FBI Director Rebuts White House Claims That U.S. Attorneys Failed To Pursue Voter Fraud
FBI Director Rebuts White House Claims That U.S. Attorneys Failed To Pursue Voter Fraud
One of the Bush administration’s excuses for its prosecutor purge is that the U.S. attorneys weren’t aggressively investigating voter fraud cases. Last week, President Bush said, “We did hear complaints and concerns about U.S. attorneys. Some complained about the lack of vigorous prosecution of election fraud cases.”
This line has been exposed. The right wing’s pursuit of voter fraud is “code for suppressing the votes of minorities and poor people,” the New York Times wrote. McClatchy News reported it is part of a broader strategy of voter suppression implemented by Karl Rove.
Yesterday, FBI Director Robert Mueller confirmed some of these details under questioning from Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY). Mueller said that since 2001, there have been no FBI investigations related to election fraud that “should have resulted in an indictment but did not.” He also confirmed that he was never consulted about the performance of the fired prosecutors. Watch it:
More on Mueller’s testimony at TPMMuckraker.
Transcript:
SCHUMER: It’s been widely reported that both the White House and the Justice Department have said that some of the fired U.S. attorneys didn’t pursue voter fraud prosecutions aggressively enough for this administration’s taste. And President Bush, by his own admission, passed along to Attorney General Gonzales complaints about certain prosecutors in New Mexico and other states who were perceived as being lax in fighting voter fraud.
So I just want to examine that perception with you for a minute.
First let me ask you: Since 2001, have there been any FBI investigation related to election fraud which you believe should have resulted in an indictment but did not?
MUELLER: Not to my knowledge.
SCHUMER: OK.
MUELLER: And nothing has come to my level.
SCHUMER: Right.
Have you ever heard from your agents about any election fraud case where there were no indictments when they thought that there should have been?
MUELLER: I have not.
SCHUMER: Has any special agent in charge ever brought such a case to your attention?
MUELLER: No, sir.
SCHUMER: And have you ever asked FBI personnel about election fraud cases in which indictments should have resulted but did not?
MUELLER: No.
SCHUMER: OK.
Have you ever been asked by officials at the DOJ or elsewhere in the administration about the FBI’s view on how a specific election fraud case was handled by prosecutors?
MUELLER: No.
SCHUMER: OK.
Were you consulted in any way about the performance of any of the fired U.S. attorneys with respect to election fraud cases?
MUELLER: No.
SCHUMER: Did you ever talk to Kyle Sampson, the attorney general’s former chief of staff, about the performance of the fired U.S. attorneys?
MUELLER: I can’t recall having any specific — I certainly was not consulted. And I cannot recall any specific conversation I may have had with him.
And to the extent that I had any conversation, it probably was with regard to San Francisco, because I was the U.S. attorney there. And I believe that that U.S. attorney was one of those who…
SCHUMER: Mr. Ryan…
MUELLER: … was asked to leave. And so I’m not discounting the possibility of some conversation, but I have no recollection.
SCHUMER: You don’t recall any conversation.
MUELLER: No. No.
SCHUMER: And how about any conversation about these fired U.S. attorneys and their performance with the attorney general?
MUELLER: No.
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Wasn’t Iglesias also chosen by the Justice Department to give a seminar on Voter Fraud?
March 28th, 2007 at 1:11 pmIsn’t it time to impeach yet???
March 28th, 2007 at 1:11 pmThis doesn’t mean that Dan Bartlett and the Chimp were lying to the American public does it? At least the war in Iraqnam is going good for the Chimp. Whew.
March 28th, 2007 at 1:14 pmWow, Mueller gets real? Looks like the rats are deserting the ship!
March 28th, 2007 at 1:15 pmAhhh, the sight of furry lil carcasses furiously rat-paddling to avoid going down with the ship.
March 28th, 2007 at 1:20 pmCaption:
“Dear Lord Cheney, why hast though forsaken me?”
March 28th, 2007 at 1:22 pm…make that “thou”
March 28th, 2007 at 1:23 pmwhat does this even mean?
anybody?
March 28th, 2007 at 1:26 pmMUELLER: … was asked to leave. And so I’m not discounting the possibility of some conversation, but I have no recollection.
Repugs and their Oliver North memory gap. They don’t remember things but these things just happen. Out of the blue.
March 28th, 2007 at 1:26 pmWOW it’s time to lock these guys up. All of them. Viva revolution.
March 28th, 2007 at 1:29 pmThis proves God is a liberal.
March 28th, 2007 at 1:42 pmDemocrat crying about voter fraud?! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahhaahahahahahBWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
oh you people really are laughable! come to Chicago where the Democrat Machine forces you to vote Democrat or else. Where Democrats go into black churches and force everyone to vote Democrat. Where Republican marked ballots have been mysteriously found in the basement of Democrat controlled black Churches….
oh please quit your crying….you left wing buffoons….all of you are good for one thing, to be pointed at and be laughed at….once in a while you receive my pity…..
oh man, this is too funny, you silly little libtards and dumbcrats….how easily you are brainwashed and made into Dumbcrat tools.
March 28th, 2007 at 1:45 pmLike WHOA!!!!!!!
March 28th, 2007 at 1:52 pmhowsad,
I can cite references for instances of Repub voter fraud (and have on more than one occasion).
You, on the other hand, never offer proof of your ridiculous claims at all.
So I’ll tell you what. Show us some proof of your assertions….and we might actually pay attention to you for once.
March 28th, 2007 at 1:53 pmMueller must have just discovered the market value of a Bush administration Medal of Freedom won’t even cover his busfare back to obscurity . . .
