Rep. Peter King threatens "scorched-earth policy" if AG Holder investigates former Bush officials

[sabra]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/13/gop-hits-pursuit-of-torture-probe/

<snip>

Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, called for his party to pursue a "scorched-earth policy" of refusing to cooperate with the administration if it pursues such an investigation, which he called an effort to appease Europeans and U.S. intellectuals.

"It's a wrong and shameful criminalizing political differences," Mr. King said during an interview with The Washington Times. "I would find it very hard to work with the administration on bipartisan issues if the attorney general and the administration start going after patriotic Americans who have dedicated their lives to protecting us."

A Justice Department official Sunday told The Times that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is considering opening a criminal investigation into Bush administration officials involved in the aggressive tactics that critics consider torture.

Such considerations have reached a point beyond the attorney general's previous public acknowledgment that such a probe is a possibility. A final decision is likely "in the next several weeks," said the Justice Department source, who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to disclose internal deliberations.

[WeDidIt]

1. I wonder what Representative Peter King has to hide?

Sounds like eh may have been privy to some of the war crimes.

Might be culpable.

Might need to investigate him.

...

Nah, that's Bush/Cheney style tactics right there.

[formercia]

15. The representative doth protest too much, methinks. n/t

[JHB]

16. King is a known terrorist supporter...

...so by his own reasoning we should waterboard and GITMOtize him to find out what he's hiding.

[Raster]

28. A drunken Peter King was videoed at the White House in the company of bush* in 2003 talking about

...how the balloting was over and how the rethuglicans would count the votes. He stated over and over how "...we won...we will count the votes... we won...".

I suspect King realizes that once the Pandora's box of the bush*/cheney* crimes is opened, it will show everything from election fraud to high treason. I further speculate that King may have his hands a bit on the dirty side. And just to clear the air, it seems very few politicians in DC, Dem or Repug, want hard-hitting, deep investigation.

[snot]

58. thank you.

[Xipe Totec]

2. And that would be different how? n/t

[FatDave]

38. Exactly what I was going to ask.

Republicans are going to get all obstructionist on us? Shit, sounds like we've got nothing to lose.

[Xipe Totec]

40. It's liberating, isn't it?

We don't have to worry about getting along with those dumb bastards anymore.

[surrealAmerican]

63. It might have been more effective had he said ...

... "We will actually cooperate with you on something if you don't.", not that that would have been believable.

[aquart]

3. Go for it, Petey.

I want to see every idiot statement you make up on YouTube ready for a nice campaign ad.

[ray of light]

4. I guess everyone should be prepared to battle this disgusting creep!

(Sorry for the name calling. But I'm at a loss of words to describe a person who would let this type of thing go.)

[Bicoastal]

5. It's all the fault of foreigners and intellectuals?

How very SS of you, Rep. King.

[Posteritatis]

54. Stabbed in the back! Stabbed in the back, I tells ya! (nt)

[tridim]

6. So he's going to burn DC down if the law is applied to lawbreakers?

[groovedaddy]

7. Sounds like a threat. One more reason to pursue justice! n.t

[tularetom]

12. Exactly.

The more they talk shit like this the more reason they give the andministration to investigate. Does this anus realize he is painting his party even further into a corner?

[groovedaddy]

31. Evidently not. Let them keep spouting off...they do protest too much! n.t

[Botany]

8. Go for it Pete

"they" broke the law and lied to start the war.

[Spinzonner]

9. "Bring it on"

[Hubert Flottz]

10. "refusing to cooperate with the administration"

Have you seen the republicans "cooperate with the administration" on anything important so far?

And I never expect to see them cooperate on anything any way.

[AndyA]

29. Yeah, so nothing will really change.

Republicans wouldn't know bipartisanship if it slapped them on their faces.

So, really what's being suggested here is more of the same. :eyes:

[annabanana]

This stinker is my rep... My guess is

that he was in the loop for the whole filthy business. He said (on the Whitehouse Lawn.) that "we count the votes". He's a pal of AIPAC an he never saw a bomb that he wouldn't love to drop.

