DOJ SCHEMED AGAINST HILARY CLINTON & JOHN EDWARDS (Harpers)

[kpete]

Tracking Political Prosecutions
DEPARTMENT No Comment
BY Scott Horton
PUBLISHED September 22, 2007

In the last two weeks, two sources, one of them inside of the Justice Department, have told me that a scheme was hatched in the upper echelons of the Bush Administration shortly after it took office in 2001 or early in 2002. The project identified John Edwards and Hilary Clinton as likely Democratic challengers to President Bush, and identified prominent trial lawyers around the United States as the likely financial vehicle for his rise. It directed that their campaign finance records be fly-specked, and that offenses not be treated as administrative matters but rather as serious criminal offenses.

The scheme contemplated among other things that raids be staged on the law offices involved, and that the records seized not be limited to campaign finance—there was an acute interest in all politically oriented documents, in order to seize valuable intelligence on strategic planning from the enemy camp.

.......................

Alberto Gonzales of course fully understood what was happening and why, and fully approved of it. What disturbed him was the fact that all of this was becoming public.

If the scheme to get the Edwards trial lawyer supporters is as described to me, then it was a criminal conspiracy and those involved in it need to be tracked down, removed from office for their abuses, and punished.

MUCH more at:
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/09/hbc-90001266
and:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/22/1151/98789

[rubberducky]

1. This is a huge story. Bring the bastards down. K&R

[dickbearton]

27. It's time to bring these guys, like Gonzales, up on charges.

[frogcycle]

2. Demonstrates to me how benumbed I have become

I am not in the least surprised, and I can't stir up any optimism that this revelation will lead to anything.


For the past year or so I have periodically told my wife about the latest revelation, comment, whatever, and her stock answer is "it won't make any difference." I used to get all frustrated and try to insist that we were "getting somewhere." Now I just say, "I know that, but it is interesting anyway."

[Forkboy]

10. That's my feeling as well.

I'd love to be wrong, but time after time we've seen what should be major news go right by with barely a notice.

[bobbolink]

20. I've come to the same thing. The only hope is for it all to fall quickly now,

as in bringing the frog, if you'll pardon the expression, to a full boil very quickly.

Your wife was absolutely right, and it's heartbreaking.

But, it must fall quickly so people FEEL IT.

[lostnotforgotten]

40. There Is But One Answer - A Second American Revolution

Put simply, the ruling elite in this country, both Democrats and Republicans, are numb to our protestations.

They are collectively as out of touch and indifferent as the British monarchy was during our first American revolution.

They want us to behave as indifferent serfs allowing them to operate with impunity.

Prove to me that these assertions are untrue by humble observation and I might change my mind.

[peacetalksforall]

55. A perfect four sentences. Absolutely true. Add me to the list of

those who need to be shown that this is not true.

Our two most junior Senators are turning.

How precious the virtue of credibility.

[Bluebear]

41. I couldn't agree with you more.

[Divine Discontent]

42. and I couldn't agree with bluebear more!

seriously - this is so damning that it should knock the stories of britney's wreck, and OJ's kidnapping charge right off the headlines, despite those being such gigantic news stories themselves.

[liberalmuse]

3. Wanna bet when everything comes out...

this will make Watergate look like a Sunday school picnic? Unbelievable! I hope all involved are eventually punished. Also, along this same vein, I would not be surprised, given Bush's pissy comments the other day if he hasn't already requested a list of all MoveOn donors.

[frogcycle]

47. he should wait

the list is growing fast

he raised over 500k for them

:rofl:

[peacetalksforall]

56. A person can't even believe that Rove and Gonzales quit to start

spending more time with their lawyers - to prepare. Who is going to do more than just talk, meaning our Congresspeople. We citizens need each other and we need every kind of group that knows the law.

Funny how scared the WH is about lawyers? I guess not all lawyers belong to the Federalist Society - the group that invents and makes the law for the WH. Believe that includes Leiberman.

[Ninga]

4. Spot on! Read this.

Picked this up last month about prominent Michigan and nationally acclaimed attorney Geoffry Fieger and an indictment by the feds for his supposed contributions to Edwards.



http://www.crainsdetroit.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070824/REG/70824005/1043

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

53. Maybe you should email him

[e-mail]

[tom_paine]

5. More Nazi-like tactics (but kinder and gentler) from the Bushies?

Wowe, what a surprise. Who could have foreseen it?

