White House: No Plame answers for you
At various points in recent years, the Bush gang has used the legal proceedings to avoid responding to questions about this scandal.
Before Libby was charged, White House officials said they couldn't talk because there’s an ongoing criminal investigation. After Libby was charged, they said they couldn't talk because there’s an ongoing trial. After Libby was convicted, they said they couldn't talk because there was a civil suit. After the civil suit was thrown out of court, they couldn't talk because Libby's ruling was under appeal.
So, with Libby ending his appeals, they're out of excuses, right? Wrong.
Reporters tried again Monday, and White House press secretary Dana Perino said she would check. At the press "gaggle" yesterday, Perino was asked if she had "had a chance to talk with the president about the Scooter Libby case."
"I have not," she said, "but I did talk to our counsel's office because I forgot that there is a civil case that is pending on this issue. I did forget. The Wilsons have filed a case in civil court, it was dismissed, and they are on appeal."
Maybe someday, but we probably shouldn't count on it.
I really wish the Bush administration would stop treating us like 6 year olds. At this point, their bizarre explanations for why they can't talk about their various scandals is more insulting than the scandals themselves.
There is one way to get some responses: Impeach.
How is it that a lame response from an idiot like Perino is remotely adequate? What the hell is going on with that "press corps"? It's just all so pathetic.
someday...the Wisons might come across a judge who's unbiased....they'll never get anywhere as long as they keep coming across loyal booshies.........
Can we call this the stonewall scandal? The scandal on not addressing the scandal?
LongTooth @ 4:
oh I don't know.....maybe because what they did was treason?????....This admin has crossed the line so many times and have gotten away with it........but that doesn't make what they've done right....
If the U.S. sinks slowly, everyone will go along for the ride, commenting along the way.
Except for the marginal candidates (e.g., Kucinich and Paul), none of the candidates seem to mind this.
Because as the U.S. sinks, there will be winners and losers.
The game is over.
Where is the exit?
Why didn't one of those lackey "journalists" ask when Mukasey was going to give permission for the WH testimony on the CIA Leak to be turned over to Henry Waxman?
Time for us to make up our own answers about Plame. Here is what someone who is honest working in the WH Press Office would say when asked about the Plame outing.
1. Witness tampering: Valarie Plame is a material witness to alleged war crimes by the President, VP, and others in re Iraq. Yes, the Fitzgerald investigation found things linking the OVP to the scandal, and there were documents that were supposed to be retained, that were not available. We foolishly do not realize information has been stored outside our control implicating everyone. We are stupid.
2. Conspiracy to obstruct justice: The timelines of Rove and Libby do not match because they bungled the effort to insulate the OVP, VP, and President from their involvement. We planned to fail, but we failed to plan. We are morons and didn't think we'd get caught.
3. Illegal warfare: WH counsel knew the issues in the Wilson editorial meant a big problem for the President: there was no reasonable basis for warfare, constituting a war crime. Weren't we really stupid.
4. Nuremberg Defenses Destroyed. The civilian policy makers were Fully informed, issued illegal orders to out Plame. JAG memoranda in 2001 well documented the concerns with war crimes, which WH-OVP- DOJ OLC ignored, in contravention to their Geneva obligations. We didn't think Geneva applied to us, and ignored our oaths of office. We just wanted to be paid, not do anything warranting lawful payment. Please do not trace the money overseas to our hidden accounts. Do not use the SWIFT funds tracking system to find out about our money we've hidden.
5. Legal counsel complicity: WH counsel and OVP counsel know they made frivolous legal arguments about why they supported efforts to disclose the identify of the CIA agent. These issues warrant disbarment of current/former WH counsel. They are alleged to have made frivolous legal arguments. We incorrectly believe we can claim that all evidence related to these war crimes were "illegally obtained". Don't tell the court that. We lied to them as well.
6. Illegal Evidence destruction in re Geneva violations: The OVP legal counsel, OVP, WH legal counsel, and DoJ OLC are unable to explalin why the OVP destroyed records, in contravention to 32 CFR 2800 requirements. We are doing things to delay, but fail to realize that delays are meaningless: there is no statute of limitations for war crimes. But we thought we'd have total control for eternity. Hitler couldn't do it, but we though we could. Yes, we are really stupid.
Kucinich to File Impeachment Articles Against George W. Bush as Wexler Schools Dems on Constitutional 'Obligation' to Hold Such Hearings
BLOGGED BY Brad Friedman ON 12/13/2007 2:49PM
Democratic Presidential Candidate from Ohio Receives Standing Ovation on Announcement of Intentions
Florida Democrat Says Impeachment Will Further Democratic Legislative Agenda, 'Make America More Popular' in Eyes of World...