[napi21]

11. He gets worse as he gets older! n/t

[rocktivity]

13. I believe the legal term that applies here

is "consciousness of guilt"

:headbang:
rocktivity

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. Hey, Asswipe!

It's not about criminalizing political differences - that's what YOU guys did - it's about prosecuting criminality in politics.

[Mrs. Overall]

17. He's a nut case. If you send him an angry email, he responds with completely inappropriate

responses that are embarrassing.

I emailed him quite awhile ago about an email he had sent to his constituents that contained an over the top loyalty to Bush (he was talking about Bush in terms of divine right and chosen by God.) He also called Democrats some horrible names. I wrote to him expressing disagreement and told him that I would be forwarding his constituent email to news outlets. Here was his response:

Many thanks for your e-mail. It reaffirms my belief that I am right.
Many thanks for taking the time to spread my message. You are doing God's work.

Pete King

[Cha]

49. peter king who worships at the altar of

greed, oligarchy, and perversion invokes "God"..what a bleater.

[droidamus2]

18. Interesting

I haven't been paying much attention to how Holder is running justice. Is he more like Janet Reno, that is independent from the Presidency, or is he more like Gonzales, that is kissing the Presidents ass? King obviously thinks the Democrats use the Justice Department as an extension of the presidency just like G. Bush and most Republican presidents do. If Holder does his job right and sees the Justice Department as an independent institution (basically the President nominates the AG and then whoever gets the job runs the department the way they see fit once they are in the job) then any charges of 'politics' is just so much bs. I also think that Kings use of the 'bipartisan' thing as a political weapon shows it is pretty useless in the current political climate to get bipartisan support on anything. The Republicans seem to think bipartisan means it gets done the way they want it to be done. My reaction to that is 'Hey Repubs you had your chance to do it your way. The people rejected you at the ballot box so you have no right of any kind to demand things be done "your way".'.

[SoCalDem]

19. Can Peter count? Does he realize he's a MINORITY now?

It's sad though, that some dems shake in their boots at republlican threats..

I wish just ONCE, that the dems would say what;s really on their minds, instead of all the collegial bullshit. Republicans never mince words, and that's why they are repeatedly "invited" to trash-talk the mealthmouthed dems who backpeddle on every slight they finally muster.

A nice, "you, are full of SHIT", would make my day:)

:grr:

[hootinholler]

32. Pete "We'll count the votes" King cannot count. n/t

[Snotcicles]

20. Lets start asking republicans " Are you a Peter King Republican? " nt.

[Hepburn]

21. Dear Rep King:

I believe if you are interviewed by the Febbies and refuse to cooperate ~~ you are looking at Obstruction of Justice. You may, however, take the 5th if you have a good faith belief in your own criminal culpability coming to light if you do speak. Other than that ... go fuck yourself.

[Iggo]

22. An effort to appease smart people and smart people.

Silly republicans...lol.

[Canuckistanian]

23. Wow, they're really scared, aren't they?

He could have dismissed it by saying there's no proof. But no, he has to threaten "scorched earth" if there's even an investigation.

I suspect an investigation will uncover something even WE haven't heard before.

[Mnemosyne]

47. Sadly, my money is still on secret tribunals and

secret executions.

I hope I am so wrong.

[depakid]

24. As if King has any power at all

[LiberalAndProud]

25. Advocating for obstruction of justice,

don't that beat all?

[bobthedrummer]

26. The Republicans have been doing this since January 20, 2009 anyway-eom

[spanone]

27. now why would that threat scare anyone? we have both houses of congress and a dem president.

[Vinnie From Indy]

30. Wanna see Rep. King Go Completely Insane?

Holder should name the inquiry "The Michael Jackson Memorial Investigation Into Alleged BushCo Torture Tactics."

[Iggo]

43. "...FOR BENEFIT GREAT NATION OF EUROPE."

That oughta do it.

