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Leahy reacts to Goodling.

By Nico Pitney on May 23rd, 2007 at 3:05 pm

Leahy reacts to Goodling.»

Monica Goodling’s testimony today suggests that the attorney purge arose from a group of select White House advisers. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is out with a new statement echoing this line. “What we have heard today seems to reinforce the mounting evidence that the White House was pulling the strings on this project to target certain prosecutors in different parts of the country.”

Read the full statement:

Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.,
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,
On Testimony Of Former DOJ White House Liaison Monica Goodling Before The House Judiciary Committee
May 23, 2007

“It is curious that yet another senior Justice Department official claims to have limited involvement in compiling the list that led to the firings of several well-performing federal prosecutors. What we have heard today seems to reinforce the mounting evidence that the White House was pulling the strings on this project to target certain prosecutors in different parts of the country.

“It is deeply troubling that the crisis of leadership at the Department allowed the White House to wield undue political influence over key law enforcement decisions and policies. It is unacceptable that a senior Justice Department official was allowed to screen career employees for political loyalty, and it confirms our worst fears about the unprecedented and improper reach of politics into the Department’s professional ranks.

“As Congress continues its oversight to pull back the curtain on the politicization of the Justice Department, it is abundantly clear that we must do all we can to get to the truth behind this matter and the role White House played in it.”




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53 Responses to “Leahy reacts to Goodling.”

  1. Patrick1 Says:

    Good ole Leaky knows a scandal when he creates one.


  2. big papa Says:

    Now WHAT?


  3. BlueArkansas Says:

    Damned straight! You’ve got the docs, you’ve got the testimony. Now quit d!cking around and subpoena him! You know he’s the puppetmaster behind all of this! DO SOMETHING!


  4. scott karen Says:

    So the hirings were political,….

    Oh but not the firings,…

    :)


  5. Namtillaku Says:

    Now WHAT?

    More of the same; nothing. Welcome to your new world.


  6. Zooey Says:

    Get busy, Congress.


  7. whiteyfresh Says:

    “As Congress continues its oversight to pull back the curtain on the politicization of the Justice Department, it is abundantly clear that we must DO ALL WE CAN DO to get to the truth behind this matter and the role White House played in it.”

    Subpoenas anyone????


  8. lestatdelc Says:

    WTF?

    From Goodlings testimony today:

    Goodling: “Although I did have discussions with certain members of their staffs regarding specific aspects of the replacement plan, I never recommended to them that a specific U.S. attorney be added to or removed from Mr. Sampson’s list….
    …At that time, I recommended that two of the U.S. attorneys Mr. Sampson had listed be retained in office and that certain other U.S. attorneys be considered for replacement.”

    How do you square her own testimony with itself?
    Those are two contradictory statements.


  9. SKdeA Says:

    Inch by inch, step by step…


  10. TripMaster Monkey Says:

    Comment by Patrick1 — May 23, 2007 @ 3:07 pm

    Leahy isn’t the one on trial here, Patty. Do try to keep up…


  11. lestatdelc Says:

    #1 Did Goodling perjury herself when she said what I quote above at #8?


  12. profmarcus Says:

    and we are SO-O-O-O-OOO surprised…

    And, yes, I DO take it personally


  13. Angry One Says:

    In her testimony today before the House Judiciary Committee, former DOJ White House liaison Monica Goodling joined Alberto Gonzales, Kyle Sampson and Paul McNulty in disclaiming any role in the creation of the infamous list of U.S. attorneys to be fired. It should comes as no surprise that the graduate of Regent University law school would have us believe the list so central to the prosecutors purge appeared magically, untouched by the hands of man. Call it Immaculate Conception.

    For the details, see:
    “Monica Goodling’s Immaculate Conception.”

    For the latest news, document dumps, email archives, hearing transcripts and other essential materials in the firings of U.S. attorneys, see:
    “The U.S. Attorney Scandal Documents.”


  14. heyzeus Says:

    We can only hope.


  15. The Empire is Here Says:

    So.. Do you like the taste of dictatorship? Get used to it because we are setting one up and there is nothing you can do about it. My suggestion is to act like you are a Republican or you might find yourself in one of our camps. You do know understand that we made them knowing that they will need to be used, right? So get with the program or find yourself eating beans and rice behind a fenced in area.