The Reno Gazette Journal reports on Rep. Dennis Kucinich's (D-OH) announcement that he intends to file Articles of Impeachment very shortly against George W. Bush...
"On the way over here, I was reading a 50-page document that relates to Articles of Impeachment for the President of the United States," Kucinich said to a standing ovation. "And I want you to know that I'm actually preparing this document for submission to the House."
The BRAD BLOG can confirm recent efforts by Kucinich's office to prepare such a document. We cannot yet confirm when it will be filed in the U.S. House, but we're told it may be quite soon.
In the meantime, Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) demonstrated that he understands both the U.S. Constitution and American politics, by offering this lesson to his fellow Democrats at a speech last week in Florida. (RAW STORY has the short video):
"The way we pass stem-cell research, the way we get implemented a children's health care plan, the way we get higher CAFE [corporate average fuel economy] standards to bring our energy debacle into a better condition for generations to come is to have impeachment hearings," Wexler said, appearing to nearly run out breath at one point during his speech. "Because that'll get the president's eye. That'll get the vice president's eye. That for the first time will show that the Democratic majority is here, and that in fact we have the courage of our convictions, and that we're not bound to be tied by conventional wisdom."
Wexler said that impeachment hearings weren't just an option available to Congress, but a requirement.
"This administration has abused its power in office...and it is the obligation --- not discretionary --- but it is the obligation of this Congress to investigate," he said. "And that's what I and some of my colleagues are beginning to call for."
...
"If we want to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power, we need to become more popular. If we want to avoid a traumatic split between Sunnis and Shiites that endangers further our national security, we need to become more popular...If we want to engage with the Chinese in a more beneficial way, we need to become more popular."
"Let me tell you one more thing those impeachment hearings will do," he concluded. "It'll make America more popular."
...
"I urge the Judiciary Committee to schedule impeachment hearings immediately and not let this issue languish as it has over the last six months," Wexler stated at the time. "Only through hearings can we begin to correct the abuses of Dick Cheney and the Bush Administration; and, if it is determined in these hearings that Vice President Cheney has committed High Crimes and Misdemeanors, he should be impeached and removed from office."
Wexler is, of course, correct on all points.
[Categories for this item: U.S. Constitution, Impeachment, Accountability, U.S. House, Robert Wexler]
Article and Comments
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5438
I'm getting tired of these right wing bastards. I really am.
motorfingaz @ 12:
You are not the only one...
Former intel chair: CIA tape affair part of 'an ongoing pattern' of Bush administration cover-up
David Edwards and Jason Rhyne
Published: Thursday December 13, 2007
The former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says he was kept in the dark about severe interrogations of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists taped by the CIA, and calls the episode just another example of the Bush administration's "covering up" of unwanted revelations.
Former Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL), who chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2001 to 2003 -- the period during which the CIA has admitted to implementing waterboarding and other severe methods on two high-level detainees -- says he was never told by the agency that such tactics were being employed.
Appearing on CNN's American Morning, Graham was asked about a recent story in the Washington Post which cited officials claiming that four members of Congress, including now-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, had been thoroughly briefed about the techniques being used.
But if that briefing did occur, it didn't include him -- and it certainly should have, said the former intelligence chairman.
"I was briefed on a number of other activities that were going on after 9/11, but not on this issue of the use of torture to gain information from detainees," said Graham. "Not only should I have been briefed, but the entire committee [should have] been briefed."
As described by the Post, most of the briefings heard by the so-called "gang of four," which consists of the chairman and ranking member of the House and Senate intelligence committees.
"The only basis for what they called these covert gang of four briefings is where the president has indicated there's an action that's being undertaken for which the United States wants to have deniability," said Graham. "It's not a blanket for every subject that the intelligence community might be involved with. My judgment, this was not a covert operation, and should have been briefed to the entire intelligence committee."
Graham went on to describe the confining structure of the classified briefing process.
"You can't take any notes. You can't bring anyone with you and after the meeting, you cannot discuss what you've heard," he said. "So that if, for instance, there's an issue about 'is this legal under the Geneva Conventions,' you can't go to someone who is an expert on that subject and get their opinion. It is a very limiting situation."
The whole affair involving the CIA's intel gathering tactics -- and subsequent decision to destroy tapes of its interrogations -- were part of an ongoing attempt by the Bush administration to obfuscate the truth, he said.
