Attorney General Gonzales is implying that "Deep Throat" committed treason

[Barad Simith]

'Deep Throat' Probably Won't Be Prosecuted

Associated Press
June 4, 2005, 12:07 AM EDT

NEW YORK -- The former FBI man unmasked as "Deep Throat" probably won't be prosecuted for sharing information with reporters during the Watergate scandal, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales indicated Friday.

"It happened a long time ago," Gonzales said of W. Mark Felt's conduct 30 years ago, when he was the No. 2 man at the FBI. "The department has a lot of other priorities."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-deep-throat-gonzales,0,3001332.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

Since there's no statute of limitations on treason, I believe Gonzales is saying that Felt may be guilty of treason, but that he's going to let it slide.

Gonzales is sending an accurate message: This administration is staffed with thugs. I believe the neocons know the press and public smell blood, and Gonzales and cohorts are sending a not-so-veiled threat ("Don't screw with us").

edited for punctuation

[saltpoint]

1. Mr. Gonzales is in some significant part responsible for the events --

-- depicted in soon-to-be-released photographs of U.S. treatment of detainees.

Mr. Torture has no leave calling Deep Throat a traitor.

[Barad Simith]

2. It's as if the criminals have taken over the prison, yet...

...most people can't tell, because the prisoners have donned guard uniforms.

[saltpoint]

4. Barad Simith, do you think these photos will be released,

and if they are, do you think Rumsfeld will be pressured to resign?

[Barad Simith]

8. I don't think anything will stick to any of these bastards until...

...the process for impeachment begins. (Note that I'm not referring to the actual impeachment that could follow, but just the process.)

Once the process begins, the word "impeachment" will be spoken by the MSM.

Once that word is uttered, and the Downing Street minutes are explained to the average 15-minutes-of-cable-news-a-day viewer, then good, God-fearing, Christian Republicans like my mom, who vote the way their church tells them to vote (anti-gay and anti-choice), will be outraged.

Many Bush voters actually do have morals and consciences. They simply have not been paying any attention to anything that upsets their worldview.

This will upset their worldview the way it would ours, if one of our candidates committed these crimes.

Once they, along with the vast numbers who simply do not follow politics too closely, learn that proof exists that Bush purposely led us to war under false pretenses, then the bastards won't be able to resign quickly enough. The dam of anti-Bush sentiment will burst, and the MSM will be on this administration's crimes like they have been with the Scott Peterson and Michael Jackson cases.

[saltpoint]

15. I could see your scenario.

I signed Conyers' petition/letter two days ago and hope he gathers the momentum he knows he needs to begin the process.

Agree with you on the media. They remain part of the problem, in a week when Deep Throat was revealed and recalled a time when investigative reporting was honorable and healthy for our democracy.

Appreciate your post very much. Thanks.

[aquart]

10. Mitchell was also complicitous.

I believe he did time.

[Quixote1818]

3. Two of my co-workers were calling Felt a criminal today

I could not believe my ears!!!! I asked them "So if Felt had not said anything then no one would have found out about what Nixon did, so is that what you would have preferred?????" They went silent. I suspect Hannity or Rush has been saying this crap.

[cornermouse]

14. And if Nixon had done that under today's Patriot Act,

there would have been no crime, no impeachment. Think about that one.

[me b zola]

26. The day after Felt was revealed as DT

By this time (14 hours or so) all of the rw talking heads had received their talking points. I was listening to 'Connected', and Monica was spewing the 'traitor' word around, pretty thick. So I sent a flame of an e-mail saying that Monica and the other shills were showing their true colors by advocating that their loyalty to a president transcends their loyalty to the Constitution & our nation. I went on to say that NONE of the shills claiming that Felt was a traitor had ever served in the military, because if they had they wouldn't be spitting on the Constitution.

On the afternoon segment of the show, although they spent the entire hour talking about Watergate, NOT ONE WORD was spoken about Felt being a 'traitor'. I don't know if my letter made an impact or not, but I suspect that my words would make all of the chickenhawks uncomfortable :smoke: ....and that includes the torturer himself

[Cha]

32. That must have made

you feel good! Coincidence or not..it happened. Thank you!

[nightfox02]

5. speedy like rumsfeld needs a glass of shut the fuck up

speedy,

ever stop to think that Nixon was the fucking burglar here? I mean as the ring leader and all? As a mexican american this guy is a fucking disgrace....

Deep throat was a hero for ridding us of the turd that is and always will be Richard Milhouse Nixon. Hint hint speedy, if history associates Nixon's most famous quote as being "I am not a crook.." Nixon probably was a crook.

Nixon > Crook
Nixon=Turd
Nixon=Dead :)

Maybe simple arithmetic operators would be easier for his simple mind to follow.....

[punpirate]

6. If Gonzales is, indeed, implying this...

... it's apparent that his loyalty to his masters exceed his knowledge of the law. The legal definition of treason is:

"A breach of allegiance to one's government, usually committed through levying war against such government or by giving aid or comfort to the enemy. The offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance; or of betraying the state into the hands of a foreign power. Treason consists of two elements: adherence to the enemy, and rendering him aid and comfort. Cramer v. U. S., U.S.N.Y., 325 U.S. l, 65 S.Ct. 918, 9327 89 L.Ed. 1441. See 18 U.S.C.A. § 2381. A person can be convicted of treason only on the testimony of two witnesses, or confession in open court. Art. III, Sec. 3, U.S. Constitution."