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. "administrative matters but rather as serious criminal offenses. "

You mean, there's a choice? How can you make it a subjective decision if something is criminal or civil?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. and ashcroft approved it too, don't forget.

it is so easy to forget that they declared war on anyone in this country who was a potential source of political opposition. They were/are ruthless, without shame, and without honor or ethics.

[peacetalksforall]

57. If we weren't so broke we could file a law suit for each and every crime

against us. We pay for them to use OUR government against us and the Iraqi and Iranians and manyh others. The UNHOLY UNCHRISTIAN UNJEWISH Republicans ... honor integrity suits ties, but there is no animal, reptile insect or watery creature that can be used to describe these xxxxxxxxes.

[alfredo]

8. Spread this far and wide. This is a big story.

[robinlynne]

9. surprise....

[HCE SuiGeneris]

11. Will the MSM publish this and expose it for the American public?

No. They are our captors and will continue to imprison until we say NO more. Where is my democracy?

[Catherine Vincent]

12. K&R!

:kick:

[tanyev]

13. Rove's grubby paws.

Just a continuation, maybe even culmination, of the dirty tricks he's been perfecting since he got started under Nixon.


This looks very suspiciously like a Rove strategy.

And this bring us back to the key unanswered questions about Rove’s involvement in the process of directing political prosecutions. His fingerprints are all over the prosecution of Governor Siegelman in Alabama, and further substantial evidence of that will shortly be public, linking him both to federal and state prosecutors and to the principal figures in the Alabama G.O.P. in connection with the scheme to “get Siegelman.” It strikes me as probably that the plot to take out the trial lawyers and to use the Justice Department as the vehicle was also hatched by Rove. All of this helps explain why the documents that the Judiciary Committee is seeking are so vital to get to the bottom of the cloud now hanging over the Justice Department. It is essential to find out what conspiracies were involved driving prosecutions, to correct what was done, discipline those involved, and exonerate the victims. This in fact is the essence of what justice demands. For five years Washington has had a Department of Political Persecutions where the Department of Justice used to stand. That needs to be cleaned up.

[libodem]

29. hence the 'Hatch Act"

ie hatched by Rove

[pansypoo53219]

14. of course this is why georgie needed the

patriot act, so he could spy on DEMOCRATS WITHOUT A WARRANT.

[bleever]

15. Another huge story to go along with Dan Rather's lawsuit.

It's incredible that these things are coming to light.

If I were a Republican, I'd save my money instead of donating it to any presidential candidates. That's looking more and more like throwing money down a hole.

[mod mom]

16. ISN'T OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE NOW THAT CRIMINALS ARE AT THE HELM AND MUST BE IMPEACHED!

[bobbolink]

21. but, but BUT... we don't have the vooottessss!

It's only a little matter of the Constitution, and we'll fix it all after the next election.

Or, the one after that.

Or....

[acmavm]

25. Uh, yep. The difference is some people and corporate entities benefit

from shielding and supporting the criminals. That goes for the media. Maybe especially the media. They were and are willing to cover and lie for them. They bury any information that the American people need to understand how their country is working and even more importantly, how their country is not working.

Then there's a small percentage (I truly believe smaller than the famous 29%) who will never admit that they've been had. It would destroy them if they had to face the fact that they're gullible idiots. They're willing to sell out their kids and their country to protect their fragile egos.

[MagickMuffin]

17. Never forget Timmy Griffin's role as acting USA in Arkansas

He was put there for a reason. With him as state prosecutor he had access to all sorts of files he could use against Hilliary.

And so all things seem to come to light about the USA's firings and the whole ball of yarn starts to unravel. That's another way they were using the DOJ to their advantage. Let's not forget their battle-cry, "The USA's serve at the PLEASURE OF THE pRESIDENT."



from article:

And that in each case, the greatest concern within the political pirates commanding the operation has been that the public would get wind of the bigger picture. It was essential to pull it off that each case be viewed as something standing all on its own, and that the fact that there was a politically motivated project be obscured.

The key factor here is that all the cases involve campaign finance violations which are of a rather mundane nature. And in each case the FEC violations have been hyped into something quite preposterous. The political angle, I am told, is simple: make trial attorney’s money radioactive. Dry up the source. Take out a key element of the Democrats’ campaign finance strategy.

I guess I'm not the only one who refers to these thugs as pirates. I started my pirate reference earlier this year. I even had a freepard comment on my inspirational use of the pirate theme in my video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxZkYVCng4E :evilgrin:


on edit: correct typo

[BlooInBloo]

18. For Clinton at least, DUers support this.

[bobbolink]

19. And how many DUers continue to buy all the propaganda about Edwards?

ever so interesting....

