Gonzales: Bush blocked eavesdropping probe

[cal04]

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that President Bush personally blocked Justice Department lawyers from pursuing an internal probe of the warrantless eavesdropping program that monitors Americans' international calls and e-mails when terrorism is suspected.

The department's Office of Professional Responsibility announced earlier this year it could not pursue an investigation into the role of Justice lawyers in crafting the program, under which the National Security Agency intercepts some telephone calls and e-mail without court approval.

At the time, the office said it could not obtain security clearance to examine the classified program.

Under sharp questioning from Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter, Gonzales said that Bush would not grant the access needed to allow the probe to move forward.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060718/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/eavesdropping_gonzales

[NVMojo]

1. curse these facists ...

[stop the bleeding]

2. I'm surprised

NOT!

[goforit]

3. So, your puppet president PERSONALLY blocked JD lawyers? LOL!!!!

[rooney]

7. IMO Dubya doesn't know

what is going on. AG has the ability to say whatever he wants and that is what he chose to say this time. AG is a do-do.

[Dhalgren]

4. How can anyone deny that this is fascism? This is a Dictator...

[dweller]

29. Dink! Denk! Dunk!

(sorry, the bell is cracked)

but we have a winner!


dp

[AndyA]

5. Congress should initiate impeachment proceedings against Bush immediately!

This bullshit, done solely to cover up criminal activity by the Bush Administration against the people of the United States and the Constitution should not be tolerated any further. Bush is making a mockery of the laws of the land, and of our rights and liberties.

He cannot just do whatever the hell he wants to do because we are at war. A war, I should add, which HE started under false pretenses.

IMPEACH THE SON OF A BITCH! If this Congress doesn't get their shit together and do their jobs, they need to be replaced, beginning in November.

:mad:

[Ringo84]

20. Damn right! (nt)

[DoYouEverWonder]

24. For the WH to interfere directly

with the DOJ is grounds for impeachment. The Repugs in Congress better start putting their country before Bush before it's too late.

[C_U_L8R]

6. Sounds like Obstruction of Justice

Can they put him in jail yet????

[SensibleAmerican]

8. No, they can't

n/t

[hootinholler]

13. Technically they could...

It's just he would still be President until impeached and convicted.

-Hoot

[PSPS]

9. "monitors ... calls and e-mails when terrorism is suspected"

"... monitors Americans' international calls and e-mails when terrorism is suspected.

That's the rub. Given the scope of the database being built of everyone's phone calls to anywhere via AT&T & Verizon (and others), we have to assume that the modifiers in bold above are merely conjecture based on what a bunch of pathological liars were forced to admit.

I think it's pretty safe to say that everyone's calls and emails to anyone or anywhere, including purely domestic, are being monitored. Yet the press continues to include this "speculation" as to the limits of this illegality.

[cyberpj]

11. And also safe to say Dems are monitored just like Peaceniks & Environiks

I keep thinking this is why Dems have played along so many times - like they know that Bush Co. has 'the goods' on them and can drop it at any time.

[Dora]

K&R, please. Get this onto Greatest Page.

:kick:

[MADem]

10. A BALLSY AG would have RESIGNED IN PROTEST NT

[gratuitous]

14. It has less to do with anatomy than principle

And since Gonzales is still the AG, that should tell everyone just what principles Mr. Gonzales follows: He's not supposed to be the president's personal attorney, he's supposed to head up the Justice Department and prosecute wrongdoing wherever he finds it. For him to terminate an investigation just on the president's say-so is totally against his mandate for office.

Remember back in the 1990s, when the GOP was absolutely wetting its collective pants because Janet Reno didn't undertake every last investigation of the Clinton administration that they demanded? Reno investigated the Clinton White House to a fare-thee-well to avoid even the appearance of partiality; Gonzales is on the case to find some real live law-breaking, and he quits looking into it when the criminal actor tells him to.

Why should we give Gonzales any more credibility than a pro wrestling referee?

[drduffy]

16. It has a great deal to do with anatomy because

that describes where Ganzales' tongue is at...

[Rose Siding]

12. Puffing himself up like a frigatebird, he said,

"The president of the United States makes the decision"



"It was highly classified, very important and many other lawyers had access. Why not OPR?" asked Specter, R-Pa.

