For those who believe that Attorney General Eric Holder is in any way repentant for the crackdown on journalists and whistleblowers, think again. If you recall, while Obama sacked the head of the IRS for its scandal, he only sent Holder to a confab with the media. After Holder insisted on the meeting being off the record, principled media organizations refused to attend. Holder proceeded to propose meaningless changes that actually would allow the very same investigation of reporters. Now, Holder has given a speech and his people made sure to leak it to the media. Holder told top lawyers in the Administration to continue their scorched earth campaign against leakers. This Administration has surpassed even Nixon in its pursuit of people who speak to the media and Holder wanted people to know that it will continue unabated.
It was Holder’s ultimate profane gesture to the media and public interest groups and he apparently wanted everyone to know about it. He told the top intelligence community lawyers that nothing had changed and “he wanted to continue aggressively prosecuting leaks.” An official then leaked the speech to the media. His only caveat was that he would “prefer” a slightly “narrower, more tailored approach” and that the AP investigation might have been “a bit too broad.” However, he wanted to continue the “aggressive” pursuit of those speaking with the media.
“A bit too broad”? In the Fox case, the Justice Department called James Rosen a potential co-criminal conspirator and, in the AP case, he hit multiple offices and a wide range of reporters and editors. Neither seizure of records should have occurred at all, but Holder is still suggesting that such investigation should continue in the same aggressive posture. Holder has stated he will not resign and says that the controversy simply involves a process that is “out of whack” at bit. Once again, Holder insists that the reforms will address better notice to the media as opposed to barring such fishing expeditions. It is clear from his interview that Obama does not want Holder to resign. It is better for Obama for Holder to remain as his “sin eater’ and deflect criticism from his own role — passive or active — in the rollback on civil liberties.
In a separate meeting, Holder told DOJ staff that he was doing just “fine” and nothing had changed. He is right, of course. The entire confab was a transparent effort by Holder and Obama to spin the scandal without demanding any real change or accountability. Holder should not continue as Attorney General, as previously argued. Instead, he is calling on intelligence community lawyers to continue his legacy against those who speak to the press and whistleblowers.
By the way, it is astonishing how fast Obama and Holder move to reassure our intelligence community in such scandals. If you recall, one of the first major speeches that Obama gave to government officials was to rush to the CIA and assure employees that no one would be prosecuted for the torture program. Now the first speech Holder gives is to rush to the intelligence community to assure them that the crackdown on media sources and whistleblowers will continue unabated. I do not see them running to the EPA to assure lawyers that the work on global warming will continue during such periods of opposition. However, the intelligence community always seems to need soothing by this Administration as if we have a jittery security state force.
With the Democrats remains conspicuously silent (or even supporting the Administration) in this scandal, Holder knows that nothing will happen. He just wanted the troops to know.
Source: FOX
Holder should have been gone when he did not go after the torture crowd, no matter who ordered him to refrain from prosecuting. In fairness, if he had brought the former President, VP, Secretary of State, and high CIA officials up on indictments, all hell would have broken loose. However, without prosecuting any and all criminals, all hell has broken loose anyways. It was true when Nixon was pardoned and it haunts us to this day.
Holder says ‘fatigue’ may eventually lead him to step aside .
Could it be that, the AG, who has total control over all civilian LE activity, has enough on the boss to keep from being fired, short of being caught with a live girl or dead boy? 😉
Darren, The aloof Obama doesn’t have much goodwill amongst his own party, although they have been loyal. What did in the Weinermobile was not only that he had no goodwill w/ fellow Dems, they hate the smug, sanctimonious d@uchebag. That’s why he fell so quickly.
It’s time ALL the news media stopped pandering to the administration and went on the offensive, taking every opportunity to discredit, expose, and denounce it generally. President Obama can blow smoke all he wants but if the press as a whole went after him for what he has done the public would eventually turn against him and exact their wrath at the ballot box against all politicians associated with him. Soon Obama would be toxic and few politicians would support him, because he would be a threat to their own arses, which is what most federal politicans covet most.
Holder is a traitor to the US Constitution. He should be fired, tried and imprisoned.
Holder must go, indeed. But instead of prison, he will go to a K Street law firm and continue to be part of the circular jerk that is our government.
Holder must go!
Paul, There is still Hope, it’s in Arkansas. A depressing town I drove through a couple years ago. The Clinton house is not worth seeing unless you’re a big Bubba fan.
We are rapidly losing the meaning and the words of the Bill of Rights!! Orwell’s predictions are coming true, just a little late!!
We certainly didn’t get any Change. Is their still Hope?
Federal prisoners always can use good jailhouse lawyers. And, this guy is good @ getting pardons for real shitbirds.
Whistleblower attorney Jesselyn Radack has a lengthy piece on the FISA order that requires: Verizon on an “ongoing, daily basis” to give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems, both within the US and between the US and other countries.
That is ALL telephone calls, not just suspects.
More here with multiple links to sources:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/06/1214121/-BREAKING-Massive-Domestic-Spying-Revealed-Exactly-What-NSA-Whistleblower-Warned-About
Change you can really believe in….
So…what we have here is first a PR move to placate and pacify followed by the de facto equivalent of a big “Screw you, you fools.” Kind of reminds me of the 2007-2008 Obama campaign.
Obama is a Bush ll wannabe, corporate hack and Holder makes John Ashcroft and Ed Meese look like friends of the press. They are both afraid of truth tellers and their coddling of the criminal bankster class is quite disturbing.
Americans need to change their W-2 status to Tax Exempt and starve the beast. Shut it all down.
How does Holder get away with filing a false affidavit with the court for the warrant against Rosen?
Holder belongs in prison.
Time for an ‘American Spring’
I would rather live in a Great Depression than live in a Police State