DOJ IG: Gonzales ‘said he wasn’t aware of what was going on’ in his agency.
DOJ IG: Gonzales ‘said he wasn’t aware of what was going on’ in his agency.
During today’s hearing on the politicization of the Justice Department, Inspector General Glenn Fine described how young and inexperienced staffers like Monica Goodling were able to implement radical changes in department procedure “unchecked, without adequate supervision, without adequate oversight” that “resulted in very serious damage in the Department of Justice.” Later, Fine said that when he asked former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about Goodling’s actions, Gonzales professed to being completely clueless:
FINE: He said he wasn’t aware of what was going on. He said he did not know Goodling used poltiical factors when assessing candidates for career positions, did not know the search terms Goodling used, did not know even that Goodling’s portfolio including hiring for IJs [immigration judges], and basically said he didn’t have knowledge of the role the office of the Attorney General played in identifying candidates.
Watch it:
Later in the hearing, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) asked Fine, “You would agree there was certainly incompetence at the level of management for this to be going on with an Attorney General not being aware of it,” to which Fine heartily assented.
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To hell with Rove, slap Fredo in jail!
July 30th, 2008 at 1:32 pmFredo: “I don’t recall. I wasn’t aware. I didn’t know.”
At least some things are consistent!
July 30th, 2008 at 1:34 pmI think I am becoming desensitized to the sheer incompetence and criminality of this administration. And if this is happening to me, imagine what it has done to the rest of the country — everybody is just too tired to be outraged anymore.
Which is sad. Because it’s exactly this which is allowing everybody connected with this cabal to get away with everything they have done and will continue to do until January. They have won. Just by wearing everybody down.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pmFINE: He said he wasn’t aware of what was going on. He said he did not know his name or where he was, did not know even that he was Attorney General, and basically said he didn’t have the knowledge of a toadstool.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:40 pmThere was and still is incompetence at the very top that has trickled down to every facet of the administration.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:43 pmThe Republicans have become expert at the Sgt. Schultz defense. Hey, there would be a good ad.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:44 pmLater, Fine said that when he asked former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about Goodling’s actions, Gonzales professed to being completely clueless.
Coulda saved everybody a lot of trouble if Gonzo’d just admitted this when he was offered the job…
..’course in the bush administration, that’s considered a portfolio.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:46 pmDoes anyone else wonder if they could keep their jobs by “not being able to remember, ” “not being aware.” And we taxpayers paid for this ? Who could keep their job with this level of incompetence in the real world ?
July 30th, 2008 at 1:47 pm“I know nothing.” It’s the Sgt. Schultz defense. If Congress doesn’t slap Rove and the other Bush crime family thugs with Inherent Contempt, they aren’t serious, just more Demo play-acting…
July 30th, 2008 at 1:48 pmJMOHR Says:
The Republicans have become expert at the Sgt. Schultz defense. Hey, there would be a good ad.
I don’t think John Banner would appreciate his comedy stylings being used in that political context.
The administration acts just like a mafia organization. Everybody on top knows nothing, all below are left to run wild through our government.
Plausible deniability is what they are best at.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:49 pmAh, the favorite tool in this Administration. Everyone at the top of every agency uses this tool from George Bush on down to Alberto Gonzales. Everybody say it with me…PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY. These criminals have done their best to set the stage for enacting this phrase in every possible criminal investigation. Just try your best to forget that Gonzo signed off on an unprecidented abdication of his powers and duties in hiring and vetting applicants to an inexperienced underling, Monica Goodling. Let’s also try are hardest to forget that during Congressional hearings Goodling testified about an “inapproriate” conversation that she had with Gonzo where he attempted to assure that they were on the same page with their recollections of the events (leading/coaching a witness) which even a couple of below par lawyers such as themselves should know is illegal and implies that Gonzo knew damned well exactly what was going on in his department.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:51 pmhttp://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/23/gonzales-obstruction/
JMOHR Says:
The Republicans have become expert at the Sgt. Schultz defense. Hey, there would be a good ad.
In that same vein, the American citizenry are the ones getting f***ed with Hogan (Bob Crane) filming it all.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:53 pmJMOHR Says:
The Republicans have become expert at the Sgt. Schultz defense. Hey, there would be a good ad.
While Gonzo has a bad memory now, its from being in such close proximity to the toxic fumes emeation from the Bush administration. When the speaking engagements get few and far between, and his boss is back cutting brush in Texas, his memory will return, and he’ll join Scotty on Traitors Row with an insider account.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:55 pmFunny how nobody in this White House is responsible but everything gets screwed up. No wonder so many lawyers are needed to CYA. Where is Truman with the “buck stops here.” Oh that was Kennedy also taking responsiblity for Bay of Pigs. Amazing that only Democrats (days gone by) took responsibility.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:58 pm“The buck stopped several rungs below.” Typical leadership these days.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:03 pmdaryllsotherbrogherdaryll Says:
By this standard, Reid and Pelosi should be held responsible for whatever is done by every member of Congress and staff person that serves under their watchful eye.
Ah, someone who has never had any administrative responsibility weighs in. Goodling was not just a “staff person” laboring away in the bowels of the Justice Department.
Wiki:
July 30th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
The one truthful part of Gonzo’s excuse is that he was a flaming incompetent lightweight with no qualifications to serve as AG. The fact that he also demonstrated himself to be completely amoral at best makes it probable that he also lied through his teeth regarding his lack of knowledge about Goodling’s conduct. He probably did not know the search terms she used and may be a big enough idiot to know what hires the AG could influence. Anyone who believes he did not know that Goodling screened applicants for civil service jobs for political ideology however probably likewise believes that the word “gullible” does not appear in the dictionary.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:03 pmHow the pathological cover for one another…
July 30th, 2008 at 2:04 pmAt this point, there is no point in performing a bunch of long, costly investigations. We can just assume that everyone and everything associated in anyway with the Bush administration is and are faulty, incompetent and criminal. There is already more than enough evidence to go around, and every time a rock is turned over, there is even more.
