Obama Uses Ashcroft Supreme Court Case to Advance White House Immunity

[The Straight Story]

Obama Uses Ashcroft Supreme Court Case to Advance White House Immunity

The U.S. Department of Justice under President Barack Obama is helping defend former Attorney General John Ashcroft against a lawsuit that claims the Bush administration official should be held liable for misusing the law during the post-Sept. 11 hysteria. In taking Ashcroft’s side, the Obama administration appears to be hoping to shield its own officials from legal assaults for controversial decisions.

What is disturbing about the Obama position is that the Justice Department is not arguing that what Ashcroft did was legal, but rather that, as Attorney General, his actions should be immune from prosecution.

The case against Ashcroft, now before the U.S. Supreme Court, was brought by Abdullah Al-Kidd, formerly known as Lavoni Kidd during his football days at the University of Idaho. In 2003, the American citizen who had converted to Islam was arrested and shackled at Washington’s Dulles International Airport while trying to catch a flight to Saudi Arabia. Kidd had purchased a roundtrip ticket to study in the Muslim country, but Ashcroft’s office lied to a federal judge when it sought a warrant for Kidd’s arrest by claiming Kidd had purchased only a one-way ticket out of the U.S.

He was not detained as a suspect of a crime, but supposedly as a “material witness” in another case. Kidd wound up spending months in detention, and his attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union have accused Ashcroft of grossly abusing his authority as attorney general.

http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/Obama_Uses_Ashcroft_Supreme_Court_Case_to_Advance_White_House_Immunity_101028

[Angry Dragon]

1. That is just wrong on so many counts

[madrchsod]

2. another nail in the coffin of our republic

[jgraz]

3. Shhhhh! You'll dampen voter enthusiasm!!

Only happy talk allowed here. :eyes:

[dgibby]

Chilling.

If Ashcroft (and the govt) win, there is nothing to stop the DOJ from running roughshod over whatever's left of our liberties. Between this and Citizens' United, the coup would be complete.

[walldude]

4. Well I'd bitch about this but I'm getting tired of

being accused of costing Dems the election. See it's not that shit like this is bad, it's that I'm bad for complaining about it.

[Fla_Democrat]

6. It's not the what, it's the who

:smoke:

[Karmadillo]

5. Look! Over there! Rand Paul kissing Sarah Palin!

nt

[Catherina]

7. +1. Disgusting isn't it? n/t

[Catherina]

8. Is that action or movement? Rec'd n/t

[Selatius]

9. I'm sure Obama has the civil libertarian voting bloc locked down tight come November.

This is the way to win their votes. :sarcasm:

[ladjf]

10. Why does he keep making these bone head moves? nt

[ladjf]

11. Why does he keep making these bone head moves? nt

[TheKentuckian]

12. Because he is an establishment conservative and apparently a deeply flawed Constitutional

Scholar.

Perhaps worse as he is rivaling Junior Bush on civil liberties.