[robinlynne]

33. Criminalizing political differnces is wrong, which is why the investigation MUST begin!

The Repugs did it with impunity for years!

[coalition_unwilling]

34. Hnw many divisions does King command? (With

apologies to Joseph Stalin)

[wroberts189]

35. I am so tired of empty republican threats. nt

[n2doc]

36. What does he think he is, a Senator?

Piss-ant little repub congressman, you can't do squat. House rules don't give much power to the minority (thanks, repubs, for that one!)

[gordianot]

37. Scorched Earth? How is it different from what they are doing now? n/t

[City Lights]

39. Bring it on, Pete.

Are we a nation of laws, or men?

If George and Dick did nothing wrong, why do you want to keep what they did hidden?

Go cheney yourself, pete.

[Peacetrain]

41. Bring it on is right

[Solly Mack]

42. King: "blah blah blah grrr. blah blah blah grrr"

yawn

[PretzelWarrior]

44. looks like King wants to run for Senator. that can be the only reason

we have to hear his stupid fucking mouth running 24/7 now.

[Wednesdays]

45. K&R

:kick:

[Mr. Sparkle]

46. How many more times can they say no ? have i missed something, like a time they supported

an administration policy? what an clown ... lol

[Cha]

48. Peter King getting all blustery over

something is like the little boy who cried wolf.

His big mouth is toothless.

[HughMoran]

50. Stupid fucks really think that making threats is the way to deal with such a serious issue?

Ass holes.

[Motown_Johnny]

51. Sounds like a desperate attempt by a guilty man to avoid being exposed for what he truly is

[SeattleGirl]

52. WTF? "It's a wrong and shameful criminalizing political differences,"

No, Rep. King. It's not about politics, it's about the RULE OF LAW!!

Asshole!

[Posteritatis]

53. What a wonderful thing for the senior member of the Homeland Security Committee to say!

I'm sure someone in such a position deciding to "refuse to cooperate with the administration" wouldn't at all be doing anything wrong.

[Jim Sagle]

55. Hang him for sedition.

[Cali_Democrat]

56. Who cares, the GOP has already scorched the Earth.

You can't pursue a policy that is illegal and then cry about the prosecution of policy differences.

I say BRING IT ON.

[DearAbby]

57. So that is what the GOP calls

criminal activity now...political differences, eh?

[spanone]

59. fuck you king, these are not 'political' differences

[RoccoR5955]

60. Peter King will be voted out in '10.

He is one of only two Republican Representatives in NY State. As NY becomes bluer, he will go down!

[Octafish]

61. Prosecuting treason is not ''criminalizing political differences.''

Peter King should be worried. Even a half-assed investigation would demonstrate Bush and his cronies used their offices for personal gain and political power. It's exactly what Adlai Stevenson was talking about: "Corruption in public office is treason."

[Cerridwen]

62. Did he just admit it was only repubs who are guilty?

"It's a wrong and shameful criminalizing political differences"

That sounds to me like Democrats investigating will find only those with whom we have "political differences." All repubs?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

64. "I would find it very hard to work with the administration on bipartisan issues"?

Which "bipartisan issues" have the Repukes even remotely TRIED to work with President Obama and his administration on so far?????!!!
:wtf:

I hear the sounds of crickets chirping out there...............

They want President Obama to fail so few (if any) of them are trying to work with him on....well..anything so far. What kind of cooperation is Peter King promising if Obama does NOT go after the previous administration for criminal activity. Ummm.........NONE!!!!!! :eyes:
I guess that Obama might as well greenlight any DOJ efforts to investigate and prosecute members of the Bush (mis-)administration as warranted. I'd LOVE to see what kind of "scorched earth" tactics the Repukes are thinking about utilizing and how well such tactics will *endear* them to their constituents.

[felinetta]

65. Who cares what he thinks?

I have never heard an intelligent, well thought out statement
come out of him.  He is just one
of the overwhelming ignorant Republicans.  They can' handle
the truth.