"Let me say, this is not an isolated episode," said the former chairman. "This administration has had a practice of covering up, disclosing, what they were doing in a variety of matters. This is just one example of an ongoing pattern."
It's not the first time Graham has accused the Bush administration of a cover-up, having previously alleged that the White House had hidden evidence exposing Saudi Arabia's links to the Sept. 11 hijackers.
In his book 'Intelligence Matters,' Mr. Graham writes that the administration prohibited a Congressional inquiry's interview of the landlord of two of the 9/11 hijackers, who he said could help prove the connection. Graham called a letter to that effect "a smoking gun," telling reporters that the "reason for this cover-up goes right to the White House."
This video is from CNN's American Morning, broadcast on December 13, 2007.
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Sen._Graham_CIA_tapes_an_ongoing_1213.html
20 Comments - http://www.haloscan.com/comments/rawstory/8556a/
LongTooth @ 4:
Who's Gloria Borger and why should anybody listen to her?
I figure it should bother rubes in the sticks because Cheney is eavesdropping on them, too.
This administrations only strategy is to run out the clock until they can all get aboard that flight to bush's ranch in Paraguay and live happily ever after.. or so they hope 8)
Ya think?
Here is why...the Plame affair is rooted in the still unresolved question of WHO FORGED THE YELLOWCAKE DOCUMENTS
from NIGER and "floated" them into the intelligence community?????????
Why does America not have an answer to the question of WHO FORGED DOCUMENTS that were used by the government
to mistakenly plunge into war??? That is a HIGH CRIME.
DR DAVE thinks that if we got all our questions answer that chicken would come home to roost very near the VP office.
Forget about ever getting an answer. If the appeal goes against the Wilsons, then "the courts have had their say and there's nothing more to discuss". If the appeal goes in favor of the Wilsons then it's still in the courts and they're not allowed to discuss cases in the courts. End of discussion for all time unless Fitz is revived. Now that would be nice.
accept it, the courts have been railroaded by the DoJ visa vi the White House.
Time to impeach them all for their crimes;
Plame Leak by White House Senior Staff: Treason
Bush’s commutation of Scooter Libby now all makes sense, if he ended up behind bars, he might have squealed that bush and dick were ultimately behind the original plan to leak the covert identity of Valerie Plame and expose to our enemies the CIA’s operation monitoring development of WMDs in Iraq & Iran.
That, my friends, is the textbook definition of treason.
Shorter McClellan: I Was A Paid Liar For Bush.
By: Christy Hardin Smith
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Former WH flack Scott McClellan has a new book coming out wherein he reveals that people in the Bush Administration had him fronting out lies to the public about the WH leak of Valerie Plame Wilson’s CIA ties. Color me shocked. From E&P:
..”The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.
“There was one problem. It was not true.
“I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President’s chief of staff, and the president himself.”
Do tell, Scott. How, exectly, were “Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President’s chief of staff, and the president himself” involved in your lying to the public? I’d like all the details, please. Including when you learned that these were lies and what you did to correct the public misperceptions, if anything, what sorts of discussions were had about this in the WH, and whether you questioned the information when it was first given to you — or just obligingly parroted as you were told unless and until you were confronted with the fact that you were telling lies. And I’m certain I’m not alone in that sentiment. For your sake, I do hope you were fully forthcoming about this with the FBI. I’m just saying.
I think Kevin Drum summed this mini-kerfuffle up nicely:
Now, Lord knows I don’t want to question McClellan’s claim that his book was “written with no agenda other than to record his experiences and insights for the benefit of history.” But would it be presumptuous of me to suspect that his explanation of Plamegate is somehow going to make it out as nothing more than a silly mistake that the press blew all out of proportion?
Nothing like a little game of pass the buck between the smarm merchants of Bushworld, is there? Note the utter failure to take responsibility for lying to the public, the shunting of said responsibility onto others who have also failed to take responsibility for their respective actions, and the working of “the President’s chief of staff” into the mix of players. Anyone want to place a bet as to whether Andy Card gets set up as the go to fall guy? Emptywheel caught the same Card reference, and mentions the Wells’ card and notes that “just as a reminder, Card and Scottie left the White House within a week of each other–both happening just before Turdblossom’s final grand jury appearance.” (Anyone else’s spidey sense getting a little tingle? And while we’re asking questions, will Scottie own up to being one of the sources for the NYDailyNews story on Rove’s bush league handling of the whole mess? Enquiring minds and all.)