March 28th, 2007 at 1:55 pmhowsad you can’t read; try reading the title again, knuckledragger.
March 28th, 2007 at 1:57 pm#12 More GOP sheeple!
March 28th, 2007 at 1:58 pmHowsad provides no links, What a sad no how.
According to prosecutors, the recruiters went to shopping malls and campuses and asked residents to sign petitions for lower taxes or stricter sex offender laws, then tricked them into signing voter registration cards for the Republican party. The registration drive paid up to $10 per registrant.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/nation/16382477.htm
Howsad is Verysad
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/16536269.htm
March 28th, 2007 at 1:59 pmhowsad: You constantly lose all your arguments on this site. You couldn’t defend you “Separation of Powers” argument previously — and you never cited the cases you said you were going to find “over lunch.” Now, you pull some stuff out of your toilet and think it’s gold.
You could at least parrot Rush’s talking points here. You’re unsupported diatribes are like a crazy person in the street yelling at the pigeons.
March 28th, 2007 at 2:01 pmoh man, this is too funny, you silly little libtards and dumbcrats….how easily you are brainwashed and made into Dumbcrat tools.
Comment by howsad
Seems you are the brainwashed one O’ proofless putz. How sad your posts are, how inarticulate, how silly, how sad, how sad, how sad that is when you point a finger three in your hand point back at you, howsad, howsad you are, how easily you deny reality and parrot pathetic pundits phrases, Howsad, Howsad.
March 28th, 2007 at 2:04 pm#19…true, howsad loses all the arguments on this site…just like Patrick1, Exley, Jake etc etc.
But……….howsad’s shift starts at 2 PM and he does have to punch in. Wouldn’t want Rove’s wrath to come his way
March 28th, 2007 at 2:05 pmHowsad, when you take those potent painkillers, you’re supposed to take some stool softener with it.
March 28th, 2007 at 2:09 pmExplains why you are so full of sh!t.
I passed a drunk in the park, howsad
March 28th, 2007 at 2:12 pmranted and raved into nights dark, howsad
pointed fingers at all who came near, how sad
face twisted, angry, how he leered, how sad
slept he there thru the nite, how sad
blaming unknowns for his plight, how sad
pointed fingers at everyone, how sad
cursed God, sky and the sun, how sad
then they came for him. how sad
away he went to asylum, how sad.
[...] Watch Video [...]
March 28th, 2007 at 2:13 pmoh you people really are laughable! come to Chicago where the Democrat Machine forces you to vote Democrat or else. Where Democrats go into black churches and force everyone to vote Democrat. Where Republican marked ballots have been mysteriously found in the basement of Democrat controlled black Churches….
Comment by howsad
Ummm, excuse me. I’ve spent time in Chicago, my best friend still lives in Chicago, and you, you propaganda-pushing hack, are full of s**t!!
March 28th, 2007 at 2:14 pmHowsad, when you take those potent painkillers, you’re supposed to take some stool softener with it.
LOL dont make his brown eye blue!
March 28th, 2007 at 2:15 pmComment by howsad I am
Ummm, excuse me. I’ve spent time in Chicago, my best friend still lives in Chicago, and you, you propaganda-pushing hack, are full of s**t!!
March 28th, 2007 at 2:51 pmComment by CONservative — March 28, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
I need to echo that, CON! I live in Southwest Michigan, which means any major news outta Chicago would be broadcasted over here immediately. A good friend of mine lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois (a northeast Chicago suburb). Between numerous visits to Chicago (including beer-required Cubs games) in the last 4 years, I’ve never ever heard about these things that howsad I am claims.
I have knowledge, tho, that the majority of NeoCons, including howsad i am, enjoy sex with small domesticated farm animals.
Proof? You say.
I’ll have to get back to ya on that one.
(hey, maybe I should post that on a rightwing blog, and then disappear without debating. Just like howsad i am, Jake-off, fireheader, et al.)
It is perfectly obvious that this administration has brought politics into
March 28th, 2007 at 6:04 pman area where it certainly did not belong. When I first read about
this, I asked mysekf “why in the world are U.S. attorneys political
appointments?” and why is the Justice Department not involved in this?” Also, “why are these appointments not approved by the
Senate as other appointments are?” This administration has done
nothing but lie to the American people about this. As for Alberto
Gonzalex, it is perfectly obvious that he is in over his head and should
be replaced ASAP. Bush is seen as a clown by virtually every European
government. His appointments reflect just that.
POOR Robert Mueller…LOOKS LIKE A CHRISTIAN ABOUT TO BE THROWN INTO THE LION’S DEN….LOOK AT HIS HORRIFIED FACE IN THE VISUALS TO THIS POST….GOOD GOD!!!!! AT LEAST HE’S COMING CLEAN, SMART FELLA, AND COULD BE THE ONE PROSECUTING HIS FORMER BOSSES LIKE GONZO, CHIMPya, FRANKENCheney, Rove, ET CETERA AD NAUSEUM!!!!! YEAH! NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL ACTION!!!!!!
March 28th, 2007 at 11:24 pmoh you people really are laughable! come to Chicago where the Democrat Machine forces you to vote Democrat or else. Where Democrats go into black churches and force everyone to vote Democrat.
Blather by howsad aka michael
Which is, of course, why Repubs like Dennis Hastert and Peter Roskam (succeeding Henry Hyde) get elected in Chicago.
March 29th, 2007 at 1:37 amHowsad that you can’t even find a better lie!
[...] Center for Justice at New York University School of Law take on the Bush administration’s prosecutor purge excuses: “[T]he notion of widespread voter fraud, as these prosecutors found out, is itself a fraud. [...]
March 29th, 2007 at 12:28 pm