Your really have to watch today’s Senate Judiciary hearings to believe them. Kyle Sampson said he couldn’t remember 122 times. He admitted that his boss, Alberto Gonzales, gave inaccurate testimony to Congress. He revealed that Karl Rove and Harriet Miers were intimately involved in the plot to fire the 8 federal prosecutors. He described a process whereby he was delegated the authority to identify prosecutors for firing, but could not explain why he chose to fire any of them or demonstrate any coherent process for making the decision. He admitted that he gave ‘special consideration to circumventing the Senate’s ability to confirm US Attorneys’ by using a provision of the Patriot Act.
But, perhaps most incredibly, he confessed to suggesting that Patrick Fitzgerald be fired in 2006.
SEN. DURBIN: Were you ever party to any conversation about the removal of Patrick Fitzgerald from his position as Northern District U.S. attorney?
MR. SAMPSON (former chief of staff to Alberto Gonzales): I remember on one occasion in 2006 in discussing the removal of U.S. attorneys — or the process of considering some U.S. attorneys that might be asked to resign, that I was speaking with Harriet Miers and Bill Kelley and I raised Pat Fitzgerald. And immediately after I did it, I regretted it. I thought, I knew that it was the wrong thing to do. I knew that it was inappropriate. And I remember at the time that Ms. Miers and Bill Kelley said nothing; they just looked at me. And I immediately regretted it and I withdrew it at the time, and I regret it now.
SEN. DURBIN: Do you recall what you said at the time about Patrick Fitzgerald?
MR. SAMPSON: I said Patrick Fitzgerald could be added to this list.
Here’s the video.
And then Chuck Schumer really got to the point.
SEN. SCHUMER: Right. And you realize that if he were fired as U.S. attorney, the general consensus is he couldn’t continue as special prosecutor?
MR. SAMPSON: I don’t know that as a matter of protocol.
SEN. SCHUMER: That is.
MR. SAMPSON: But I’m not sure.
SEN. SCHUMER: That is what I’ve inquired in a number of places about that issue, and that’s what most people think.
Now, it’s a little confounding to hear that you suggested that, and as I said, I respect your coming here and coming here voluntarily. But it’s really a hair-brained scheme that would have just blown up even more than the firing of the U.S. attorneys has in the administration’s face. I guess you see that now.
MR. SAMPSON: Frankly, Senator, I saw that the second the words crossed my head.
SEN. SCHUMER: Who did you suggest it to?
MR. SAMPSON: Harriet Miers and Bill Kelley.
SEN. SCHUMER: Okay. Anyone else?
MR. SAMPSON: No.
SEN. SCHUMER: And despite that, they kept you in charge or put you — did Attorney General Gonzales ever know that you suggested that?
MR. SAMPSON: No, I don’t think so.
SEN. SCHUMER: Okay. Did Harriet Miers remain comfortable with your supervising the firing of U.S. attorneys after you made such a suggestion?
MR. SAMPSON: I don’t know.
SEN. SCHUMER: Did anyone suggest that maybe after that suggestion you shouldn’t be in charge of firing U.S. attorneys?
MR. SAMPSON: I don’t remember anyone raising that.
SEN. SCHUMER: Yeah, because I have to tell you — and it relates to the issue we’re talking about — here is a man doing an investigation. Karl Rove had been before the grand jury, I guess, the previous — in October of 2004. This is a major investigation, and you’re suggesting that the chief prosecutor be fired. It leads me to think — first, it makes you think, well, if it’s okay to fire Fitzgerald, who’s in the middle of a major investigation, maybe it’s okay to fire some of these others. But, second, it does make me question your suitability for this job.
Is that an absurd conclusion?
MR. SAMPSON: As I stated previously, Senator, it was a lapse, and I regretted the moment I said it. And to my recollection, I even said, I withdraw that; that was inappropriate.
How much more of this crap do we have to put up with?
