Feingold: Gonzales "Was Not Being Straight" During Confirmation Hearing

[JABBS]

Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI) charged yesterday that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales misled the Senate during his confirmation hearing a year ago when he dodged a question about whether the president could authorize warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens.

In a letter to Gonzales, Feingold demanded to know why Gonzales dismissed the senator's question about warrantless eavesdropping as a "hypothetical situation" during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January, 2005.

Readers may recall that JABBS asked a similar question last month.

The question remains: Given his role in circumventing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, did Gonzales commit perjury during his confirmation hearing?


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This item first appeared at JABBS

[Straight Shooter]

1. It sure as hell wasn't hypothetical, then, was it?

Go for it, Russ. And it doesn't depend on what the meaning of "hypothetical" is, either.

[hang a left]

2. I am sure if someone perused the transcript they would find

other untruthful statements to the Senate. I am too freakin tired, maybe someone is up for it.

[shraby]

3. Russ smells a rat. Get out the rat trap Russ.

[JABBS]

4. he's no dummy

It was obvious that Gonzales was dodging the question. People don't dodge in order to tell the truth ...

[shraby]

5. Russ nicely provided the rope

and Gonzales used it.

[MO_Dem]

6. Get him, Russ!!

Senator Feingold won't settle for spin! He ROCKS!

[Doctor_J]

7. Uh, Russ, the word is LIE

why don't our people use that word?

[JABBS]

10. why not "lie"?

You don't say "lie" because that assumes intent. You say things like "fact-challenged" or "misled" because that simply means that Gonzales didn't give the facts.

I'm not a lawyer, but I assume that for politicians, it's a defense mechanism, to avoid being sued for slander.

[RoyGBiv]

12. No, the word is "perjury."

"Perjury" is a legal term encompassing a greater range of infractions than "lie," which is not, in and of itself, a legal term. For example, deliberately giving incomplete testimony under oath is perjury.

[PATRICK]

16. The steroids thing illustrates.

If you claim something that is untrue at that time then it is not necessarily perjury. If you say you never used steroids then take up using them AFTER the hearing, you are a piece of work but not a pristine perjurer. I think the point here is that Gonzales, among other WH and NSA attorneys had been greenlighting the illegal use of wiretaps already. Only by really stretching his language then can he claim it was theoretical. Timing is all. AFTER confirmation if he goes ahead and does something he denied he would do it is a different snakelike quality than if he denied something he had done and was doing already.

Which someday we can dream adds up to real jail time and/or turning against the rest of the gang.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

17. Use lie

unfortunely that's the only word that captures
the attention of a dumbed down America.

[Mnemosyne]

8. Perjurist AG! Needs more K&R n/t

[gumby]

9. Someone lied in their confirmation hearing

and then the Dems voted for them? I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.

Asscrap lied in Feingold's face and Feingold voted for him.

There is a whole list of these lying Repukes who the Dems confirmed. Clarence Thomas? Rehnquist? Ted Olson? If they don't sit there and lie, they just get elevated in a Recess Appointment.

[robbedvoter]

15. Excellent observation. I never forgave him for Ashcroft. NEVER.

All the Feingold for president flavor of the minute threads here stuck in my crow because of Ashcroft.
And now, they are going to realize just how futile it is to unmask confirmation lies after the fact. Watcha gonna do? Impeach him?

[applegrove]

11. Is that a lie?

[UTUSN]

13. Well, sorry, but *we* here GODAMN knew that back then n/t

[robbedvoter]

14. Nawww! You think? Can you "unconfirm" him now?

As they say in the old country: "catch the blind man, get his eyes"
A cautionary tale for Alito.

[dkofos]

18. Sure, he LIED. Do you really think something will be done

to hold him responsible??

Not a fucking chance.

They own the courts now too!!