GONZALES: Yes. But I went back and clarified it with the reporter...

[rodeodance]

Has anyone heard any follow up on this?



http://blog.washingtonpost.com/benchconference/2007/07/post_39.html?hpid=topnews

Rough Justice - The Case Against Alberto Gonzales


Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV
Gonzo on the Hill: A Comedic Tragedy

.........

SCHUMER: I'd like to just pick up where Senator Specter left off, about the TSP program. Just a few preliminaries.
First, I take it that there was just one program that the president confirmed in 2005. There was not more than one.

GONZALES: He confirmed one, yes, intelligence activity. Yes, one program.

SCHUMER: Thank you. OK. Now, you -- and you've repeatedly referred to the, quote "program," that the president confirmed in December 2005. Let me just -- I'm going to put up a chart here. Here's what you said before this committee on February 6th of 2006. You said, quote, "There has not been any serious disagreement about the program the president has confirmed. With respect to what the president has confirmed, I do not believe that these DOJ officials that you were identifying had concerns about this program." This was in reference to a question I asked you, "Was there any dissent here?"

This was before Comey came to testify. It was in February. But we had some thoughts that maybe that happened. And now, of course, we know from Jim Comey that virtually the entire leadership of the Justice Department was prepared to resign over concerns about a classified program. Disagreement doesn't get more serious than that. And what program was the ruckus all about? And this is the important point here. At your press conference on June the 5th, it was precisely the program that you testified had caused no serious dissent. You said, "Mr. Comey's testimony" -- and he only testified once -- "related to a highly classified program which the president confirmed to the American people some time ago."

SCHUMER: These are your words, right? You don't deny that these are your words. This was a public press conference.

GONZALES: I'm told that in fact here in the press conference I did misspeak, but I also went back and clarified it with the reporter.

SCHUMER: You did misspeak?

GONZALES: Yes. But I went back and clarified it with the reporter...

SCHUMER: When was that? And which -- what was the reporter's name?

GONZALES: At The Washington Post two days later.

(CROSSTALK)

GONZALES: Dan Eggen was the reporter.

SCHUMER: OK. Well, we'll want to go follow up with him. But the bottom line is this: You just admitted there was just
one program that the president confirmed in December...

GONZALES: The president...

SCHUMER: ... just one. Is that correct, sir?

GONZALES: The president talked about a set of activities...

SCHUMER: No, I am just asking you a yes-or-no simple question, just as Senator Specter has. And just like Senator Specter and others here, I'd like to get an answer to that question. You just said there was one program. Are you backing off that now?............

[pinto]

1. Per the rules he has a few days to dance, or pony up.

[pinto]

2. And, on follow up, he's one of the worst examples of Bush crony appointments,

endemic in this Administration.

[radfringe]

3. he clarified it with the reporter

by sending one of his bootlickers to talk to the reporter - but when asked what was told to the reporter - gonzo says "i don't know"

SCHUMER: I'll let you speak in a minute, but this is serious, because you're getting right close to the edge right here.
You just said there was just one program -- just one. So the letter, which was, sort of, intended to deceive, but doesn't directly do so, because there are other intelligence activities, gets you off the hook, but you just put yourself right back on here.

GONZALES: I clarified my statement two days later with the reporter.

SCHUMER: What did you say to the reporter?

GONZALES: I did not speak directly to the reporter.

SCHUMER: Oh, wait a second -- you did not.

(LAUGHTER)

OK. What did your spokesperson say to the reporter?

]GONZALES: I don't know. But I told the spokesperson to go back and clarify my statement...

SCHUMER: Well, wait a minute, sir. Sir, with all due respect -- and if I could have some order here, Mr. Chairman -- 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 can you say that you should stay on as attorney general when we go through exercise like this, where you're bobbing and weaving and ducking to avoid admitting that you deceived the committee? And now you don't even know. I'll give you another chance: You're hanging your hat on the fact that you clarified the statement two days later. You're now telling us that is was a spokesperson who did it. What did that spokesperson say? Tell me now, how do you clarify this?

GONZALES: I don't know, but I'll find out and get back to you.

if gonzo doesn't know what the spokes-spittle said to the reporter, how does gonzo know it was clarified? sorry if I'm applying logic to this - but it seems to me that when you send a spokes-spittle out to clarify a statement that you have a meeting with the spokes-spittle to discuss what you want clarified and how you want it clarified, i.e. getting the facts straight - or in this case lining up the lies in a row

[Robbien]

4. You don't really believe that it was Gonzo who sent the rep. to the reporter do you?

With Cheney having full authority over our DoJ, one can reasonably expect the representative got his marching orders on what to say to the WaPo from the OVP.

[radfringe]

5. no, and based on his performance at the hearing

I wouldn't be surprised if he has to request a VP memo to give him a hall-pass to go to the bathroom

for a lawyer - he's really incompetent, remind me not to use any lawfirm that might hire him in the future

[annabanana]

6. That WAS pretty funny.. . . .In an awful way. . . n/t

[malaise]

7. Gonzo was making that up as he went along

It was bullshit. He didn't even speak to the reporter and did not knmow what his rep said to the reporter. Gonzo is a pathological liar.

[radfringe]

8. and tomorrow

cheney will authorize gonzo to send out a spokes-spittle to clarify the clarification on the previous clarification... just to clarify things....

[malaise]

9. Isn't that the truth

they'll arrange a spinterview with some MSM hack.

[saltpoint]

10. This guy's a chump.

He should have been canned a long time ago.

Next best time is this afternoon.

I'm proud of the Judiciary Committee for frying him yesterday. May the trend continue.