Perhaps, Scottie will spill all the assorted beans to get even for the Bush Administration treating his momma so shabbily in her TX gubernatorial bid. Not bloody likely…but stranger things have happened in gooberville.
(Illustration entitled Free Manure By Mr. Fish via Commandante Agi.)
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/11/20/shorter-mcclellan-i-was-a-paid-lia...
No question about it. Valerie Plame was covert. Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAbDfTA1KT4
One of the best reporters on TV is DAVID SHUSTER of MSNBC News and in this video he takes viewers through the whole "outing" of Valerie Plame and subsequent conviction of "Scooter" Libby.
Scott McClellan's new book, "What Happened," which claims both Bush and Cheney were in on the outing of Valerie Plame, is chronicled here in this excellent report by David Shuster of MSNBC.
Never in a million years would you see a reporter or anchor from FOX NEWS tell the truth like David Shuster does in this video package.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C09izYkX47k
FURTHER PROOF VALERIE PLAME WAS A CIA COVERT OPERATIVE not a desk jockey as Brit Hume, John Gibson, Bill O'Reilly and weirdo Neil Cavuto calls her.
Valerie Wilson was no analyst or paper-pusher. She was an operations officer working on a top priority of the Bush Administration. Armitage, Rove and Libby had revealed information about a CIA officer who had searched for proof of the President's case. In doing so, they harmed her career and put at risk operations she had worked on and foreign agents and sources she had handled.
Another issue was whether Valerie Wilson had sent her husband to Niger to check out an intelligence report that Iraq had sought uranium there. Hubris contains new information undermining the charge that she arranged this trip. In an interview with the authors, Douglas Rohn, a State Department officer who wrote a crucial memo related to the trip, acknowledges he may have inadvertently created a misimpression that her involvement was more significant than it had been
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060918/corn
Here is a link to Plame testifying before a Congressional committee investigating the CIA leak case.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k3GuVTfWLw
Part 2 of Valerie Plame video testimony before Congress re CIA leak case now part of the Scott McClellan book on how the WH lied to get the U.S. into war with Iraq.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3epOuEZTfNM
Pt. 3 of video showing Valerie Plame testifying before Congress re CIA leak case that is now the focal point of Scott McClellan's new book.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0K-pSNw_O4
KATIE COURIC INTERVIEWS VALERIE PLAME FOR ‘60 MINUTES’ PROGRAM lending more substance to the fact FOX NEWS has tried to bury the information contained in the new Scott McClellan book which I write about in this post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV-REM00YbY&feature=related
ADDING MORE FACTS TO MY POST HERE IS AN INTERVIEW WITH VALERIE PLAME AND MSNBC'S KEITH OLBERMANN. This all makes FOX NEWS look like the Bush waterboys they are. A cover-up inside of a cover-up with FOX News leading the charge:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFKPV07o5S0&feature=related
Adding substance to the claims made in McClellan's new book and virtually ignored by FOX News is a two-part video interview by TruthOut.ORG with Valerie Plame which can be seen here
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112107A.shtml
There is also additional proof that Vice President Dick Cheney was involved in the "leak" of Valerie Plame's name to the media. Cheney's Handwritten Notes Implicate Bush in Plame Affair
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/013107Z.shtml
Hardball tackles the Bush White House CIA identity Leak issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRY5cUW7_V8
Bush needs to come clean, or be impeached
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlb0nriL7gA
JOE WILSON GOES ON CNN'S AMERICAN MORNING TO CALL PRESIDENT BUSH A TRAITOR: SEE VIDEO HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRcMaeQMitM
WATCH VIDEO OF JOE WILSON TALKING TO KEITH OLBERMANN ABOUT HIS WIFE, VALERIE PLAME, AND THE NEW SCOTT MCCLELLAN BOOK, WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF MY POST.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XyVSeNHYak
MSNBC'S JOE SCARBOROUGH RIPS INTO ROBERT NOVAK FOR OUTING VALERIE PLAME. SEE VIDEO HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW1BxKIDLv4
"Plame was ‘covert’ agent at time of name leak."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18924679/
JOHN DEAN TALKS TO KEITH OLBERMANN ABOUT THE VALERIE PLAME CIA LEAK CASE AND SCOTT MCCLELLAN'S NEWS BOOK which is subject of my post: See video here:
This is only 4 days old.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuKva-RANxQ
Everyone in Washington knew Bush and Cheney wanted to go to war with Iraq as far back as 2000. Cheney had Joe Wilson go to Africa to dig into Niger selling Yellow Cake to Saddam. When Wilson couldn't find any proof, Cheney set the ball in motion to out Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame. It is well documented Cheney visited the CIA offices in late in 2002 looking for information on Plame. Cheney finally had "Scooter" Libby start leaking to the press the name of Valerie Plame. Then the Bush WH tried to blame it all on Richard Armitage and FOX NEWS went right along with the lie selling it to their braindead audience of trolls.