Since Richard Nixon was using elements of the Executive branch to attempt the subversion of an election, to obstruct justice and to destroy evidence, and thereby take control of the government, Felt's leaks of information to the press can in no way be construed as treasonous--quite the opposite--his actions can be very clearly seen as an attempt to alert the public about the nature of Nixon's transgressions without involving a potentially corrupted Department of Justice leadership.

[nightfox02]

7. no shit

... it's apparent that his loyalty to his masters exceed his knowledge of the law. The legal definition of treason is:

Was this ever in doubt? Gonzales is a hack. Just like 99% of Bush's appointees...All you need to know are his ideas on torture. It is really that simple...

Any man dedicated to the law would be ashamed to be breathing the same air as that asshat.

[many a good man]

21. Gonzales specializes in re-defining the law

He places loyalty to power over loyalty to the Constitution.

Question: what would you call the crime of subverting the Constitution?

[Barad Simith]

23. I don't know many other charges that can be prosecuted decades after...

...the alleged crime, other than treason or murder. As Attorney General, Gonzalez would know that.

It's a sad commentary on the current MSM, that they don't even have the investigative curiosity to ask Gonzalez what the charge would have been, had he chosen to prosecute.

From the article: "It is unclear whether he broke any laws in doing so, but some former members of the Nixon administration have said the information he revealed was confidential."

It just seems like even 10 years ago, any reporter worth his or her salt would point out to Gonzalez, "It is unclear whether he broke any laws in doing so," rather than simply deliver that piece of non-information to the public.

This isn't reporting, it's taking dictation.

[Hippo_Tron]

9. Criminals hate those who rat them out

[aquart]

11. Yes. That's why we established Witness Protection.

And I LOVE the TV interviews with old Nixon admin alum without a mention of what they were sentenced for and how much time they did.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

12. Gonzales is the "let it slide" master

...as slippery as a snake, with half the charm.

[Bob3]

13. Oh please drag an old man in failing heath into court

to defend the memory of Richard Nixon please I'm begging you. Do this insane stupid thing. Please let him testify as to WHY HE DID WHAT HE DID SO PEOPLE WILL REMEMBER WHAT AN UTTER SHIT NIXON WAS. It's only *'s insane crimes that make Nixon look like a moderate.

[ClassWarrior]

16. The Bush** Crime Family's MO. Set up Felt as Poppy's fall guy...

...and then when he loyally does the Family's bidding, toss him to the sharks.

NGU.

[0007]

17. LOL! Yeah man, or we'll sic Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano

on ya'.....the key word here is"Slam Dunk"

...da crime family boss is gonna take it easy with an extended month-end at the Pig farm.

[bobthedrummer]

18. It was Felt's belief that the Nixon administration was full of Nazis that

motivated him. He would know, since he fought against them and was aware of how Nazis and Nazi partisans were given identities and jobs as Americans working in national security.

Then there is the fact that these real Nazis found a political home in America in the RW of the Republican Party.
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/political-science/fascism/bellant/bellant.pt1

This cannot be ridiculed as tin foil conspiracy theory, we are being governed by fascists.

Deep Throat clearly saw that in the Nixon era. Nazis and Republican administrations are a historical fact.

[grasswire]

19. please, please prosecute Felt

If ever an event would work to our benefit, it would be the re-opening of the story of Nixon and his men.

Discovery's a bitch.

[Vickers]

25. That's the way I feel. I bet old GHWB would shit bricks, as he is

complicit in a lot of this stuff.

I mean, how much of the Nixon tapes have been released, less than a hundred hours out of THOUSANDS?

[Nothing Without Hope]

20. So predictable: they have to scare more Deep Thoats out of coming forward

And Gonzales has violated his oaths, perjured himself, and trampled human rights, the Constitution, and the Geneva Conventions so many times - but who's keeping score?

[PurityOfEssence]

22. So let's deprive him of sleep, dunk him in water and sick the dogs on him!

That should make Torture-Boy (AKA Abu Gonzalez) happy.

[berni_mccoy]

24. HA! Incredible TIMING!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1828838#1828838

If the A.G. thinks Felt committed treason, then he must conclude Bush did as well!!!

Beautiful! Thanks for making the case much more simpler Gonzales!!!

[unhappycamper]

27. I bet Alberto would like to go waterboarding. n/t

For the rest of the fucking summer!

[Wizard777]

28. That is witness intimidation. That is a crime! n/t

[dchill]

29. But just a small crime.

Nothing compared to advocating torture or lying to Congress...

[sakabatou]

30. You can't prosecute a man who was pardoned for his crimes

I think...

[zulchzulu]

31. I wish BushCo would try Felt for treason...bite the hook....

It would be a grand opportunity to play the message that the Repugs want to turn back Watergate.

What better way to expose them for the criminal thugs that they are...