  16. Patrick1 Says:

    There is no one on trial here. This is a show trial.


  17. Zooey Says:

    Did Goodling perjury herself when she said what I quote above at #8?
    Comment by lestatdelc

    I’m sure she didn’t mean to….

    Heh.


  18. FunMe Says:

    Keep peeling the onion.

    All roads lead to the traitors to our Constitution: rove, bush and cheney!

    Meanwhile, that bitch Good for Nothing Goodling is a liar. BIG TIME!


  19. pablo Says:

    #11 - i think the term is “perjure” either way, those republican bastards in d.c. just reek of it. all of this illegality and immorality from this schmuck who was supposed to bring ‘honor’ back to washington. itmfa (but impeach cheney first)…


  20. pablo Says:

    hey patrick, i think you’re the only one on trial here. where’s jake?


  21. whiteyfresh Says:

    patrick1, is your head THAT far up your own arse??? geez, that talking point is SOOOOOOOOO last week. It’s now called “political theater”, NOT a ’show trial’… oy….get with the program, or I will put in an application to have your troll card revoked…


  22. dogjudge Says:

    So beyond going after the people who were doing this, how do we get the DOJ back to being a non-partisan organization of government?

    How many “career” attorneys are going to be pushing the Bush agenda until they quit, or die?


  23. Patrick1 Says:

    I would really call it the result of an ideology that died in 1972.


  24. Oversight is a Bitch. Says:

    Actually, Gonzales is on trial here . . . and he is guilty as a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. Buh-bye, Gonzo! LOL.


  25. Tom Says:

    There is no one on trial here. This is a show trial.

    Comment by Patrick1

    Yep. It’s a show trial all right. The trial will SHOW just how corrupt the Bush Administration is. You finally got one right, Patty. Way to go!!!


  26. Cpt Crepitus Says:

    Poor little Patsy1 is gonna get a visit from the Cpt if his posts don’t start improving. The Cpt’s bubble wrap will enshroud him from head to toe.
    Yo, Patsy1, if you see the Cpt’s bug eyed goggles in your monitor’s reflection, your already gone.


  27. pablo Says:

    #23 you mean the ideology of appeasing the nazis?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescott_Bush


  28. The Empire is Here Says:

    How dare congress try to stop the Empire. It’s time we rid the country of congress. The people don’t need representation anyway. They should just follow orders. Get in line people because it’s time for the Empire to gel to fruitation.


  29. VerbalKint Says:

    Patrick, I think you are a certifiable pussy for avoiding the thread about Goodling having admitted under oath to breaking the law.


  30. PatrioticLiberalChristian(PLC) Says:

    Let’s try this in the “patrick1 two sentence” style:

    Bush is the decider. Goodling is only the tool.


  31. Zimzone Says:

    Off topic,
    So I go into a gas station and ask for $5 worth of gas…
    the clerk farted & took my money.


  32. mongoose Says:

    Anyone who thinks they need a constitution to be protected is insane. Like our beloved leader said, “It’s just a goddam piece of paper!”. People need to do as they are told and not question authority. The President will protect you. Trust in our President! You are either for us or against us.


  33. Jeremy Says:

    Patrick1 continues toting the line of Mr. 30%. I just hope that our congress gets with the program and shuts Mr. 30% down and keeps him shut down. If not, well, I hear Vancouver is a great place for game developers…


  34. Oversight is a Bitch. Says:

    #29. Of course, I would agree with that statement in principle, but where does one go for that sort of certification?


  35. Patrick1 Says:

    You libs will never get to pin it on anyone in THIS administration. Don’t you understand that we are above such petty things as laws?


  36. hollywood prophesy Says:

    If any of you have seen the series Babylon 5, you will see similarities of the season three Earth force dictatorship and our current leadership. In the Series, President Clark has his brown shirts (called Night Watch) eventually take over the leadership of colonies and planets. And all current leaders to be arrested and tried for treason. It is very eerie how much it projects real life. And season 3 was made in 1996. Their crystal ball is uncanny


  37. Yikes Says:


    I would really call it the result of an ideology that died in 1972.

