Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) Pressured Former U.S. Attorney In Federal Investigation
Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) Pressured Former U.S. Attorney In Federal Investigation
Today, John McKay, the former U.S. attorney in Washington, revealed to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Rep. Doc Hastings’s (R-WA) office contacted him and attempted to pressure him in an ongoing investigation.
Shortly after the 2004 elections, McKay received a call from Ed Cassidy, Hastings’s chief of staff, on behalf of the congressman. Cassidy was inquiring about McKay’s investigation of voter fraud in the hotly contested 2004 gubernatorial election, which had been certified in favor of the Democratic candidate. McKay said that Cassidy asked him about “future action” in the case, but ended the call “in a most expeditious fashion” when McKay pointed out that it is “improper” for a lawmaker to lobby a U.S. attorney on an ongoing investigation. Watch it:
House rules prohibit members “from contacting executive or agency officials regarding the merits of matters under their formal consideration.” Nevertheless, Cassidy now advises House Minority Leader John Boehner on congressional ethics.
Earlier today, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico David Iglesias also publicly detailed how Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) pressured him in an investigation.
UPDATE: TPM has more.
Transcript:
FEINSTEIN: Mr. McKay, did any member of Congress, or their staff, contact you regarding decisions your office was making, whether to conduct an investigation?
McKAY: Yes.
FEINSTEIN: Were you ever contacted by a member of Congress or their staff about the status of the Washington gubernatorial election?
McKAY: Yes, senator.
FEINSTEIN: Who, or what, was the outcome of those contacts?
McKAY: Senator, at some weeks following the 2004 governor’s election in the state of Washington, I received a phone call from the chief of staff to Rep. Doc Hastings of Richland, Washington. The governor’s election had at that time been certified in favor of the Democratic candidate on a third recount by something around 200 votes out of millions cast.
I was told the purpose of the call was to inquire on behalf of the Congressman regarding the status of any federal investigation into the election. I advised Representative Hastings chief of staff of the publicly available information, and that was that the Seattle field office of the FBI and my then office of the US attorney for the western district of Washington was requesting anyone with information about voter fraud to immediately contact the bureau. When the chief of staff began to press me on any future actions by the United States on the election —
FEINSTEIN: Excuse me, who was the chief of staff that called?
McKAY: The chief of staff’s name, it is Ed Cassidy. I understand he’s no longer the chief of staff. When Mr. Cassidy called me on future action, I told him, I stopped him, I told him that I was sure he wasn’t asking me on behalf of his boss to reveal information about an ongoing investigation or to lobby me on one, because we both knew that would be improper. He agreed that it would be improper and ended the conversation in a most expeditious fashion.
I was concerned and dismayed by the call. I immediately summoned the first assistant United States attorney and the criminal chief for my office into my office, and I briefed them on the details of the call. We all agreed that I stopped Mr. Cassidy before he entered clearly inappropriate territory, and it was not necessary to take the matter any further.
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And the beat goes on for the Republican crooks.
March 6th, 2007 at 2:55 pmHow corrupt can Republicans be? Much more then we know.
March 6th, 2007 at 2:58 pmSo whaddya bet the mood in the White House today is on the somber side? These guys know they are vulnerable now. I just hope the wussy Democrats take their chance to come down hard with some real oversight.
March 6th, 2007 at 2:59 pmComment by VerbalKint
I wouldn’t plan on it. I’m not holding my breath.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:02 pmClearly Rep. Hastings is more than qualified to offer guidance on enforcement of federal laws. According to his official bio, “Hastings studied business administration at Columbia Basin College and at Central Washington University.”
Eat your heart out, Obama, with your magna cum laude Harvard Law School degree and your president of the Harvard Law Review credentials!
March 6th, 2007 at 3:06 pmOl Doc’s not too hardcore (that’s why the gop made him chair of ethics – knew he wouldn’t catch on to much)….he has a hard time pressuring butter.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:07 pmWhen Mr. Cassidy called me on future action, I told him, I stopped him, I told him that I was sure he wasn’t asking me on behalf of his boss to reveal information about an ongoing investigation or to lobby me on one, because we both knew that would be improper. He agreed that it would be improper and ended the conversation in a most expeditious fashion.
This just strengthens the position that there has to be a respectable person in important positions in order to keep the criminal and sleazy creatures at bay. If this McKay was as corrupt as Cassidy and Hastings are then there would be further erosion of the American Ideal. Hats off to Mr. McKay.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:07 pmWould be nice to see these congressmen/women would contacted the judges get recalled and lose their seats.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:08 pmI don’t suppose we’ll see Roger2 or Dale on this thread, because we know they’re okay with corruption, no matter how venal and vile it is.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:08 pmHasting is the same rat who investigated Tom Delay right???
