Raw Story: DEMS to hold 3:30 Press Conference on Gonzalez B.S.

[autorank]

Dems to question whether Attorney General hindered leak inquiry

http://rawstory.com/

Well, well, well...now oppose Roberts while you're at it.

This is a good start!!

[Sick_of_Rethuggery]

1. Anyone covering this? n/t

[autorank]

6. I'm sure Raw will cover it. email CSpan and tell 'em to show up. I did.

:)

[NVMojo]

2. eh, eh, the worms are surfacing!

[autorank]

8. Oh yeah. Let's see what they say. Lautenberg is leading the conference.

He could care less and he's not afraid of a good fight. Should be fun.
Watch it for me, I'll be engaged but will look for a re-run.

(eeks, you changed your avatar)

[Mass]

3. More on the issue

Here is the letter that the Senator will release

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Heat_rises_over_leak_24_Dem_senators_call_for_hear_0725.html

Senators Urge Congressional Investigation Into Leak of CIA Agent Valerie Plame's Name

Today, Senator John Kerry; Senator Carl Levin, Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; and 24 other Senators formally requested that Congress investigate the leak of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity -- a leak a senior administration official described at the time as "meant purely and simply for revenge."

....

Below is the text of the letter sent today:

Dear Mr. Speaker and Mr. Majority Leader:

The press has reported on information strongly suggesting that senior Administration officials, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and the Vice President's Chief of Staff Lewis Libby, exposed the identity of American intelligence operative Valerie Plame, despite the repeated denial of the White House at the time.

...

We recognize that a criminal investigation is underway and that a special prosecutor continues to present testimony before a grand jury. These actions in no way preclude Congress' responsibility to provide oversight. We urge you to exercise your authority as Congressional leaders by requesting the appropriate committees to begin oversight hearings and an investigation immediately.

Sincerely,

Senators Kerry, Levin, Stabenow, Schumer, Lautenberg, Rockefeller, Reed, Feinstein, Dorgan, Harkin, Kohl, Durbin, Carper, Salazar, Boxer, Inouye, Corzine, Wyden, Mikulski, Obama, Murray, Bayh, Johnson, Clinton, Sarbanes, and Landrieu.

DEVELOPING...

[KoKo]

4. Senators Biden and Lieberman ......Where are you???

:grr:

[KaryninMiami]

19. Where are the rest of them? Maybe we should call our senators.

They are cowards that's what I think. They are probably waiting for the rest of the chips to fall, so they know it's safe to jump in to the water. Never mind that not one Republican has demanded answers- not even the moderates.

Very discouraging.

[autorank]

9. Raw Story is amazing. Lautenberg will there, swing for the fence Frank!

[Bumblebee]

15. Salazar, Bayh, Feinstein, Clinton, and Landrieu

are actually nice surprises since they usually wait. Must be smelling an easy rat.

[wallwriter]

5. Obstruction of Justice for Gonzalez

[realFedUp]

7. Is this protocal, legal or whatever for an AG to call the WH Counsel

on a Sunday night and give him heads up that
that this case is being investigated and
legal steps need to be taken at the WH?

Shouldn't the AG have sent justice dept.
people in to seize the computers, records etc.
right away? Shouldn't there have been written
documents?

Seems a little loose for a legal procedure...
and a little cozy.

[Mass]

10. HE was not AG at the time

Worked for the WH.

[realFedUp]

12. I'm talking about Ashcroft calling Gonzales. nt

jeez, get off my back already.

[Mass]

14. Sorry, I misunderstood.

[tblue37]

13. It was AG JohnAshcroft

who called Gonzales (who was WH Counsel at the time) to give him a heads-up. I believe that is what the previous poster was referring to.

[tblue37]

11. They need to be careful about this.

When Oliver North was convicted in Iran-Contra, he ultimately got off on a technicality because part of the evidence used to convict him was his testimony before a congressional inquiry.

It's okay for the Dems to call for inquiries to embarrass the GOP leaders of the House and Senate, but I actually rather hope they don't get those inquiries until the WH criminal gang are properly indicted and convicted.

[realFedUp]

16. well, when Dems have to book hearings at the nearest Howard Johnson's

I don't think there's any danger of
actually getting heard.

[autorank]

17. Good point...we don't need any more bad radio!

[rateyes]

20. Actually, the reason for North's getting off the hooks is

that he was given immunity from prosecution for anything he revealed in his testimony before Congress. Had he testified without immunity, and been convicted later, his conviction would have not been overturned. The problem, at that time, IMHO is that he was given immunity without the Dems knowing what he was going to say. North claims to have been exonerated--which is a damned lie--as you have rightly pointed out.

