The Saturday Night Massacre happened on April 20, 2005.

[barbaraann]

DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMES B. COMEY ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION FROM THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

April 20, 2005
United States Department of Justice
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey announced today that he intends to resign his position at the Department of Justice and return to the private sector this fall. Comey has served as the Deputy Attorney General since December 2003, following his nomination by President George W. Bush and his confirmation by a unanimous Senate. As Deputy Attorney General, Comey led the Justice Department's enormously successful Corporate Fraud Task Force, created Violent Crime Impact Teams in cities around the nation to rid the streets of violent criminals, and oversaw the day to day operation of the Department of Justice, and its more than 104,000 men and women, under two Attorneys General.
...
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ohs/Press/04-20-05.htm


Steven Comey is Patrick Fitzgerald's best friend and boss. My guess is that they're going to replace him with someone like Ted Olson.

[Just Me]

1. Wow. Missed that little detail.

Geez.

[barbaraann]

2. Now I know why Bush and Rove are still smirking.

n/t

[Zen Democrat]

3. Bush could fire Comey, but he can't fire Fitzgerald now without

creating a firestorm that would surely bring him down.

[barbaraann]

4. He doesn't have to fire Fitzgerald after Comey resigns.

Comey's replacement can order Fitzgerald to do whatever Bush wants.

[crispini]

5. I think the special prosecutor is more autonomous than that.

For one thing, he has his own budget and doesn't have to go through DOJ to issue his subpoenas, IIRC.

[barbaraann]

6. That was true when our govt operated under the rule of law.

n/t

[lostnfound]

10. You know, that's a great quote for so much these days.

Mind if I borrow it?

[barbaraann]

11. Certainly.

And hopefully someday it will be obsolete.

[wli]

17. he'll probably get killed like John O'Neill

A lot of people have been showing up dead when they get too close to the truth.

Edited to correct the first name of the FBI agent.

[dogday]

18. I do advise no small aircraft

that seems to be the way the good die young....

[Donailin]

20. huh? Paul O'Neill isn't dead

they're crazy, but they ain't THAT crazy

[barbaraann]

21. I think it should be John O'Neill, not Paul.

n/t

[tsuki]

37. But this special prosecutor was given a specific investigation and

if he exceeds that investigation, he can be fired. Unlike Starr.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

46. It might involve a choice between which firestorm to face

I would bet that the Bush Administration has at least one or two moles on Fitzgerald's legal team, someone with access to the files. If they see a truly frightening scenario for them on the horizon, including indictments and a very messy, public trial that reaches into the White House, they may decide that they'd rather try to spin their way out of transferring, replacing, or firing Fitzgerald. If it means escaping indictments, I think this bunch is capable of anything. And the media won't see a burning story anymore if there's no juicy trial in the cards.

[barbaraann]

48. "capable of anything"

yup

[barbaraann]

7. Here's what happened on April 19, 2005

"(AP) Two reporters facing jail for refusing to divulge their sources about the leak of an undercover CIA officer's name lost on Tuesday in federal court for the third time."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/19/national/main689545.shtml

[hootinholler]

8. Thanks for that! n/t

[barbaraann]

9. You're welcome but it has me very upset.

n/t

[Pirate Smile]

23. How did you come across this tidbit? Just curious. It is very

interesting and it does explain why we actually have a good prosecutor (hopefully) on the case.

I was wondering how in the world that happened because it seemed so unusual with Ashcroft in charge of the Justice Dept. at the time.

[barbaraann]

24. I was curious and Googled.

I started by Googling about Fitzgerald's appointment and went from there, following the trail of my intuition.

[Pirate Smile]

36. Nice work. It would be nice for some intrepid reporter to start doing

some digging on that.

[barbaraann]

43. crispini found it too but her post was buried in a thread and not

receiving the attention I thought it needed. So I'm really just a co-discoverer. :-)

[bloom]

39. Good find.

I share your concern. :(

[barbaraann]

44. Thanks.

We'd be toast without the internet and Google. At least now we have a chance.

[dogday]

12. He said this fall........

Is that when the GJ will be thru and issue their indictments? At that point, I don't think anyone can turn the clock back....

[barbaraann]

13. "before Labor Day."

and this is how the Bush Administration operates:

"We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

[dogday]

14. Rove is getting smeared up and down in this country

Will Fitzpatrick and his Boss stay silent on this? I believe indictments are coming forth. You can't pick up humpty's dumpty shells, they are broke, his reputation is crap. I just don't think this will die not matter who they bring in...