March 6th, 2007 at 3:09 pmEth IKS
March 6th, 2007 at 3:19 pmWould be nice to see these congressmen/women would contacted the judges get recalled and lose their seats.
Comment by marcus robinson
Not likely to happen in this split Congress, but Congress does have the Constitutional power to remove one of their own from office.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:20 pm#9 ~ Dya suppose we’ll see Daryll because McKay is so good looking?
March 6th, 2007 at 3:21 pmI thought republicans didn’t discuss ongoing investigations.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:31 pmComment by And You Thought REAGAN Was Stupid #5
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
I like it….
March 6th, 2007 at 3:33 pmTrouble comes in threes. I’d like to see what else comes out of the woodwork.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:49 pmI love it — bye, Doc.
March 6th, 2007 at 3:50 pmSeems pretty cut and dry. The repug was in the wrong. What kind of punishment do you get for this crime anyways?
Oh, The Dems that were being tried for voter fraud, were they found guilty or not?
March 6th, 2007 at 4:08 pmOh, The Dems that were being tried for voter fraud, were they found guilty or not? Comment by Roger_Roger — March 6, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
Are you referring to the Republicans in Ohio that were just convicted?
March 6th, 2007 at 4:10 pmOh, The Dems that were being tried for voter fraud, were they found guilty or not?
Comment by Roger_Roger
“The Google” is your friend, Rog.
March 6th, 2007 at 4:12 pmCassidy’s response:
“Rep. Hastings was just concerned that Mr. McKay was not a trustworthy attorney, and wanted me to contact him to see how much information, if any, he would improperly reveal. That’s all. It was…umm…a test. Yeah! A test! We were really concerned with Mr. McKay’s performance and wanted to check him out. Boy, were we relieved when he didn’t reveal any information to me!”
March 6th, 2007 at 4:14 pmTime for the charlatans in Congress who operate like mobsters to get the boot – either that or be censured for breaking the rules.
March 6th, 2007 at 4:31 pm#19 Surely you’ve got your parties confused – it was Rethugs in Ohio who admitted to tampering with the voting machines and will go to prison for it. Also, I suspect that Ken Blackwell (State Sup. of Elections and Director of Bush/Cheney 04) will be indicted for his complicity in the massive voter fraud he abetted in his state…..time for some orange jumpsuits for a bunch of folks who simply believed that they were “above the law”.
March 6th, 2007 at 4:33 pmThis important hearing has been lost in the Libby news of the day, which is also important.
March 6th, 2007 at 7:09 pmBut this case indicates how thoroughly corrupt are the Republicans, who will stop at nothing in their politics.
Wow. Just when you think you know just how low this administration and it’s minions can stoop, they lower the limbo bar and go a little lower.
March 6th, 2007 at 7:10 pm#19, #23
March 6th, 2007 at 7:31 pmDid you guys hear that Diebold may get out of the electronic voting machine business?
Doc Hastings WAS THE repugnant-repub rightwingnut crank fudge- pachyderm G(houlish) O(pportunistic) P(edophile) party MEMBER WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE MERE SLAP ON THE WRIST FOR THE Tom DeLay SCANDAL, the LACK-OF-G.O.P. ethics SCANDAL, the Foley PAGE SCANDAL and other ASSORTED repugnant-repub UNDERHANDED CHICANERY AND DASTARDLY MACHINATIONS–CONGRESS SHOULD INVESTIGATE Hastings AS WELL, THIS fudge-pachyderm PIECE OF HYENA-SHIT and LYING SEWER-RAT, AND DRAG HIM OUT OF CONGRESS, EXPEL HIS SORRY LYING ASS and DESTROY THIS DURN GALOOT!!!!! THIS KIND OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY CANNOT BE IGNORED–WE MUST CLEAN HOUSE AND GET RID OF CANCEROUS POLYPS LIKE Hastings WHO SEEK TO PROTECT THEIR MASTERS, i.e., DeLay and CHIMPya/Cheney/Bushland Uber Allies!!!!!
March 6th, 2007 at 9:45 pmonce again TP gets the facts wrong. no surprise.
2004: KING COUNTY
Dino Rossi up by 164
first recount Rossi still up.
second recount
BALLOTS FOUND ……
TEN DIFFERENT TIMES
TEN DIFFERENT PLACES
and Crissy won by 129 and no one did a thing? Mckay did nothing.