"The president of the United States makes the decision," Gonzales told the committee hearing, during which he was strongly criticized on a range of national security issues by Specter and Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record), the panel's senior Democrat.

[Supersedeas]

18. who is in charge of DoJ investigations--the President decides when to

seriously investigate himself.

[Career Prole]

23. Shouldn't we call the Gonzo version a "Frig-it Bird"?

"Frig it!", he yelled. "The preznit is the Decider!"

[drduffy]

15. I want to see both of their heads

on pikes.... stuck in front of the Lincoln Monument.

[UpInArms]

17. Gonzo also admitted to Feinstein that Dimson does not have war powers

per this DU thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1664101

The Witch (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-18-06 01:04 PM
Original message

DiFi backs Gonzo into a corner -- stunned silence ensues!

This exchange happened JUST as DU went down, so I am not sure if it has been posted on since. But it was, to me, the most memorable moment of this morning's Judiciary hearing. Essentially, it went like this:

Difi: "About FISA, you say that the President has the authority to wiretap Americans without warrants due to his war powers under Article 2, correct?"
Gonzo: "Yes."
Difi: "And I got a letter from your associate saying that the President could act because Congress had not set up a statute. Well, that's not true. The FISA law clearly says that the President can eavesdrop without warrants for 15 days after a declaration of war."
Gonzo: "Yes, but we didn't have a declaration of war, only an authorization to use military force, so we couldn't work with that provision."
Difi: "So you're saying that the AUMF does not amount to a declaration of war?"
Gonzo: "Obviously they are different."
Difi: "So if the AUMF is not a declaration of war, the president shouldn't have WAR powers!"

Gonzo: "................."

(whispers in the chamber...)

[grasswire]

19. good going, difi!

That changes everything!

Dems oughta be on this post haste!

[Ringo84]

21. Re:

Bush is turning into Nixon. And I don't feel sorry for him in the least. That jackass needs to be held accountable for his lies and utter lack of respect for the law. NOW.
Ringo

[chill_wind]

22. Gonzales won't go down without taking a few WH occupants with him.

I still remember the extraordinary day (many moons ago) that he blurted out that he had given the White House's Andrew Card a 12 hour heads-up to start the WH shred-fest in advance of the Plame leak.

No, he didn't allude to any actual shred-fest, but he put it out there-- the 12 hours-- to the world on Sunday morning cable. Nobody dragged it out of him under oath. It astounded me that he volunteered it.

I believe all of these men will turn on each other like the rats they are when the fateful day comes.

[gademocrat7]

25. Gonzo is another bit player in this evil cabal.

Never in our history has there been such a blatant disregard for the Constitution.

[chill_wind]

28. Much more than a "bit"! n/t

[Supersedeas]

32. another lawyer with his finger on the pulse of Professional Responsibility

[samsingh]

26. why would be admit this?

[Mr_Spock]

27. Because it was already reported everywhere back then - including DU

This is an old story that seems new because Agon just said it. Way back when it was reported that the probe could not go forward because Bushco would not grant the proper security clearances. They have done this repeatedly. Nobody seems to take note and they are breaking SO many laws. There is no Congress, so who's to stop them?

[samsingh]

30. are you a Star Trek fan? hope so given the name

have you heard there is going to be another Star Trek movie?

[Mr_Spock]

34. Of course I am a Trekkie :o)

I also relate to Spock's special personality :D

I thought I heard someone mention a new Star Trek movie, but I didn't confirm it - if there is it will be a pleasant surprise :D

[samsingh]

35. it's supposed to be early TOS

when Kirk and Spock meet at the Academy or something.

sounds like a risky story. i think they should go the other way and continue where the TNG and Voyager left off (though i detest Voyager).

[yellowcanine]

31. How Nixonesque of him. How is this not "obstruction of justice"?

Whatever the merits of the argument against the surveilance, I am hard put to see how anyone who believes in the rule of law can defend this action by Bush. The only thing (besides a treasonous leadership in Congress) that is going to save him is the media's inability to focus on more than one news story at a time. This one is going to get swallowed up by the crisis in Lebanon.

[happydreams]

33. Specter surprised me here. He really was asking sharp

questions and even skolded Gonzalez for his lack of promptness. Gonzalez was on the defensive throughout.