[barbaraann]

15. I really hope you are right.

n/t

[dogday]

16. Me too n/t

[shelley806]

41. Every time I read this quote I'm nauseated with goosebumps...these

people are so evil.

[maddezmom]

19. more about Comey's departure

Mr. Comey Departs

Post
Monday, April 25, 2005; A18



THE ANNOUNCEMENT by Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey Jr. that he will step down this fall is not a surprise. Mr. Comey resigned for personal reasons, and the department went out of its way to stress his warm relationship with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. But Mr. Comey, a career prosecutor known more for his law enforcement professionalism than for his conservative cre-

dentials, was not a particular favorite of the White House. His decision to appoint Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to probe an administration leak reportedly angered White House officials, and he appears to have played an important role as well in the withdrawal of the infamous torture memorandum. It is his independence and professionalism that will make Mr. Comey difficult to replace -- but those are the qualities President Bush should seek in a successor.

We didn't support everything Mr. Comey did. His decision to release disparaging but untested allegations against detained enemy combatant Jose Padilla, though meant to explain the difficult position the case put the government in, functioned as a smear to which Mr. Padilla could not respond. In the main, however, Mr. Comey -- like his predecessor Larry D. Thompson -- provided welcome moderation and managerial competence in a department whose leadership was prone to excess and confrontation.

more:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/24/AR2005042400916_pf.html

[barbaraann]

22. Not comforting.

:-(

[progressoid]

25. Two telling phrases there:

...was not a particular favorite of the White House...

...provided welcome moderation and managerial competence in a department whose leadership was prone to excess and confrontation...



Sounds like reasons 1 and 2 that the WH would want him to "return to the private sector".

[Jackpine Radical]

27. And a third telling comment...

"His decision to appoint Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to probe an administration leak reportedly angered White House officials"

No shit.

[progressoid]

35. YES!

[Justice]

42. I have long wondered how Fitz. got appointed.

[FreedomAngel82]

52. This part really stud out at me

<dentials, was not a particular favorite of the White House. His decision to appoint Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to probe an administration leak reportedly angered White House officials, and he appears to have played an important role as well in the withdrawal of the infamous torture memorandum. It is his independence and professionalism that will make Mr. Comey difficult to replace -- but those are the qualities President Bush should seek in a successor.>

So they appointed Fitzgerald. Did he do that before he made his announcement to leave or after? If he did it after maybe it was payback? I think if they do fire Fitzgerald at this point it would be a bad sign because it would show the public, I think, that they are guilty and Rove is guilty especially. The judge already said earlier this week that it was a consperiacy against Wilson. So this wouldn't be a smart move. Just like Rove couldn't resign at this point because he's so close to the Bush camp ("Bush's brain") and it would make people realize he is guilty and now they are trying to show he is innocent (heh).

[Peace Patriot]

26. It appears that Comey has stayed on long enough to watch Fitzgerald's

back through the Grand Jury and indictments. That's one read on it. But we know too little about the situation to make guesses as to what might really be going on. One key will be who gets indicted, and for what. Cheney, his aides and advisors, and the White House Iraq Group, were clearly out to destroy any objective, independent information and views within government, and especially within the CIA (many of whom opposed the cooking of intel and the unjustified, hare-brained, murderous, thieving war in Iraq). The Bush Cartel is pursuing its own nefarious interests and has no concept whatsoever of allegiance to the U.S. of A. and its people. Some people in the CIA apparently still do (or did at the time of the intel purges and the Plame outing). That is what is going on here.

But Fitzgerald will really have to have his ducks in a row, and great inner strength, to go after the real culprits. If the prosecution fails, or if Rove is permitted to fall on his sword to protect the others (or is being sacrificed by the others toward that end - with promises of presidential pardon and rich rewards later), it may or may not be Fitzgerald's fault. The culprits here are the most powerful and worst evildoers we have ever seen in government. We just don't know what Fitzgerald knows, or how solid his case is, or how high up it goes, or what his goals are, or who-all may be watching his back through all of this, or what influences or tactics might be used against him, his team, their families, the judges who may become involved, etc. etc. And the whole thing, it seems to me, is a terribly iffy hope on which to base any plan to recover our democracy.

