Firing Carol Lam Was a CRIME - DKos diary

[pberq]

The firing of Carol Lam was much bigger than most, including Congressional Dems, are acknowledging. Check out this outstanding diary by TocqueDeville:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/7/05210/66832

Firing Carol Lam Was a CRIME, Stupid
by TocqueDeville
Sun May 06, 2007 at 11:12:15 PM PDT

Once the press get's it's narrative, it's almost impossible to change it. The narrative on the firing of eight US attorneys? Politics, of course. "And that's just wrong. Not a crime mind you. But wrong." Even many on the left are a bit speechless when asked what the crime is here. Bill Maher's eyes glazed over when promted.

Here's the freakin crime:

18 U.S.C. § 1512 c. which states:

(c) Whoever corruptly—
(1) alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding; or
(2) otherwise obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so,
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.


*

It is simply incredible to me that months have passed over this scandal and the talking heads, the Democratic leadership, and many in the blogosphere have failed to clearly stake out this relatively simple case.

Kyle Sampson's email proves intent:

McClatchy:

In an e-mail dated May 11, 2006, Sampson urged the White House counsel's office to call him regarding "the real problem we have right now with Carol Lam," who then the U.S. attorney for southern California. Earlier that morning, the Los Angeles Times reported that Lam's corruption investigation of former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., had expanded to include another California Republican, Rep Jerry Lewis.

Perhaps what is lost in all this confusion over who said what when and which prosecutors were bushies and which were not is just how significant Lam's investigation was. This paragraph from an August 2006 article in Vanity Fair will instruct:

Tens of thousands of pages of congressional documents going as far back as 1997 have been demanded by the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego. The C.I.A., Pentagon, I.R.S., and F.B.I. are conducting investigations, and at least three congressional committees are cooperating in hopelessly tardy fashion. "We are scrubbing" is how a staffer on the intelligence committee puts it. Washington is unraveling.

Remember, this was published in August of last year. It was almost certainly written many weeks earlier. Washington was unravelling. But the very next paragraph brings it home:

"What these revelations provide is a window into Babylon or the last stages of Rome," explains a source with knowledge of the multiple ongoing investigations. "Many felonies went undetected because in the Defense Department a lot goes on in secret, and these crimes grew in the shadow of both 9/11 and one-party rule—with little scrutiny. So what you're looking at is a world where money, secrecy, sex, and indulgence were all in play. Where everyone is guilty of something."

Carol Lam simply had to be stopped. The name of that article by the way is 'Washington Babylon'. I highly recommend everyone read it.

As Josh Marshall said, "By almost any measure this is a public corruption indictment of historic proportions." Indeed.

Remember, as a direct result of her investigation, the head of the CIA, Porter Goss resigned. His number three was indicted. It had been leaked that the investigation was now to include the Republican chairman of the Committee on Appropriations. There was even a Wall Street banker to complete the picture.

But if Washington's cesspool of corruption has a heart, it is the Committee on Appropriations and it's little stepchild the Subcommittee on Defense. That's where all that dirty defense money comes from. You know, phony contractors, war profiteers and Bush Pioneers.

Carol Lam's investigation threatened to shine a big bright light on the darkest, most most secretive corner of the federal government. The place where the so-called Military Industrial Complex and their armies of lobbyist go to drink from the cup that overfloweth - otherwise known as the US Treasury.

(more . . .)

[pberq]

1. Looks like shraby and I posted this simultaneaously

[shraby]

2. We did. I got on a little later than you did cause

I messed up the post. :eyes:
I was going to post it last night but it was late and I wanted people to see it so I waited until today.

[pberq]

3. great minds think alike - this one is should be shared with everyone we know

[Mister Ed]

4. K&R n/t

[bullimiami]

5. ill bet that each and every one of the firings was a crime.

either in obstruction of justice of current investigations they didnt like or revenge firings for not using their offices as a political weapon as directed by rove.

[pacalo]

6. I've believed this all along...

On a scale of 1 to 100, the Lam firing was 100 to the seven other's 3. In fact, it is highly reasonable to suspect that the other seven were merely fired to cover for ousting Lam.