    Comment by Patrick1 — May 23, 2007 @ 3:28 pm

    You mean when Canada beat Russia in the Hockey Summit Series?


  38. PatrioticLiberalChristian(PLC) Says:

    #34

    Go behind the Bush, squat down, and pull one out of the orifice.


  39. Zooey Says:

    So I go into a gas station and ask for $5 worth of gas…
    the clerk farted & took my money.
    Comment by Zimzone

    No respect….


  40. Barbarian Says:

    Would somebody please euthanize that mongoose?


  41. Mr. Bush Goes To Hell Says:

    You libs will never get to pin it on anyone in THIS administration. Don’t you understand that we are above such petty things as laws?

    Comment by Patrick1 — May 23, 2007 @ 3:42 pm

    Maybe…

    But GOD sees what you do:

    How you LIE, STEAL and MURDER people for you own gain (OIL, etc.).

    And you do it in the name of the Almighty God (DOLLAR to YOU).

    God will NOT forget the SLAUGHTER of his children, and SUBHUMAN animals like YOU, Bush, Cheney, Gonzo, Rummy are GOING DOWN.

    This time, to ETERNAL DAMNATION.

    Not down on “Jeff Gannon” and Ken Mehlman.

    See YOU in hell patprick1 (cause I’LL be THERE),

    Mr. Bush
    MURDEROUS WAR CRIMINAL
    COWARDLY TRAITOR TO THE USA (TM–BushCrimeCo, Inc.)


  42. VerbalKint Says:

    but where does one go for that sort of certification?
    Comment by Oversight is a Bitch. — May 23, 2007 @ 3:41 pm

    Right here. From me.


  43. Don Thieme Says:

    Monica impressed me. I believe that her innocence is genuine and she actually thinks Al Gonzales is a “nice man.” I even believe her story about being frightened when Gonzales tried to “refresh” her memory so that they would all be telling the same story to congress.

    Given that Monica broke the Hatch Act repeatedly as a condition of working with the nice ma, she is lucky to have been granted immunity from prosecution.


  44. VerbalKint Says:

    #43 Looks like Goodling’s spokesperson has arrived.


  45. had enough Says:

    do you suppose some republicans would welcome impeachment proceedings rather than go down this path? This may be leading to something huge regarding the maffia republican party.


  46. Lily Says:

    How do you square her own testimony with itself?
    Those are two contradictory statements.

    Comment by lestatdelc — May 23, 2007 @ 3:13 pm

    I think she said she didn’t discuss this with the WH. She did discuss it in the DoJ.


  47. Saywho Says:

    I know I know! I figured out her roll. She was the AG’s cigar holder and ironically her name is Monica too. What does everyone think about that theory?


  48. Doc Rock Says:

    What next?

    Continued stonewalling until the end of the administration and then massive pardons! You betchum, Red Ryder!


  49. lestatdelc Says:

    Gee, I am shocked, shocked I tell you, that Patrick1 ignored my question to “him” about Goodling perjuring herself within her own testimony in the span of 30 seconds.


  50. Montavious Says:

    Just wait until Conners introduces over 500 emails mistakenly addressed to gop.com that prove they all committed a Federal crime!


  51. Avenging_Angel Says:

    #50

    I know, eh? When will this story get legs?

    http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4594


  52. larryo Says:

    “I believe I crossed the lines. But I didn’t mean to.”

    Didn’t mean to? What the hell did she mean to do, if it wasn’t commit the acts that violated the law. That’s all that is required - you don’t have to “intend” to violate the law!

    Who gave her the job, what were her duties - exactly - and who trained her? She didn’t just develop these protocols by accident, for God’s sake. This explains the demand for immunity.

    Her testimony is ridiculous - why did she think they wanted law school grads in these positions if it was not to have someone who knew where the lines were and knew to avoid them.

    Didn’t mean to, indeed.


  53. Alohabunny Says:

    She “didn’t mean to”…. duh, she is supposed to be a lawyer, and she doesn’t even know when she is breaking the laws in her own department…. Yea right!



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