We need to be wary of the "knight on a white horse" syndrome--that someone else, some leader, is going to rescue us from this fascist coup.

And what if this prosecution goes after the real culprits and succeeds--and this particular gang of tyrants comes tumbling down? Will we have recovered our democracy yet? What is to prevent the NEXT tyranny from using the same methods and the same powers to make war and to make lots and lots and lots and lots of money from the deaths of others? How are we going to prevent this from happening again? Even with the Bush Cartel in disrepute, and out of power, the mechanisms of usurpation remain, including Bushite voting machine company control over our elections with secret, proprietary programming code! (--an outrage that is very difficult to change, due to bipartisan corruption in the big business deals that our election systems have become).

True, it would be a great day to see true justice done in the case of the Bush Cartel, or, barring true justice, to see them at least ousted and disempowered. I can't say my heart won't leap for joy! But we have a long term battle in our country to regain our democracy, restore majority rule and put our country on the right path toward peace and justice.

I think that the only mechanism left to us, for recovering our democracy, is state/local election reform. Restoring our right to vote is a first and essential step. We must throw these Bushite electronic voting machine companies--Diebold, ES&S and brethren--out of the election business NOW--or, at the least, achieve some measure of election transparency with paper ballot backups, no secret programming code and strict auditing. And the only place where we can get that done is in state/local jurisdictions, where the authority over election systems still resides, and where ordinary people still have some say. See the DU Forum "2004 Election Results and Discussion" for information and action ideas:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203

[barbaraann]

30. Thank you for those wise and inspiring words.

I wish Andy were still here to help. :-(

[Just Me]

28. I genuinely believe there are too many eyes on this administration,...

,...for them to get away with pulling the kind of actions we fear.

Fully acknowledging the extremism presented by this administration, I still believe this country will NOT tolerate dictatorship.

If you really think about the whole picture, we are akin to the Vietnam path, fast forward. We're moving so much more quickly than before.

I have great faith. I view these bastards as the crisis which provokes this whole country into the kind of change that should have happened some time ago.

[barbaraann]

31. These people pulled off a coup in 2000 and more.

But I hope you're right.

[Just Me]

33. True conservatives, real Republicans are abandoning ship.

Hell, they're coming out and publishing opposition.

These bastards in charge do NOT represent this country and their constituents KNOW IT.

The BushCo/neoCON regime is going down. I have no doubt about that because real Americans know they are operating like a damned dictatorship. My only concern is, will we all look in the mirror, do the serious self-examination that we MUST, as a country, engage in to be the "light" of the world. We lost our balance,...hopefully, we will INTENTIONALLY find it through this experience.

[barbaraann]

34. Hopefully we can have a Truth Commission.

And perhaps a Profiterring Restitution Commission as well.

[Just Me]

38. Huh? Were you being sarcastic or cynical or what?

:shrug:

Have you basically given up?

[barbaraann]

40. None of the above.

I think we need to have a Truth Commission to expose all of the evil of the BFEE and a Profiteering Restitution Commission to restore all of the money they stole from the USA. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

[Just Me]

45. Me, too. Sorry. I'd like to see civilian boards set up for oversight.

Something outside the beltway, which has become entirely too boxed to be effective in ensuring their own honesty and accountability.

[barbaraann]

47. "outside the beltway" is key.

Do they put something in the water?????

[dooner]

29. maybe it's a positive?

If Fitzgerald's boss isn't able to be intimidated, that seems like a a good thing. And maybe he said "resign in the fall" because that is when Fitzgerald should be wrapped up?

[barbaraann]

32. Or,

if things don't go well they can say his resignation was planned long before xxx happened and had nothing to do with it.

[FreedomAngel82]

54. That's another point too

He could be having a cop out or something.

[FreedomAngel82]

53. That could be it

Things seem to be going pretty fast with this investigation now. Maybe from 2003 to 2004 he was working on the case and preparing and now it looks as if he is questioning more people and presenting his case to the judge. Maybe by the end of the fall we'll have the case closed and people in jail. That's what it feels like anyways (that things are going fast).

[Al-CIAda]

49. Interesting thread, thanks to ALL contributors. n/t

[Independent_Liberal]

50. Saturday Night Massacre II?

This is interesting. Thanks for posting this.

[barbaraann]

51. You're welcome.

Let's hope it backfires like the first one. :-)