PALAST: Rove's Obstruction of Justice, The E-Mails, The Cover-Up & More

[kpete]

GREG PALAST: ....And you have to understand, Rove, as the political director at the White House, was deeply involved in targeting and taking out the US attorneys who were recalcitrant and wouldn't start handcuffing Hispanic voters on false voter charges. They also know that it’s a slippery slope, because they know that I have 500 of the so-called missing emails.


Monday, May 14th, 2007
Investigative Journalist Greg Palast Reports on the Firing of New Mexico Attorney David Iglesias


GREG PALAST: What happened is that the Republican Party was running a massive campaign directed by Karl Rove and, we know, Tim Griffin, from the written emails, to block voters' votes or to challenge their votes. One way to challenge voters was to say that they were stealing someone else's identity. Someone is voting for Amy Goodman. Well, they say, the solution is to create ID cards. The problem is we can't find anyone anywhere who has committed this crime of stealing Amy Goodman's name to vote. People are not willing to go to jail to vote in some school board election or even for the presidency.

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

On the other side, they’re covering up their own program, programmatic challenge of voters, which is not covered in the US press. Three million people were challenged. By the way, this isn't, you know, from the Democracy Now! black helicopter. This is from the raw data of the United States Election Assistance Commission: three million challenges. These votes were basically lost. Over a million votes were lost. Half a million absentee ballots were thrown out, and many, many of those were votes of African American and Hispanic soldiers that went to Iraq, got their ballots challenged under this Karl Rove-Tim Griffin scheme, and they lost their vote. And they didn't even know that they lost their vote. So all of this is being covered up.

And so, they cannot now -- they don't want to open up the whole story of Tim Griffin, how he became US attorney, what his role was, because it goes all the way back. And what David Iglesias was saying, US attorney, now captain -- by the way, he’s back in the military -- Captain Iglesias was saying, if you can show this chain of intent, that it’s all about the voting and he’s being punished for not bringing these false prosecutions, he says, that’s an obstruction of justice charge that can be brought against Karl Rove.


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

GREG PALAST: Well, even worse, what’s not covered there is that they covered up the active attack on legal voters. I mean, you’re talking -- the caging lists that we have, in the 500 sheets, the 500 emails, we have 70,000 names. That’s one state. This was a multimillion-dollar, gold-plated attack operation on the right of minority voters to vote. And, obviously, Griffin knew it, because he was in charge of it. So you actually have the guys who are supposed to be protecting voters are either actively covering up or even actively participating in knocking out legal voters. I mean, it’s like the mob has grabbed the police department. That’s the problem, by the way, with voter fraud -- with real voter fraud, not the phony stuff of grabbing the Juan Gonzalezes of New Mexico -- if you win, you’ve now grabbed the apparatus of protection and enforcement. It’s the perfect crime.

much more at:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/14/1426254

[L. Coyote]

1. DUPLICATE

babylonsister Mon May-14-07 08:58 AM
Dem. Now! today: Greg Palast Reports on the Firing of NM Attorney David Iglesias
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x881684

Investigative Journalist Greg Palast Reports on the Firing of New Mexico Attorney David Iglesias ............

[BrainGlutton]

2. Is any of this actually a CRIME?

I ask because I've reviewed the Voting Rights Act (Title 42 U.S. Code, Chapter 20, Sections 1973 et seq.) and it:

1. Seems to apply only to public OFFICIALS;

2. Is concerned with determining the legality of state and local election procedures, not with assigning criminal penalties.

But there might be some other law which makes it a crime for private parties (such as Republican Party or Bush campaign operatives) to improperly interfere with others' access to the polls. Does anybody know?

