Schumer Rips Gonzales Over Contradictory Reponses On Spying Program

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/24/schumer-rips-gonzales/

Schumer Rips Gonzales Over Contradictory Reponses On Spying Program

Under direct and strident questioning from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Alberto Gonzales was unable to fully resolve his contradictory statements regarding the administration’s spying activities. Gonzales said that he misspoke when he said at a press conference in June that he and former deputy attorney general James Comey were referring to the same warrantless wiretapping program.

“I clarified my statement two days later with the reporter,” Gonzales told Schumer. “What did you say to the reporter?” Schumer asked. “I did not speak directly to the reporter,” replied Gonzales.

“Ok,” Schumer continued, “what did your spokesperson say to the reporter?” “I don’t know,” Gonzales said. Schumer then summed up the exchange:

In all due respect, you’re just saying, well, it was clarified with the reporter and you don’t even know what he said. You don’t even know what the clarification is. Sir, how you can say that you should stay on as Attorney General when we go through exercises like this where you’re bobbing and weaving and ducking to avoid admitting that you deceived the Committee?

Watch it at link~

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) noted that Gonzales never sought to inform Congress to clarify the contradictions in his responses on the administration’s warrantless spying activities.

Leahy concluded the interrogation, saying, “I’m going to ask for a review both of what Mr. Comey said and what Mr. Gonzales said. If there’s a discrepancy here in sworn testimony, we’re going to have to ask who’s telling the truth.”

[EVDebs]

1. Inherent contempt or Congress. Argumentative via obfuscation and non-responsive

This AG is an embarrassment.

[aquart]

2. No. He's a criminal involved in a conspiracy to subvert democracy.

He's a traitor.

[damntexdem]

3. Ripping is fine. But it's perjury and he should be charged with it.

Of course, first he should be impeached and convicted.

[Grandrose]

4. To bad Gonzales do not know history of Repubs!

Watergate Scrapbook: What Do You Remember?
Of FBI Director L. Patrick Gray: "Let him hang there; let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind." John Dean. "There's a cancer on the presidency." ...
:popcorn: :kick:

[wiggs]

5. Listen to replay of Hartmann's radio show...re new interpretation of testimony

He's dissecting Comey's testimony and Gonzales's today and believes there's a second secret surveillance program that hasn't been discussed except in a roundabout way. He believes the rush to Ashcroft's bedside is not about the domestic program we're somewhat familiar with...

This makes some sense in a variety of ways...but to me whenever I hear an admission of guilt from the WH, as happened with domestic spying, I'm immediately suspicious that there's more to the story and that all the fireworks are meant to hide a bigger misdeed. There's a purpose to the admission beyond coming clean...coming clean has not ever, EVER been a strong point of the WH.

Something else is going on here...

[babylonsister]

7. Check this out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1419591&mesg_id=1419591

[Frustratedlady]

6. I don't think they would be so insistent on covering up this 2nd "program"..

if it had to do with terrorists. I think it had to do with spying on Dems and the media....maybe even bloggers. JMHO