[1932]

38. ...and think being a trial lawyer is a bad thing.

[Trillo]

22. Not a "fair" process, at all,

this representative democracy biz, is it?

Just imagine what sufficient electronic resources and warrantless wiretapping allows the Executive Branch.

Have we in the U.S. ever been truly represented?

[jberryhill]

23. Did these un-named schemers do anything other than "scheme"?

To have a criminal conspiracy, you have to have an agreement to do something illegal, and an action in furtherance of the conspiracy. That is, two guys can talk about robbing a bank, but until they, say, drive up to the bank, it's just talk.

[merh]

34. how about conspiracy

to violate the Hatch Act, the Presidential Records Act and the Voting Rights Act and the use of the mails or electronic communications to further their schemes and to deprive the citizens of their honest services?

Just off the top of my head of course. :shrug:

[jberryhill]

35. Hello... Hello... is this thing on?

And the overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy is... what?

No, communicating about anything is something that anyone is free to do.

[merh]

36. What overt act? LOL, there are tons of overt acts.

You do know what that means don't you?

[1932]

39. The Feiger conviction and all the actions that lead to it?

And all the other investigations they've done.

[drm604]

46. Overt acts.

The prosecution of Governor Siegelman is one example.

[creeksneakers2]

24. This fits with the prosecution of David Rosen

,a staffer for Hillary who was criminally charged for failure to report campaign donations. The case was unusual in that that type of case is normally prosecuted by the FEC and the Justice Department almost never intervenes. Justice did in the Rosen case, and made a deal with multi-million dollar swindler Peter Paul to do it. FBI wiretaps in New Orleans were also used to investigate the case but produced no usable evidence against Rosen.

As so many time before, right wingers were promised that "this is the one that will bring down Hillary." Of course it didn't turn out that way. Rosen was acquitted.

Hillary's campaign finance chairman, Andrew Grossman was fined $35,000 by the FEC, where the case usually would have gone. Larry Klayman started an endless suit against Hillary on behalf of Peter Paul. The suits goes back and forth between appeals and dismissals.

[Canuckistanian]

26. So, theyve always been scared about Edwards

That's useful information.

[Nia Zuri]

32. Edwards is a HUGE threat to them nt

Brilliant, good looking, charming, tough with a compelling progressive message

[wildbilln864]

28. k&r! n/t

[KittyWampus]

30. No question they've been wiretapped as well, is there?

[illinoisprogressive]

31. seems a bit farfetched to me.

[Divine Discontent]

43. and these same people

made up a war out of thin air.... just sayin.

[1932]

33. They're such Nazis. A bunch of thugs.

[nam78_two]

37. Absolute thugs...goons..that is what these people are

There is just about nothing they will NOT stoop to...

[bananarepublican]

44. K & r - with extreme prejudice! When is enough, ENOUGH? n/t

[gateley]

45. Yet ANOTHER despicable action! The American people are becoming numb

to it all. And how do we go after them all? There's the war, the dropping dollar, the environment, all which need immediate help and attention. This has become surreal. I'm disgusted.

[deacon]

48. k + r

[Joanne98]

49. The Democrat need to fight back!

[Octafish]

50. DOJ's doing it to Geoffrey Fieger in Michigan.

Dr. Kevorkian's famed lawyer also was a Democratic nominee for Governor. Now he's accused of cheating on his "bundles" of contributions for John Edwards.

[Ninga]

51. Yes, you are right. Check out the link in my post #4. We need to grab this tiger by the

tail and not let them get away with this.

Basta!!

Enoough is enough !!

[Botany]

52. the plan

the U.S. attorneys were the button men
the NSA spied on who "they" wanted
the vote was rigged
and the media was controlled and used

Hell, "they" hav put a former Governor of Alabama in jail when
he protested election fraud.

I am sorry to say I do not see our democratic leadership standing up
to these crooks over all.

[BrklynLiberal]

54. The are so f*king evil that it truly raises the hairs on the back of my neck...

It shows that there is virtually nothing that is beyond their capability when it comes to staying in power.:scared:

[L. Coyote]

58. The political corruption of Justice seems to CREEP ever closer to Bush V. Gore

As public confidence in the scales of Justice erodes, will confidence in the integrity of the Bush v. Gore decision also erode? Support for the outcome certainly has.