Marcy Wheeler: "I Call Bull..." (Doesn't Buy Elston's Claim He Was Ordered By McNulty)

[Hissyspit]

May 03, 2007
I Call Bull
by emptywheel

Murray's got a new story on Michael Elston's testimony to the HJC and I've got to say: Bullshit. Mind you, I believe Murray's reporting, that he provides an accurate description of Elston's testimony. But I don't buy Elston's claim that he was ordered by Paul McNulty--and Paul McNulty exclusively--to call USAs to tell them not to talk to the press.

The chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty has told congressional investigators that phone calls he placed to four fired U.S. attorneys -- calls that three of the prosecutors say involved threats about testifying before Congress -- were made at McNulty's direction.

Michael Elston, the chief of staff, told congressional investigators in a closed-door session on March 30 that McNulty specifically instructed him to make the phone calls after the Justice Department's No. 2 official learned that the fired prosecutors might testify before Congress about their dismissals.



He said that he was directed by McNulty to tell the fired U.S. attorneys that the Department of Justice did not have a formal position as to whether they should testify.

In fact, I'll go further. I strongly suspect that Elston is blaming the threats on McNulty to direct attention away from Rove and his minions.

- snip -

Congressional investigators asked Elston about an e-mail in which Gonzales's then-chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson, wrote to other Justice Department officials that he did not think it was a good idea for Cummins to testify. Elston also told investigators, "The deputy attorney general , I think, concurred with that."

In other words, there is evidence Elston is lying on this point. Add in Sampson's presumed opposition to letting Comey testify, and I suspect Elston was trying to hide DOJ's attempts to avoid public testimony. (Note, I need to find the email again, but I believe there was a February 2 email discussion on the HJC requests for testimony--and McNulty was taken off the email chain as it progressed.)

MUCH MORE

[spindrifter]

1. Ah, a classic move--

point the finger in any direction but the one the stench comes from.