Sampson Contradicts Gonzales Over Resignation
Sampson Contradicts Gonzales Over Resignation
On Tuesday, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said that his chief of staff Kyle Sampson had resigned because Sampson had provided “incomplete information” to senior members of the Justice Department who had testified to Congress about the White House role in the U.S. Attorney purge:
Obviously I am concerned about the fact that information, incomplete information, was communicated or may have been communicated to the Congress. I believe very strongly in our obligation to ensure that when we provide information to the Congress, it is accurate and that it is complete and I am very dismayed that that may not have occurred here.
But last night, Sampson’s lawyer Bradford Berenson released a statement contradicting Gonzales. Berenson claims Sampson resigned because he failed to “organize a more effective political response,” not because he misled anyone:
Kyle did not resign because he had misled anyone at the Justice Department or withheld information concerning the replacement of the U.S. Attorneys. He resigned because, as Chief of Staff, he felt he had let the Attorney General down in failing to appreciate the need for and organize a more effective political response to the unfounded accusations of impropriety in the replacement process.
Now why would he do that? As CREW pointed out in its letter to Gonzales calling for a special prosecutor, Sampson’s misleading may have been a federal crime:
According to press reports, Sampson has acknowledged that he did not tell DOJ officials about the extent of his communications with the White House regarding the firings. Justice officials who testified before Congress, including the attorney general, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty and Principal Associate Attorney General William Moschella, all told Congress that the White House, though consulted, was not deeply involved in the firing decisions.
Federal law provides that if Sampson knew that he was causing DOJ officials to make inaccurate statements to Congress, he can be prosecuted for the federal crime of lying to Congress even though he did not personally make any statements to Congress. The Special Prosecutor should investigate not only Mr. Sampson’s conduct but whether anyone else was involved in formulating the incomplete and erroneous congressional testimony or whether the officials who testified were aware that they were providing imperfect information to Congress.
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Yeah, just like Libby could be prosecuted for leaking Plame’s name, right?
March 17th, 2007 at 10:41 amTHANK YOU NICO!!!! It get sovery BORING when you’re working on a saturday morn.Much less updates during the weekend and all… I guess we can just tack that on to the OTHER new scandal getting ready to break involving Gonzales and warentless wireltapping….
March 17th, 2007 at 10:44 amwhuttup Jake
March 17th, 2007 at 10:44 amDo you ever have anything constructive to offer?
March 17th, 2007 at 10:44 amwow-bad spelling on my part-sorry all…
March 17th, 2007 at 10:45 amSampson can take some cold comfort from th prospect of Gonzo soon joining him in career termination.
March 17th, 2007 at 10:45 amCaption:
“Golly, it’s awful bright out here in the light… how long have I been down there in Alberto’s basement?”
March 17th, 2007 at 10:48 amMy previous comment was intended for comment #1.
March 17th, 2007 at 10:48 amJust some infighting going on between Gonzales and Sampson.
March 17th, 2007 at 10:50 am‘nods to Raven’
March 17th, 2007 at 10:51 amshappenen?
I’m looking out for you whiteyfresh.
Nico
March 17th, 2007 at 10:52 amWhy is Sampson complaining? Doesn’t he know that as long as he’s a “loyal Bushie” he’ll be taken care of? C’mon, Gonzales is already CREATING another position for him…
March 17th, 2007 at 10:53 amLive tonight on Pay per View!
Sampson versus Gonzales..
March 17th, 2007 at 10:54 amA fight of truly biblical proportions!
The fate of the Emperor at stake!
G’ morning whiteyfresh… on fire today…
March 17th, 2007 at 10:56 amNot much, whiteyfresh, just kickin’ it in the crib!
P.S. Str8edge — I think me pointing out the bad precedents your side is going to shoot itself in the feet with when (if) a Democrat gets into the Oval Office is, at the very least, constructive criticism. You think if Gonzales / Bush have to resign / get impeached over this, that ANY U.S. Attorney can EVER be fired again?
March 17th, 2007 at 10:56 amAnd don’t even suggest that Sampson might be coordinating this with Rove…
March 17th, 2007 at 10:57 amthank you Nico! I have to work 8 hrs(7-3pm) in a clinic and today we have 12 patients. ALL I do is check them in and make their appointment for tomorrow when they leave. Takes 3 minutes(total process) for each person.
**sigh** only 4 hrs to go…. :(
March 17th, 2007 at 10:59 amy’know Raven, I hear beer is good for putting out fires–and it IS St. Patrick’s Day, after all…..that no beer before noon policy should be out the window.