[pberq]

7. So why do you suppose Democrats are not making a bigger deal about this?

[Robbien]

8. It astounds me

The DC Dems are just so very quiet on all the corruption and illegal acts being uncovered by the congresssional investigative committees.

The DC Dems are just as quiet about all the attorney purge muck being raked by Marshall's muckrakers.

I don't get it. This stuff is exactly what the DC Dems need in their efforts to correct the system and get the political GOPers out of the government. But the DC Dems do nothing and the political GOPers are still in their jobs, still doing damage.

[cascadiance]

13. Probably for the same resason they've not called Sibel Edmonds to testify...

Their a lot of *BIG* skeletons that they are treading lightly around now, and some probably are Democrats too!

[loudsue]

22. That's what I want to know! Sibel Edmonds' testimony needs to be on

the news 24/7, and there needs to be a HUGE investigation concerning the things she has discovered.

But what do we hear from our congresscritters? .... :crickets:

:kick::kick::kick:

[pacalo]

15. Putting their ducks in a row, is my guess.

Judging from Leahy's & Schumer's outrage & their mendacity in working on this investigation, I can only hope that, at the very least, this administration will be charged with obstruction of justice & that the House will commence with the ultimate big deal: impeachment proceedings.

[AuntPatsy]

9. K&R how many more crimes will simply be ignored?

[ClayZ]

10. K and R

[Th1onein]

11. Kicked & Recommended

This needs to be on the front page of newspapers everywhere. This is not the first time this administration has fired a prosecutor aiming straight at it, in order to stop an investigation. I suspect that there are many, many crimes hidden under that iceberg we are just now seeing the tip of.

[cascadiance]

12. And the two directors of CounterIntelligence resigned also likely due to her investigation!

David A. Burtt II, and Joseph Hefferon...

This was quietly announced a number of months ago, where the two top officials in the Counterintelligence Field Activity agency in the DOD both resigned simultaneously for "personal reasons" when the MZM mess moved towards their group...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/09/AR2006080901700.html

These were the guys that were trying to build a huge database of folks in protest marches, etc. too.

There are probably many other people that have been "rearranged" that we haven't even heard about, but that are a response to what she was trying to get to the bottom of in her investigations. We should be impeaching Gonzales and those above him for this!

[pberq]

14. Thanks for pointing this out - one more piece of the puzzle.

It seems clear that the Democratic leadership does not want to get to the bottom of this - who or what are they protecting?

[EVDebs]

25. These unnamed 'others' in Congress and the CIA

"It's all part of a growing ongoing investigation into corruption in defense and intelligence contracts, which already has sent former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to prison and, legal sources say, may threaten others in Congress and the CIA. "

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12634250/

are already obstucting justice alongside the White House in order to cover for the CIA/GOP/money-spigot.

This is what got other journalists investigating The Octopus their careers ruined and lives destroyed: Danny Casolaro and Gary Webb.

[KharmaTrain]

16. Hint To Law Students...

Looking for a quick start to one's career? Well, you used to be able to attend Regent University and walk right into a government job...but alas, times have changed.

Instead, there's a land-office business building in representing indicted Repugnicans or those being investigated. No experience is necessary here as all we want are these goons rooted out and thrown out of our Justice system...and some in jail, too.

The ramifications of the politization of the DOJ could ring on for years to come. I suspect we'll see convictions overturned and contested based on false prosecutions.

I always questioned the legality of Lam's firing as she was thisclose to sending "Hey Laydeeeeeeee" Jerry Lewis up the river. The evidence piling up here, including her Assistant bailing to take a 1.5 mil offer from the same GOOP connected law firm that was representing Lewis...really, really smells here.

[cascadiance]

17. Duncan Hunter's opponent John Rinaldi insisted to me that Duncan Hunter was going to be indicted...

... after the election.