[newyawker99]

4. Hi BrainGlutton!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[eomer]

5. Likely there were felonies under state law.

Here's an example where the voter suppression scheme probably resulted in a felony under Ohio law:

3599.36 Election falsification.

No person, either orally or in writing, on oath lawfully administered or in a statement made under penalty of election falsification, shall knowingly state a falsehood as to a material matter relating to an election in a proceeding before a court, tribunal, or election official, or in a matter in relation to which an oath or statement under penalty of election falsification is authorized by law, including a statement required for verifying or filing any declaration of candidacy, declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate, nominating petition, or other petition presented to or filed with the secretary of state, a board of elections, or any other public office for the purpose of becoming a candidate for any elective office, including the office of a political party, for the purpose of submitting a question or issue to the electors at an election, or for the purpose of forming a political party.

Whoever violates this section is guilty of election falsification, a felony of the fifth degree.

Every paper, card, or other document relating to any election matter that calls for a statement to be made under penalty of election falsification shall be accompanied by the following statement in bold face capital letters: “Whoever commits election falsification is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree.”

Effective Date: 12-09-1997

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/3599.36

Here's a transcript of an Election Board hearing on 10/28/2004 that exposes the details that may amount to a felony under the Ohio Election Falsification provision:

08:27:30 22 First challenge before the Board is
08:27:33 23 the challenge of Catherine Ann Herrold, 238 30th
08:27:40 24 Street Northwest, Barberton. This person is
08:27:42 25 being challenged as unqualified on the grounds
4
08:27:44 1 the person is not a resident of the precinct.
08:27:49 2 Under penalty of election falsification, Barbara
08:27:53 3 Frye Miller has signed this and she has stated
08:27:58 4 that she knows that this person is not a
08:28:01 5 resident of this precinct.
08:28:03 6 I'd like to call Barbara Miller to
08:28:05 7 the stand to be sworn in.
08:28:08 8 MR. HUTCHINSON: I don't think --
08:28:09 9 Mr. Chairman, with due respect, I do not think
08:28:11 10 that's what the form says. I think it says, "I
08:28:14 11 have reason to believe."
08:28:17 12 MR. JONES: Do you want to come
08:28:18 13 forward and be sworn in, please? Go to the
08:28:27 14 mike, please. Ms. Miller, raise your right
08:28:34 15 hand.
08:28:34 16 BARBARA MILLER
08:28:34 17 of lawful age, a witness herein, having been
08:28:34 18 first duly sworn, as hereinafter certified,
08:28:34 19 testified and said as follows:
08:28:43 20
08:28:43 21 MS. MILLER: Do you want me to
08:28:44 22 stay here or go back?
08:28:45 23 MR. JONES: Yes, please, stay
08:28:47 24 here.
08:28:47 25 MR. PRY: Ms. Miller, you
5
08:28:49 1 filed a challenge to the voting residence of
08:28:53 2 Catherine Ann Herrold, who lives at 238 30th
08:28:58 3 Street Northwest, Barberton, Summit County,
08:29:00 4 Ohio; is that correct?
08:29:02 5 MS. MILLER: I did.
08:29:02 6 MR. PRY: And have you ever
08:29:03 7 been to that residence?
08:29:04 8 MS. MILLER: No.
08:29:06 9 MR. PRY: Do you know
08:29:06 10 Catherine Ann Herrold?
08:29:08 11 MS. MILLER: No, I don't.
08:29:11 12 MR. PRY: You have indicated
08:29:11 13 in this challenge form that the person -- that
08:29:14 14 you believe that she does not live at that
08:29:16 15 residence; is that correct?
08:29:17 16 MS. MILLER: That's correct.
08:29:19 17 MR. PRY: And what is the
