In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
From MHO:
October 4, 1997
CNN's "Evans & Novak"
JOHN ASHCROFT: The truth of the matter is that if the law's been violated, we should be able to ascertain that.
We can, if we have an independent person without a conflict of interest.
ROWLAND EVANS: .The attorney general has shaved down all the allegations that Vice President Gore apparently down to one single allegation -- which telephone he used to make these fundraising calls from.
Do you really think that alone is worthy of a special prosecutor?
ASHCROFT: .you know, a single allegation can be most worthy of a special prosecutor.
If you're abusing government property, if you're abusing your status in office, it can be a single fact that makes the difference on that.
So my own view is that there are plenty of things which should have caused [Attorney General Janet Reno], a long time ago, to appoint a special prosecutor, an independent investigator.
We asked for that on March the 13th of this year in letters from Republican members on the Judiciary Committee. And she's in a bad position.
The man who signs her check is the man that she's investigating, and she hasn't been very aggressive about it.
Which brings us to:
Investigating Leaks
Attorney General John Ashcroft has put himself and the president in a very dangerous position with his handling of the Justice Department's investigation into how Robert Novak got the name of a C.I.A. operative for publication in his syndicated column.
After career lawyers conducted a preliminary investigation into the leaking of the officer's name, Mr. Ashcroft chose to proceed with a full investigation within the Justice Department. He did so despite department guidelines that would have permitted him to appoint an outsider, who would serve at Mr. Ashcroft's discretion but could make independent decisions.
...
If someone at the White House, perhaps acting with institutional sanction, revealed the name of a C.I.A. operative to undermine the credibility of Mr. Wilson and thus stifle dissent over Iraq policy, that in itself would be a serious assault on free speech and an egregious abuse of power. In such a case, the blanket denial that Mr. Bush issued this week would put him dangerously close to the territory in which the cover-up eclipses the offense.
- rob 2:20 PM - [PermaLink] -
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