What we don't need, which is where I agree with you, is getting the principals before a congressional hearing--them pleading the 5th--as North did before being granted immunity---and then have the Republicans giving them immunity from prosecution.

Let this investigation run its course--get them indicted---and, then let the chips fall where they may---Repubs will have no choice but to allow hearings.

If we could have hearings now, without letting anyone off the hook from prosecution--I would say do it---if they plead the 5th, and they are then not granted immunity---it makes them look all the more guilty.

[Pacifist Patriot]

24. Important distinction.

[cal04]

18. Does anyone know if robert joseph was questioned

and if anyone thinks that Blair could be questioned because it was their intelligence that told them


The man who insisted that President Bush make the claim that Saddam Hussein was seeking uranium for nuclear weapons in Africa is poised to assume a top State Department job that would make him the lead US arms negotiator with Iran and North Korea, according to administration officials.

Robert G. Joseph, a special assistant for national security to President Bush until a few months ago, is on the short list to become undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, the nation's senior diplomat in charge of negotiating arms control treaties, said the officials, who spoke on the condition they not be named.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/01/11/despite_false_claim_his_star_rises/

Not a high-profile hardliner like Bolton or Feith, Joseph successfully avoided the public limelight—that is until the scandal of the 16 words in Bush’s 2003 State of the Union Address about Iraq’s alleged nuclear weapons development program. According to president, “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” The State of the Union Address, which laid out the administration’s case for a preemptive invasion of Iraq, used unconfirmed intelligence reports about Iraq’s WMD programs. Press reports and congressional testimony by CIA officials later revealed that the CIA had vigorously protested the inclusion of any assertion that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons since their intelligence would not support such a conclusion.

Alan Foley, the CIA’s top expert on weapons of mass destruction, told Congress that Robert Joseph repeatedly pressed the CIA to back the inclusion in Bush’s speech of a statement about Iraq’s attempts to buy uranium from Niger. Following these revelations about the inclusion of erroneous and disputed intelligence estimates in this major speech that readied the U.S. public for war against Iraq, Joseph said he did not recall Foley’s raising concerns about the credibility of the information to be included in the speech. In his 1999 testimony to the emerging threats subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Joseph helped lay the groundwork for the 2003 counterproliferation action against Iraq by misrepresenting the extent and character of Iraq’s WMD programs.be of greatest concern.”


http://rightweb.irc-online.org/ind/joseph/joseph.php

[choie]

21. SCHEDULE CHANGE -- it's now at 4:30PM!

Just wanted to let y'all know. The updated time is on the article.

Wow this is exciting stuff, isn't it? I hope AAR covers this, if CSPAN doesn't.

[Coloradan4Truth]

22. Landrieu (sp?) on Ed Schultz right now discussing this

on edit: Nominated!

[faithnotgreed]

23. thank you coloradan ~ any details are much appreciated

welcome to the fun of du

[Coloradan4Truth]

25. Did this happen? Does anyone have details? n/t

[Trevelyan]

26. It's helpful when we share letters sent. Mine is below.

Thank you for signing Sen. Kerry's letter. Taking back Congressional oversight of this out of control Bush Regime is vital to the well-being of America and the world.

Please continue to vote for answers to Rove-Treasongate, the Downing Street Memos, the cover-up and possible destruction of evidence on the above by Alberto Gonzales and the release of the photographs of children being raped, tortured and murdered by US Troops at Abu Ghraib, please investigate the torture at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere.

This Regime is so sick, I have no words. I appreciate that you are working to wrestle back the oversight control mandated to Congress.

Amnesty International has some very good articles on how out of control and power mad this Regime has become. Like so many people, I am concerned by VICE PRESIDENT Chaney's request for nuclear war plans against Iran. THE VICE PRESIDENT HAS NO WAR POWERS, I hope the Pentagon will not go along with the insane PNAC plan to nuke Iran.
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/2000_vets_call_for_release_of_more_Abu_Ghraib_p_0725

I have signed the petitions on Veterans for Common Sense for a full investigation into the inhuman torture and the Impeachment of Bush/Cheney very well documented by the 6 page pdf download on Veterans for Peace of the Bush Regime's continual violations of the Constitution, US and International Laws, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.

Thank you.

XXXXXXXXX

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for the legal information on why Oliver North is not still in prison but making a fortune as a Rush Limbaugh on TV and radio.