Specter: Administration has 18 hours to clarify Gonzales testimony on wiretapping

[babylonsister]

More grandstanding??

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/specter-administration-has-18-hours-to-clarify-gonzales-testimony-on-wiretapping-2007-07-30.html

Specter: Administration has 18 hours to clarify Gonzales testimony on wiretapping
By Elana Schor and Susan Crabtree
July 30, 2007

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s ranking Republican, Arlen Specter (Pa.), emerged from a crucial Monday briefing and gave the Bush administration 18 hours to resolve the controversy over apparent contradictions in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s congressional testimony.

Gonzales took issue last week with former Deputy Attorney General James Comey’s description of internal dissent in 2004 over the legal authority for the National Security Agency’s (NSA) warrantless eavesdropping program. Frustrated Democrats called for a special prosecutor to investigate Gonzales for perjury, noting that several officials have publicly echoed Comey’s account. Those calls prompted Specter to request a classified briefing to clear up the dispute.

Specter aides released a statement late Monday that suggested a bombshell to come on Tuesday afternoon.

“Given the difficulty of discussing classified matters in public, I think it is preferable to have a letter addressing that question from the administration … by noon tomorrow, which will be made available to the news media,” Specter wrote in the statement. “The administration has committed to producing such a letter.”

Specter expects the letter clarifying the attorney general’s testimony to be addressed to himself and Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who declined to comment on the matter.

Specter was equally cagey, telling reporters to wait until Tuesday for any further comment from him.

When asked whether Gonzales should be forced to resign, Specter said any such speculation would be "premature to consider." He said other senators were present for the administration briefing, which was given by Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and others, but declined to identify them.

Tuesday’s letter may hold the key to Gonzales’s future. Specter has so far refrained from joining Democrats’ effort to unseat the attorney general and held off on judging the current flap. News reports over the weekend may have technically supported Gonzales’s claim that the internal wrangling in 2004 occurred over a separate intelligence program, not the NSA program, but Specter offered no clue as to their accuracy.

[Forkboy]

1. Or we'll get really really mad and make another statement!

[poverlay]

4. EXaaaaactly...nt

[babylonsister]

5. And stamp our feet, and write more letters! nt

[malaise]

2. Impeachment coming tomorrow n/t

[Sapphire Blue]

3. It will be clarified to his satisfaction, Dems are just on a witch hunt, blah, blah, blah

:puke:

[babylonsister]

7. Lots of cynics here, though I can't blame anyone. nt

[Sapphire Blue]

8. It's Specter's MO.

[Zensea]

6. At some point the shit is going to hit the fan

Whether it has yet, who knows?
Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I do think it will happen eventually.
I also think it is getting closer to happening.
I know for many people it already has, but people in a position of power (congressmen) have a different level of tolerance and timetable than ordinary citizens.
Some think that means they will put up with anything, I'm not of that opinion.
I try to keep in mind that cliche about the wheels of justice grinding extremely slow.
This is true for any institution and Congress is an institution.

Edit to add that I see while I was typing that those of the other opinion have already chimed in above.
Surprise, surprise.
My comment for them is that I'm not into defeatism & I don't expect things to happen overnight.
Some do, obviously.

We really have no idea what is going on behind the scenes but I would be willing to bet that it is not pretty and not good for the Bush administration despite the public face of things that can lead one to cynicism.

[LoZoccolo]

9. That would be 18 real hours, not 18 business hours.

lol

[librechik]

10. perhaps they read this:

http://www.anonymousliberal.com/2007/07/case-against-gonzales.html

the case against Gonzales--It's a slam dunk--cuz of a bunch of things he said in passages NOT being furiously debated.

[IChing]

11. I didn't know he could tell the Judiciary committee

what the time-frame was on this stuff?
Last time I heard he and his party are not in charge of that committee.

[VP505]

12. Are YOU listening Administration?

Arlen is only gonna tell you three more times to correct your lies.

[MrSlayer]

13. Or what?

They'll wait some more?


The Wolf!
The Wolf!!

[in_cog_ni_to]

14. Don't hold your breath Arlen. They are not going to clarify ANYTHING. They WANT this fight.

They are foaming at the mouth just waiting to see what Congress has the balls to do.

[KoKo]

15. Expected to be LET DOWN BIG TIME by Specter...Finger in the Wind...Bushbot!

He's nothing but a RW TOOL and DOES whatever RW THINK TANKS tell him to. He's trying to steal show from Leahy and wind it out so Bushie comes out GOOD!

[HughMoran]

16. Seems Gonzo is gonna be toast

on KO - just a matter of time