I talked to him about it at a local gathering here in San Diego last fall, and he said that they were already prepared to go after him, but that "the powers that be" (or something to that effect) were wanting to delay it until after the election, presumably because they felt that the Republicans could be more apt to retain the seat in a special election (like Bilbray did with Mikel Haas's help) than basically "giving" him the seat like they were forced to do with Tom Delay.

I still wonder if that was the logic that was given to someone like Carol Lam *NOT* to pursue folks like Hunter until after the election, and she did so in good faith, thinking that ultimately she'd go after them one way or the other, when in fact later, they decided to fire her instead and therefore have such indictments "delayed" forever.

I wonder if she was being told to handle the Lewis and Doolittle investigations in a simlar fashion, and that she was "hoodwinked" with this "delay" which actually turned out to be Roveco's strategy to stop the investigation in its tracks then.

I wonder if we could get Waxman to have Rinaldi testify about what he knows, since he seemed pretty confident at the time he talked to me what was going to happen.

[KharmaTrain]

18. I've Long Heard Stories About Hunter

My brother lives in North County and was once repped by the Dukestir. For years he told me of stories circulating about Dukestir, Hunter, Lewis, Billbray and several others who all made fortunes off the defense contractors in and around San Diego. It was like a competition as to whom could get the best sweetheart deal or stick an earmark in a bill or get the biggest campaign contribution. I'm sure this is no surprise to anyone who lives in the area.

The San Diego Union...picked up by TPM had several stories about Hunter being in Lam's sites, but those vanished, along with the Lewis ones, when she was fired. One is led to believe the Wilkes/Foggo trail goes right through these guys and hopefully we may get more damning details when their cases come to trial.

I'm starting to worry about poor Henry...he's got such a big workload and little help. There's an article (damn if I can remember the blog) about how inept, and counterpart in Senate oversight is...ya know that "bipartisan" senator from the Nutmeg state.

But the big story here is how those dirty feds took Julia Doolittle's IPOD!!!! :rofl:

[cascadiance]

19. I just followed my own advice and called Waxman's office...

... and forwarded him my concerns about investigations being "delayed". They told me to contact the oversight committee's number directly, which I did. Hopefully something will happen and maybe we might see someone like Mr. Rinaldi take the stand soon! :)

[loudsue]

23. That's great, Cali! Thanks for taking action. Carol Lamm needs to

have a "tell all" conference. I wonder if Waxman and Conyers & Leahy have all had a closed-door session with her?

:kick::kick::kick:

[L. Coyote]

20. When the TOP COP is a criminal, what do you expect? Inaction, of course,

and a long string of "I do not recall" and "I searched my memory" replies to questions that, if answered, would be incriminating.

Who is going to prosecute these crimes when the criminals are the prosecutors. And those unwilling to be part of the "cosa nostra" were fired!!

[loudsue]

21. This article describes the crux of the whole republican party....crooks...

every last republican in congress, or in any office in government... it's what they're going to get out of it in terms of financial or political gain. They're like a bunch of damned third-world barbarians. They're just too damned good for the laws in the U.S. to apply to them.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Disturbed]

24. I believe that all the firings were Illegal.

The Busholini Regime is a Criminal Cabal of RWing Fascists.

[cascadiance]

26. This article on Darrell Issa is a perfect example of this!

Mr. Darrell "Viper" (which makes both radar detectors for himself and car alarms that he got trained by his car thief brother of his to make) Issa...

From:
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/2005/10/border_patrol_h.html

October 20, 2005
Border Patrol Hating, Hezbollah Supporting GOP Rep. for California Statewide Office?

By Debbie Schlussel

...

Jihad Darrell, who is tight with terror host state Syria, got a ticket for speeding at the border. He responded with a "Do you know who I am?" redux, but the brave Border Patrol agent gave him the ticket anyway. Issa then tried to deunionize the Border Patrol (there was no DHS then) and is continuing to try to shut down Border Patrol checkpoints and offices at various points in his district. Jihad Darrell pretends he is for tougher immigration laws and enforcement, but the opposite is true.

And of course Mr. Issa was at the front of the line trying to get Ms. Lamm pushed out of office!