

    There comes a time, even among good friends, when it is best to avoid further discussion on certain topics to avoid stating something you regret. The adage, ‘There are some things you say that you just can’t take back; so, be careful of what you say’ applies to Mike Spindell and me, for now. Mike is well aware that I like him, but his posts of late are just going to be something that I will skip for awhile.

    The ad hominem reference was Mike’s use against some of the regulars and their opinions, with which Buddha does not engage, with one exception.

  11. Who cares?

    Liberals lack the spine & intestinal fortitude to prosecute anyone; especially if ANYONE accuses them of criminalizing politics, even if the situation is the exact opposite.

  12. I will almost assure you that as a Person that goes by the name of Richard “Rick” Perry, I am not gay. I do not like Dick, I will not be talked into Dick and I will reject Dick if you try and give me one.

    We do have our gay communities and we take care of them as well as we can. You see that what happened in Ft Worth was not supposed to happen. I mean, it was not supposed to be reported. Karl assured me that it would be silenced.

    Ann Richards was Gay? Who started that rumor?

  13. Kinda of interesting that Rove is attempting to sell his house and move to Texas. Kay Bailey Hutchison is reportedly leaving the Senate to run for Governor of Texas against Rick Perry. And now it was reported that “Hutchison Campaign Site Contains Hidden Phrase, ‘Rick Perry Gay.” (TPM Memo)

    Seems this has played out before against Ann Richards, also smeared as gay.

  14. AY,
    At least Atwater seemed to express regret on his deathbed. There’s not a chance of that with Karl.

  17. “Oh I was just a conduit of information.” was also Condi’s defense at Stanford. Who is going to take responsibility for what happened? No one, until we make them.

  18. Even under the memory impaired Karl’s terms, his testimony, (what he can remember of it), is laughable. “Oh I was just a conduit of information.” Even if I believed that, which I don’t, the idea that when the president’s BFF and knuckle buster makes his displeasure known, this should not considered intimidation or a warning to act on the displeasure he expressed is ridculous.

    There is much more to learn here and it’s clear Karl is not telling the truth. When his testimony is lined up with the e-mails that will be quite clear.

  19. E-Mails Show Larger White House Role in Prosecutor Firings:

    “By Carrie Johnson
    Washington Post Staff Writer
    Friday, July 31, 2009

    Political adviser Karl Rove and other high-ranking figures in the Bush White House played a greater role than previously understood in the firing of federal prosecutors almost three years ago, according to e-mails obtained by The Washington Post, in a scandal that led to mass Justice Department resignations and an ongoing criminal probe”

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/30/AR2009073002023.html?hpid=topnews

    So now what?And what is going to happen?

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