Henry Waxman is at it again today. His committee has just voted out subpoenas for RNC emails and to compel Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s testimony on the Niger forgeries. He’s chip-chip-chipping away. And he’s not letting sleeping dogs lie. The Republicans were howling that Condi Rice has already answered questions about the Niger forgeries. Waxman was blunt. She claimed to have no memory of being told by George Tenet that the Niger docs were no good, but Waxman doesn’t believe her. They didn’t vote, as scheduled, on whether to subpoena former chief of staff Andy Card to talk about the lack of an internal White House investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame Wilson’s employment. But, that might be because Card decided to come in voluntarily (I don’t know).
Meanwhile, John Conyers’ committee voted to grant former Justice Department employee, Monica Goodling, immunity. Here is what David Iglesias had to say about this development.
As former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico David Iglesias pointed out yesterday, Goodling should prove to be a very valuable witness to investigators. Since Goodling acted as the liaison to the White House at the Justice Department, communications from Karl Rove or other White House officials are likely to have gone through her. As Iglesias put it, she has “the keys to the kingdom.”
Over on the Senate side, Patrick Leahy has issued a subpoena compelling the testimony of Sara Taylor, one of Karl Rove’s top deputies.
And it is not just Congress that is hounding the Republicans. The Justice Department seems to have shaken loose from their shackles and they are aggressively pursuing the Abramoff scandal.
In a burst of activity over the last eight days, FBI agents and federal prosecutors have won a guilty plea from a former congressional aide, implicated two more House of Representatives members and put the scandal surrounding onetime super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s influence-peddling back into the headlines.
The pace of the inquiry, which now has bagged a veteran congressman, a deputy Cabinet secretary, a White House aide and eight others, appears to be accelerating.
And it portends to be a major new headache for the Bush administration and congressional Republicans still reeling from a furor over the Justice Department’s firing of eight U.S. attorneys and from last fall’s election, which put Democrats back in command on Capitol Hill.
The newest figure to face serious FBI scrutiny is Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., who said bureau agents have asked for details of a 2003 golf trip to Scotland that he took with Abramoff – a trip that the House ethics committee recently found violated House rules.
Last week, FBI agents raided the home of Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif.
And on Tuesday, former congressional aide Mark Zachares pleaded guilty to helping Abramoff obtain government business and inside information in exchange for cash, gifts and job favors. Zachares was an aide to Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, when Young chaired the House transportation committee.
Abramoff may have provided the impetus for the flurry of public activity by cooperating extensively with investigators in return for promises of leniency as he tries to wriggle out of a prison sentence that theoretically could jail him for up to 30 years.
“He’s talking so much he doesn’t have time to eat,” one lawyer involved in the matter quipped, insisting upon anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. “Everybody who had business dealings with the guy should be nervous.”
Even the little known Office of Special Counsel is investigating. They’re looking into possible violations of the Hatch Act by Karl Rove. Of course, the OSC is run by a total crony wingnut, so I don’t exactly expect much from them.
Nevertheless, years of rampant criminality are being exposed every day. It’s delicious.
How does that commercial go? “Never let ’em see you sweat…”
I’d be willing to bet at least a few of these war criminals are breaking out into a sweat with each passing day.
Thank goodness we, the blogging public, have shown them we expect the Dems in power to do some OVERSIGHT……finally!
Now for the ones who have sold out (to whom you have to wonder) that “impeachment is off the table”…… Hmmm. Sez who?
it’s not off the table. First the public has to be softened up and then the Republicans’ unity must be shattered. This IS what impeachment looks like. Will we get there? After a mere four months we are getting close. Ultimately, the fissures will blow wide open.
Dick Cheney is still the big insurance policy, which is why Kucinich wants to go after him first. But Kucinich is too early. The time is not yet ripe.
Yes, there’s been lots of progress in 4 months. I’m wondering if you think that the window we have (Jan 20 ’09) will be sufficient. Is it relevant?
OOPS!….appears ratpublican rep Renzi (AZ) has a connection to a certain fired attorney in Arizona…no wonder Bohner [pronounced Boner] pushed him to step down from all his committee positions…
even Rahm Emanuel, disclaimer: a man whose DLC credentials l find very distasteful…is going on the attack. Text of his scheduled speech at the Brookings Institute today wherein he …argues that all-pervasive partisanship, not incompetence, is the common thread linking all of the administration’s manifold failings. Take a look…
Greg Sargent, via TPM.
full court press time…..it is the playoffs, eh.
ITMF’sA
the doc dump was incomplete. Wow, whoda thunk it? Everybody jump up if this is a surprise!!
you noticed that too….um hmmmm….curiouser and curiouser, eh.
get the jumbo tub of popcorn…this could get entertaining.
I have a question about Goodling’s immunity. Would she be covered if she lies to the committee and they can prove it?
If she lies now, that’s perjury and not covered.
Slow down, I’m having trouble keeping up! lol