March 17th, 2007 at 11:01 amoff topic, but I’m bored, so sue me.
March 17th, 2007 at 11:04 amAnyone heard about Apothus(?Apothes? my spellings a little rusty for the Egyptian God of Death and Destruction, not to mention the name of an Asteriod that *could* obliterate the west coast….)
At least Bush survived another Ides of March ; )
March 17th, 2007 at 11:04 amMy only experience with using beer on fires, is after consuming a particularly fine plate of chili rellenos… ahhhh….!
March 17th, 2007 at 11:05 amI think that the Attorney General should be removed from office for incompetence; Bush and Cheney to be impeached for recklessly leading the nation into war.
March 17th, 2007 at 11:07 amWell, we are a civilized nation….
March 17th, 2007 at 11:09 amStr8edge:
In that order?
March 17th, 2007 at 11:11 am#24, not up to me, Jake. What does the rule of law demand?
March 17th, 2007 at 11:16 amRuby Khan:
Did you hear that a recently declassified FBI file links Kennedy to Marilyn Monroe’s death? http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/kennedy-link-to-death/2007/03/16/1173722744304.html
March 17th, 2007 at 11:18 amSo Sampson is saying that he quit not because he did anything illegal, but because he was accused of doing something “politically” incorrect and didn’t have a “politically” viable explanaton/justification for his actions, which left his boss vulnerable to “political” victimization?
So he did something legal, but he didn’t foresee the political impact of his boss being unjustly criticized and needed to quit to take “political” pressure off his boss, the head legal counsel for the United States of America?
So he was following orders and because his actions were politically damaging, he had to quit to protect his boss, but when confronted with the reality that he could be prosecuted for executing those orders, he had to go on record that his quitting was not a de facto admission of being guilty of committing illegal acts, only of being a political embarassment to his boss, the head legal counsel for the United States of America?
His ultimate defense will be, he was only following orders he believed to be legal because they were the orders of the head legal counsel for the United States of America, Alberto R. Gonzales.
March 17th, 2007 at 11:21 amWell, Str8edge, since I don’t think any laws have been broken, my answer would be none. Assuming there were laws broken, I would say Bush first, but then that leaves you with President CHENEY! So, from your side’s political viewpoint, it would be best to go after Cheney first.
March 17th, 2007 at 11:21 amPerjury and lying under oath? Oh, God- Say it ain’t so.
March 17th, 2007 at 11:23 amIn the Middle East if someone steals, they cut off an arm. If someone commits adultery, they cut off a penis. If someone lies, they cut out the tongue.
In the good ‘ole US of A, bad behavior is actually rewarded and it means a promotion. -heh-
I live in the SW. I say, “Git a rope and hang the varmint”!
Right now, I wish Cheney was President. At least 50% of the Republican congress hate him. The Democrats would have more than enough Republican allies to stop the bastard in his war in Iraq and on the constitution and our rule of law!
March 17th, 2007 at 11:28 amRe : #26
March 17th, 2007 at 11:29 amThis is not news, Jake….
Corruption, criminality and depravity knows no party affiliation.
One of the greatest challenges to problem solving is to stay in the present…
The arts of deflection, blame and non-sequiter-ism are among the first tools out of the con-mans bag.
Damn Sidney Australia newspaper trolls!!!
March 17th, 2007 at 11:33 amPerjury and lying under oath? Oh God, say it ain’t so!
March 17th, 2007 at 11:36 amIn the good ‘ole US of A, bad behavior has consistently been rewarded. So, maybe this guy is in line for a promotion? -heh-
Maybe the “regular folk” in this country have finally opened thier eyes and maybe- just maybe- they’ll push for a punishment that fits the crime. D’ya think?
he looks like Karl Rove’s younger brother!
March 17th, 2007 at 11:39 amI thought so, too… he could be Chainee’s first cousin as well…
March 17th, 2007 at 11:43 amIt’s the “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job” routine. All these Bush loyalists willing fall on their swords for their boy-king.
March 17th, 2007 at 11:48 amJake, I hope you’re getting paid overtime to come here on a Saturday morning to pretend that the rule of law doesn’t exist.
March 17th, 2007 at 11:55 am[...] Sampson Contradicts Gonzales Over Resignation [...]