08:29:20 18 basis for you making this challenge?
08:29:23 19 MS. MILLER: That was my
08:29:24 20 impression that these items that I signed were
08:29:27 21 for people whose mail had been undeliverable for
08:29:30 22 several times, and that they did not live at the
08:29:33 23 residence.
08:29:34 24 MR. PRY: Did you personally
08:29:35 25 send any mail to Ms. Herrold?
6
08:29:37 1 MS. MILLER: No, I did not.
08:29:38 2 MR. PRY: Have you seen any
08:29:39 3 mail that was returned to Ms. Herrold?
08:29:41 4 MS. MILLER: No, I have not.
08:29:42 5 MR. PRY: Do you have any
08:29:42 6 personal knowledge as we stand here today that
08:29:45 7 Ms. Herrold does not live at the address at 238
08:29:48 8 30th Street Northwest?
08:29:50 9 MS. MILLER: Only that which was
08:29:51 10 my impression, that their mail had not been able
08:29:55 11 to be delivered.
08:29:56 12 MR. PRY: And who gave you
08:29:57 13 that impression?
08:29:57 14 MS. MILLER: Attorney Jim Simon.
08:30:01 15 MR. PRY: And what did --
08:30:02 16 MS. MILLER: He's an officer of
08:30:04 17 the party.
08:30:04 18 MR. PRY: An officer of which
08:30:05 19 party?
08:30:06 20 MS. MILLER: Republican party.
08:30:07 21 MR. PRY: Where did you
08:30:08 22 complete this challenge form at?
08:30:10 23 MS. MILLER: My home.
08:30:12 24 MR. PRY: What did Mr. Simon
08:30:14 25 tell you with respect to Ms. Herrold's
7
08:30:17 1 residence?
08:30:19 2 MS. MILLER: That the mail had
08:30:20 3 come back undeliverable several times from that
08:30:23 4 residence.
08:30:24 5 MR. PRY: And you never saw
08:30:25 6 the returned mail?
08:30:26 7 MS. MILLER: No, I did not.
08:30:27 8 MR. PRY: Now, you've
08:30:29 9 indicated that you signed this based on some
08:30:31 10 personal knowledge.
08:30:34 11 MR. HUTCHINSON: No.
08:30:35 12 MR. ARSHINKOFF: Reason to believe.
08:30:40 13 It says, "I have reason to believe." It says it
08:30:42 14 on the form.
08:30:43 15 MR. JONES: It says, "I hereby
08:30:45 16 declare under penalty of election falsification,
08:30:48 17 that the statements above are true as I verily
08:30:52 18 believe."
08:30:52 19 MR. ARSHINKOFF: It says here, "I
08:30:54 20 have reason to believe."
08:30:55 21 MR. HUTCHINSON: It says what it
08:30:56 22 says.
08:30:57 23 MR. ARSHINKOFF: You want her
08:30:58 24 indicted, get her indicted.
08:30:59 25 MR. PRY: That may be where
8
08:31:01 1 it goes next.
08:31:02 2 MR. HUTCHINSON: Yeah, give it a
08:31:04 3 try.
08:31:04 4 MR. MORRISON: I'm going to enter
08:31:05 5 an objection.
08:31:07 6 MR. JONES: Can we have your
08:31:09 7 name?
08:31:10 8 MR. MORRISON: Yes. Jack
08:31:11 9 Morrison. I've just been informed by Mr. Pry
08:31:14 10 that an indictment may flow out of this, and
08:31:16 11 therefore I'm instructing Ms. Miller to exercise
08:31:18 12 her privilege against self-incrimination. She
08:31:21 13 will not answer any further questions.
08:31:24 14 MR. PRY: There's no basis
08:31:25 15 for this challenge.

http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2004/oct/ohio/boardofelections281004.pdf

Edit to add: Read the rest of the transcript at the link I provided just above. The maneuvering and motivation of the election board member who is trying to support the challenges are pretty obvious. When he realizes the challenges are likely to fail and he will be unable to block legitimate voters from voting then he quickly switches tactics and tries to act like the proper remedy is for them to vote provisionals rather than just have their full right to vote restored.

_{Caveat: IANAL}

[caligirl]

3. they have had these emails and caging lists for some time. Why not charge him now?

[Toots]

6. "It’s the perfect crime"

"I mean, it’s like the mob has grabbed the police department."
And America applauds.. They love watching a crime family at work. that is why all the Godfather movies were such hits or the Sopranos. Americans love Crime and violence. Love it...