Go ahead and apply the appropriate punishments. Unfortunately, the opposition party is the Democrats, so the punishment is nothing at all, just go on with business as usual.
The Dems will just do what they usually do, run a weak and pathetic campaign to try to win back the presidency.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:04 pmHow uncharacteristic of Gonzales not to know what’s going on.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:09 pmPatience please. We can’t expect any real change until after the Republics are kicked to the curb come this November.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:12 pmYes, what a shame that the taxpayers finally find out how very crooked this administration of 8 years has been. If this news wakes up 10 kool aide drinkers is has been meaningful. It is called being accountable for what you have done. Criminal deeds deserve criminal punishment, loss of license whatever it takes.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:16 pmEvery aspect of this is sad, deplorable, disgusting, disappointing, laughable, revealing, discouraging and reprehensible. And those are the good points. As an American, I find this just plain shameful. Were I Hispanic, I might run back across the border to disassociate myself.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:16 pmGonzo added, after much thought & consideration, he does remember being in Washington, D.C. at some point in time that year…
July 30th, 2008 at 2:19 pmJebus. We’re friggin’ DROWNING in all that Republican Personal Responsibility™, aren’t we…?
July 30th, 2008 at 2:20 pm24. daryllsotherbrogherdaryll Says:
It’s no wonder this Congress gets nothing meaningful done when it spends all of its time on investigations.
It’s a shame that there are so very, very many things that want investigating…all thanks to a failed, privileged frat boy and the rubber-stamp chickenhawk republicans.
..so very, very many things…
July 30th, 2008 at 2:21 pmGonzo remembered that he didn’t know?
July 30th, 2008 at 2:39 pmActually they have accomplished quite a bit more than the previous congress and most Americans think there should be more invesitgations. The congress before this one was known as the do nothing congress….they were proud of it and took lots of vacations and worked(oxymoron) ony 4 days a week when they were in Washington….
The things the previous congress tried to pass but failed were Anti-American bills such as their attach on socail security…….Why do republicans hate Americans?
I guess you think we should only investigate blow jobs.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:40 pmdaryllsotherbrogherdaryll Says:
It’s no wonder this Congress gets nothing meaningful done when it spends all of its time on investigations.
It’s no wonder this Congress gets nothing meaningful done when it has to spend all of its time investigating Republican wrong doings/criminal acts and fighting Republican obstruction.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:41 pmdrywallsotherretardedbrotherdrywall says:
It’s no wonder this Congress gets nothing meaningful done when it spends all of its time on investigations.
so whats your excuse for the first six years of the bush crime spree?
July 30th, 2008 at 2:43 pmWhat you call weak and pathetic is usually the quite people who work in the background and think you should recognize what they stand for from their actions……you know the real managers, people who can successfully run a government.
As long as Americans vote against their own best interest then we will have a country of bigots and gay-bashers and a failed economy…..hope they are happy.
funny when you think about it, these days I can’t find anyone who supports what the republicans have been doing….even republicans who voted for this mess.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:46 pmFred, and it gets harder and harder to find anyone who will admit to voting for the war criminal in chief. I live in a very republican county and I see more kerry bumperstickers than bush bumperstickers, and the Obama stickers are all alone, there is barely a mccain sticker to be seen.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:53 pmWhat you call weak and pathetic is usually the quite
should have been quiet….
July 30th, 2008 at 2:54 pmmisshusseinmolly Says:
I think I am becoming desensitized to the sheer incompetence and criminality of this administration. And if this is happening to me, imagine what it has done to the rest of the country — everybody is just too tired to be outraged anymore.
Which is sad. Because it’s exactly this which is allowing everybody connected with this cabal to get away with everything they have done and will continue to do until January. They have won. Just by wearing everybody down.
I believe there’s a term for that: The Politics of Outrage. Everyday/week there’s something new to be outraged about and it’s impossible (and unhealthy) to keep up that level of anger.
And these criminals are very good at it.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pmdaryllsotherbrogherdaryll:
July 30th, 2008 at 2:57 pmCan you please give your brother a turn on the computer? He is the shits! You?…. Not so much
Bobwurst
I live in a very red state too. The other day I was in a parking lot with some vets getting ready for a small protest on the streets and a guy with bush stickers pulled up next to us…..I asked him if he wanted to borrow my scraper to get those stickers off and he said he was ready but just hadn’t gotten around to it……
Most of the republicans I know are ready for a change too. They can no longer defend what is going on in our country…..their words.
July 30th, 2008 at 2:59 pmGonzales reminds me of Lindsay Lohan. When confronted with cocaine in her pocket, she denies the pants belong to her and disavows any knowledge of how she came to be wearing them. When confronted with incontrovertible evidence and sworn testimony of what happened to the DOJ under his watch, Gonzales appears not to know he ever worked there.
July 30th, 2008 at 3:00 pmIf you’re corrupt and you know it – show us your Republican Party Membership Card
July 30th, 2008 at 3:05 pmThis is the administration of the Accountability President.
I can see Limbaugh now – the liberals always say it’s society’s fault, not my fault, etc…..
…a republican you say – obviously the liberal media is out to get him.
July 30th, 2008 at 3:55 pmIt kinda sorta looks like Gonzo was snorting off he same table as Bush 24/7/365.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:12 pmSo Freddie doesn’t remember sh!t of what happened the last eight years and wasn’t aware of what was going in his agency? If he was the head of his agency, just imagine the level of efficiency of the rest of the cult followers hired by Goodling…
July 31st, 2008 at 7:20 am