March 17th, 2007 at 12:45 pmIt’s Bill Clinton’s fault that Gonzales lied to Congress. During the previous administration Alberto wasn ‘t Attorney General so how can it be his fault. Don’t you guys understand that when ever these guys mess up, they blame Clinton? The same goes for Scooter Libby, he didn’t do anything wrong, it was Clinton. The credit for the good and the bad is the responsibility of the Clinton administration. They’d blame Abe Lincoln if it meant passing the buck.
I think Alberto is doing a great job of destroying any hope of a good legacy for his good buddy Bush. After all who needs a scandal more than a guy with a 30 percent approval rating? With friends like Al, who needs enemies? For once I’d like to see six months go by without a scandal. They should start taking bets in Vegas on that action. I’ll take the under, because there’s no way they make six months without the other shoes falling. Keep up the good work guys, that’s the way to bring creditability back to the WH. This is the most Ethicallly challenged administration in history. They make the kremlin look like a bunch of girl scouts.
March 17th, 2007 at 2:17 pm“Pigeons From Hell”(tm) Courtesy of the Late, Great Robert E. Howard(creator of CONAN THE BARBARIAN tm) HAVE COME HOME TO ROOST ATOP THE DEAD-HEADS Alberto VO5 Gonzales the “Court-Jester” and CHIMPya W. Bush. Bush: “Here’s ANOTHER FINE MESS YOU’VE GOTTEN US INTO, AL!!!!!” Gonzo: “I’M SORRY Georgie…Weep Weep Weep Cry Cry Cry Whimper Whimper Whimper!”
March 17th, 2007 at 3:10 pmhttp://encampmenttostopthewar.blogspot.com/
…Walter Williams is the man who designed and directed the setup for the Encampment. Here he is on top of the scaffold securing the banner. Roll Call – a publication that arrived on the desk of every member of congress published this photograph this morning with the following words:
“Walter Williams of New York City helps prepare scaffolding for an anti-war banner as Troops Out Now Coalition sets up a weeklong encampment by the West Front Reflecting Pool on Monday. The group is in Washington to take part in protests marking the fourth anniversery of the start of the war in Iraq.”
Singer–Songwriter Anne Feeney entertained the organizers with a lively rendition of “Let Their Heads Roll†(Axis of Logic Photo) ……..
To Protest Meeting of House Appropriations Committee Meeting on War Funding
Thursday, March 15
9 AM in front of Rayburn House Office Building
on Independence Avenue
The House Appropriations Committee will be meeting in the Rayburn Building on Thursday, March 15, at 9:00 AM to “mark up” the legislation approving $100 billion more for the Iraq war.
The Troops Out Now Coalition will be demonstrating in front of the Rayburn Building at 9:00 AM to demand that Congress cut off all funding for the war and bring the troops home immediately. Activists with the Coalition and other organizations participating in the Encampment to Stop the War plan to engage in what they call “creative actions of protest” in front of the Rayburn Building.
Sharon Black, a spokesperson for the Troops Out Now Coalition, said, “It is a crime to spend another penny on this criminal colonial war and occupation in Iraq. If Congress votes for more war funds, then they are voting to continue the war.”
“Sugar-coating the war funding with calls for ‘phased withdrawal’ is no more than a ploy to appease antiwar anger,” continued Black. “A 12 or 18-month withdrawal plan means thousands more dying and being maimed. Congress must cut off the funds and this nightmare now–or the blood of more Iraqis and GIs will be on their hands.”
March 17th, 2007 at 4:00 pm#1 Joke
Yeah, just like Libby could be prosecuted for leaking Plame’s name, right?
Still don’t understand what the Libby trial was about, huh? Keep playing dumb and we’ll keep treating you like a dumbass.
March 17th, 2007 at 4:01 pmJake RE #26…who gives a rats ass if JFK killed Marilyn Monroe or Marilyn Manson or his uncle Ralph? We know for certain that BushChaney and their policies have killed over 3000 american servicemen and untold tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of Iraquis. Aren’t you concerned about this situation in the here and now? I guess not. You are so braindead a “moonie” cultist that your brain does not work outside your closed delusional system. You really need to get a cranial duchebag and use it twice a day until you are back in the real world..
March 17th, 2007 at 4:23 pm[...] were preparing to provide information to Congress.” That’s illegal. But Sampson says it isn’t true, and he’s testifying under oath [...]
March 28th, 2007 at 5:42 pmKati
Six Apart started a working group in February 2006 to improve the Trackback protocol with the goal to eventually have it approved as
March 28th, 2008 at 11:05 pm