Gonzo responds,"I was only trying to comfort her".

[deminks]

Well, sir, that would make me feel uncomfortable, too.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/17270175.htm

In a statement late Wednesday, the Justice Department said Gonzales "has never attempted to influence or shape the testimony or public statements of any witness in this matter, including Ms. Goodling."

The meeting with his aide was only intended to "comfort her in a very difficult period of her life," Brian Roehrkasse, a spokesman, said in the statement.

(end snip)

[AuntPatsy]

1. Oh sure, comforting Monica?, he actually recalled something that he did?

[Jack Rabbit]

7. Put him under oath and he'll forget

!!

[AuntPatsy]

10. Too true, if this is the kind of justice department heads we have

in this country, I am suprised anyone believes we are capable of justice prevailing...

[Botany]

2. comfort her?

by coaching her testimony .....

that would be a violation of the law too. Time to leave your job Alberto

[Junkdrawer]

5. Sorry, but Gonzo owns a Thesaurus, so he's home free...

He's never LIED to Congress, but he has been "less than candid"...

He'd never TAMPER a witness, but he might "comfort her by comparing recollections" ...

[Straight Shooter]

3. Like when he rushed to the bedside of the ailing Ashcroft to comfort him?

:eyes:

[terisan]

11. Nice comparison. Apparently he has different strokes for different folks. nt

[Spazito]

4. ROFL! Comfort her by reminiscing about his recall of the events

surrounding the scandal and then asking her to respond, wow, who knew that "coaching" is really "comforting"!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

6. Uncomfortable = Opposite Of Comfort

Yet another Gonzales failure. This fucker just can't do any goddamn thing right I guess...

[Raven]

8. They've got her number! Here is a young twit in a job she

was not qualified for who was making career ending decisions about people much more competent than she was and enjoying using a litmus test of political affiliation to crater people's futures. The shit hits the fan and she cries...then she gets before a house committee and acts like a 13 year old valley girl. Of course Gonsales was comforting her, she's a wimp who can dish it out but can't take it. Perfect tactic on his part.

[stevedeshazer]

9. I guess he remembers THAT.

At least he remembers SOMETHING.

:eyes:

This is the most sordid, ridiculous and pathetic performance of a government official I've seen in my life.

[Straight Shooter]

12. Well, look at his role model, his hero, his "crush." That's all we need to know. n/t

[MasonJar]

13. There is something really untoward about a man who blames everything

he does on someone else...sleazy and slimy come to mind. No wonder he and W are such bosom buddies; they are both white trash personified. There is no honor in being an excuse for a true man, no matter how much brush one clears or no matter how many people one okays to be tortured. Pusillanimous to the inth degree!

[Hubert Flottz]

14. He had his Monica Moment too it sounds like!

And lied about it!

[Swamp Rat]

15. TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 73 > § 1512 - Witness tampering.

http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00001512----000-.html

§ 1512. Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant

(a)

(1) Whoever kills or attempts to kill another person, with intent to—
(A) prevent the attendance or testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(B) prevent the production of a record, document, or other object, in an official proceeding; or
(C) prevent the communication by any person to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation, parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
shall be punished as provided in paragraph (3).

(2) Whoever uses physical force or the threat of physical force against any person, or attempts to do so, with intent to—
(A) influence, delay, or prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(B) cause or induce any person to—
(i) withhold testimony, or withhold a record, document, or other object, from an official proceeding;
(ii) alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with intent to impair the integrity or availability of the object for use in an official proceeding;
(iii) evade legal process summoning that person to appear as a witness, or to produce a record, document, or other object, in an official proceeding; or
(iv) be absent from an official proceeding to which that person has been summoned by legal process; or
(C) hinder, delay, or prevent the communication to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation, supervised release, parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
shall be punished as provided in paragraph (3).

(3) The punishment for an offense under this subsection is—
(A) in the case of murder (as defined in section 1111), the death penalty or imprisonment for life, and in the case of any other killing, the punishment provided in section 1112;
(B) in the case of—
(i) an attempt to murder; or
(ii) the use or attempted use of physical force against any person;
imprisonment for not more than 20 years; and
(C) in the case of the threat of use of physical force against any person, imprisonment for not more than 10 years.

(b) Whoever knowingly uses intimidation, threatens, or corruptly persuades another person, or attempts to do so, or engages in misleading conduct toward another person, with intent to—
(1) influence, delay, or prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(2) cause or induce any person to—
(A) withhold testimony, or withhold a record, document, or other object, from an official proceeding;
(B) alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding;
(C) evade legal process summoning that person to appear as a witness, or to produce a record, document, or other object, in an official proceeding; or
(D) be absent from an official proceeding to which such person has been summoned by legal process; or
(3) hinder, delay, or prevent the communication to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation <1> supervised release,,<1> parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

(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.

(d) Whoever intentionally harasses another person and thereby hinders, delays, prevents, or dissuades any person from—
(1) attending or testifying in an official proceeding;
(2) reporting to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States the commission or possible commission of a Federal offense or a violation of conditions of probation <1> supervised release,,<1> parole, or release pending judicial proceedings;
(3) arresting or seeking the arrest of another person in connection with a Federal offense; or
(4) causing a criminal prosecution, or a parole or probation revocation proceeding, to be sought or instituted, or assisting in such prosecution or proceeding;
or attempts to do so, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

(e) In a prosecution for an offense under this section, it is an affirmative defense, as to which the defendant has the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence, that the conduct consisted solely of lawful conduct and that the defendant’s sole intention was to encourage, induce, or cause the other person to testify truthfully.

(f) For the purposes of this section—
(1) an official proceeding need not be pending or about to be instituted at the time of the offense; and
(2) the testimony, or the record, document, or other object need not be admissible in evidence or free of a claim of privilege.

(g) In a prosecution for an offense under this section, no state of mind need be proved with respect to the circumstance—
(1) that the official proceeding before a judge, court, magistrate judge, grand jury, or government agency is before a judge or court of the United States, a United States magistrate judge, a bankruptcy judge, a Federal grand jury, or a Federal Government agency; or
(2) that the judge is a judge of the United States or that the law enforcement officer is an officer or employee of the Federal Government or a person authorized to act for or on behalf of the Federal Government or serving the Federal Government as an adviser or consultant.

(h) There is extraterritorial Federal jurisdiction over an offense under this section.

(i) A prosecution under this section or section 1503 may be brought in the district in which the official proceeding (whether or not pending or about to be instituted) was intended to be affected or in the district in which the conduct constituting the alleged offense occurred.

(j) If the offense under this section occurs in connection with a trial of a criminal case, the maximum term of imprisonment which may be imposed for the offense shall be the higher of that otherwise provided by law or the maximum term that could have been imposed for any offense charged in such case.

(k) Whoever conspires to commit any offense under this section shall be subject to the same penalties as those prescribed for the offense the commission of which was the object of the conspiracy.

[Hubert Flottz]

16. Alfonso is a made man...

He's above the law...he thinks.