One good thing, the Judge gave King County elections a verbal ass whoopin’ hence to say, Dean Loganberry is gone to L.A., and K.C. is still in search of an elections mngr. Possibly to be an elected position.
gimmeafkgbreak.
all the details are archived at soundpolitics.com
March 7th, 2007 at 12:35 amanother poor, poor liberal leaning public servant is a victim of the big bad republicans. well if the jackass had done his job to begin with, he’d still have it.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:39 amwhat’s with you dopes that you cant see these people dont deserve these jobs for life? get them out in the private sector and stop sucking off the tax payers. OH, maybe bcuz libs worship govt officials like cult leaders. koolaid makes some really cool flavors nowa days, huh?
OH, and lets not forget….
2004
King county busted for recruiting homeless voters, registering their address as the king county bldg.
Also busted was moveon. orgy soliciting blank ballots in a Burien neighborhood. hmmm. thats normal.
lastly, election workers taking home blank ballots? say it isnt so.
BUT IT HAPPENED. CHECK THE SEATTLE TIMES
March 7th, 2007 at 12:43 amLet me see if I can remember back to October or so, the Republican’ts were facing an election where they might lose control of Congress due to Republican’t corruption by the likes of ol’ Tom Delay and Duke Cunningham and Bob Ney and JD Hayworth and other Jack Abramhoff cronies, plus Mark Foley and the page scandal that was so well managed by the Republican’t Denny Hastert and there probably was no likelyhood that the Republican’ts might be looking for some Democratic scandals to point to besides Jefferson (who stored mass quantities of cold cash in his freezer) to balance out the scales — some bad news that Fox News might spin — naw, these calls to attorneys that might be investigating Democrats are just a conincidence. Right? Right.
March 7th, 2007 at 2:42 am#29 Ballbuster — FYI, and contrary to what you state, you should do some research on Mr. McKay.
Fact #1: Mr. McKay was appointed to USDA by Dubya in 2001.
Fact #2: Mr. McKay is a Republican, not a Democrat.
Since you are in error on these two most basic facts, it is logical to conclude some of the other “facts” you have espoused are suspect.
Check out “The Google” to confirm Facts 1 and 2 above.
March 7th, 2007 at 9:37 am[...] to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Rep. Doc Hastings’s (R-WA) office contacted him and attempted to pressure him in an ongoing investigation. McKay was investigating voter fraud in the hotly contested 2004 gubernatorial election, which had [...]
March 7th, 2007 at 11:25 amThat election was stolen by a corrupt machine in the Seattle area. They had done it before. A question by our congressman was needed and waranted.
What kind of country do we have when our elected officials can not inquiry into the progress of a corrupt election.
March 7th, 2007 at 2:56 pmSo why these “Activist Judges”???
March 7th, 2007 at 3:14 pm[...] any evidence of criminal conduct.” Nevertheless, he was pressured both by a GOP official and Rep. Doc Hastings’s (R-WA) office to convene a federal grand [...]
March 13th, 2007 at 11:35 pm#30 – Ballbuster – I paid close attention to the Republican Party’s allegations of voting fraud in King County after the Gregoire-Rossi contest, but I didn’t remember the County being “busted” for registering the homeless using the Administration building as a mailing address, or MoveOn.org “soliciting blank ballots” (whatever that means) in Burien. So I looked it up in the Seattle Times, as you commanded.
King County registered homeless voters at a non-traditional address-the King County Administration Building-because state law requires them to do so. The county obeyed, rather than broke, the law by registering these voters. Furthermore, three canvassers for ACORN, not Move-On, are being investigated for submitting potentially fraudulent voter registration forms in October, 2006. The investigation followed the observation by King County Election workers that many (it turned out to be more than 1800) forms were written in the same handwriting. ACORN’s attorney also advised the county of the potentially fraudulent registration forms. (Seattle Times, March 17, 2007) King County acknowledged the discovery of the possible fraud last month, more than two months after Mr. McKay was fired. Although ACORN is a “liberal” organization, it is not MoveOn.
If I’ve missed the articles you base your claims on, ballbuster, please let me know…I like to base my opinions on facts.
March 20th, 2007 at 3:20 pm[...] McKay revealed earlier this month that Rep. Doc Hasting’s (R-WA) office contacted him and pressured him as to the status of an ongoing investigation into voter fraud in the midst of a tight [...]
March 23rd, 2007 at 5:14 pm