Now Scott McClellan has written a book that tells the truth. Bush, Cheney, Rove etc. etc. were ALL in on the outing of Valerie Plame and she was a CIA operative and now a desk jockey like FOX NEWS says.
Most of the story is contained in this link:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060918/corn
But there is much, much more
The conviction says Libby illegally obstructed justice in the investigation into the White House outing of an undercover CIA agent, Valerie Plame Wilson. He was also convicted of perjury and making false statements to FBI agents.
The investigation of Karl Rove revolved around the same issues, among possible others.
Former President George H. W. Bush was right in 1999 when he said, “I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious, of traitors.”
Former Republican National Committee Chair Ed Gillespie was right when he said, “I think if the allegation is true, to reveal the identity of an undercover CIA operative—it’s abhorrent, and it should be a crime, and it is a crime.”
The American people must know this important truth: This indictment is about a cover-up of the lies that led our nation to war in Iraq.
Traitors all, the Bush administration should face justice by being tried and convicted and sentenced for their henious crimes.
They betrayed the nation and it’s constitution that they themselves swore to protect. defend and uphold. They have betrayed us all. There is no worse crime against the American People.
Hey Longtooth, why doesn't it bother you that your president is a traitor and a chickenshit? Is there anyone more tedious than an enabler like you?
more bush crimes
Turley: “It Is Rather Clear That What The President Ordered Was A Federal Crime”
By: Logan Murphy on Wednesday, November 28th, 2007 at 9:01 AM - PST
The Bush administration has been using the “state secrets” defense in order to have federal law suits challenging their illegal eavesdropping programs thrown out of court. So far, they have been successful; thanks, in most cases, to lazy or partisan judges who have given little or no scrutiny of the validity of their claims which, according to Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley on Tuesday’s Countdown, are nothing more than unconstitutional attempts to cover up their own federal crimes.
Olbermann: “With or without this new law, suppose one of the anti-wiretapping civil lawsuits succeeds, what does that legal victory actually mean then in terms of stopping the government or punishing Alberto Gonzales or any other top officials who were responsible for this?”
Turley: “Well, it can mean a lot and that’s one of the reasons there’s a lot of people, both Democrats and Republicans, who don’t want to see it happen. They don’t want a court to say that the president did something that is a federal crime. That’s why they’re trying to get all these cases thrown out of court because it is rather clear that what the president ordered was a federal crime, clearly defined in federal law. But that causes a problem because many of the Democratic leaders and Republican leaders have promised each other that they would not start impeachment proceedings, but when a federal judge says the president committed a crime, it’s pretty darn hard to ignore that.”
147 Responses
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/11/28/turley-it-is-rather-clear-that-...
Rep. Hall Stands up for Impeachment in NH
http://impeachforpeace.org/impeach_bush_blog/?p=4113
Impeach Cheney, Bush and Pelosi!
By Ted Lang
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18786.htm
Greens: McClellan Bombshell Demands Impeachment
Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald Must Probe New Evidence in Plame Case;
Democrats and Republicans Who Refuse to Hold Bush and Cheney Accountable Are Complicit in White House Crimes
http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/1128-17.htm
"Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call!"
http://www.opednews.com/articles/2/opedne_mikehers_071128__22come_senato...
Bush Administration invoking 'secrecy' on Abramoff docs
Secrecy invoked on Abramoff lawsuits
Administration Employs New Secrecy Defense in Lawsuits Over Abramoff's White House Visits
PETE YOST
AP News
Dec 01, 2007 13:39 EST
The Bush administration is laying out a new secrecy defense in an effort to end a court battle about the White House visits of now-imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The administration agreed last year to produce all responsive records about the visits "without redactions or claims of exemption," according to a court order.
But in a court filing Friday night, administration lawyers said that sometime in the past year the Secret Service identified a category of highly sensitive documents that might contain information sought in a lawsuit about Abramoff's trips to the White House.
The Justice Department declared that the contents of the "Sensitive Security Records" cannot be publicly revealed even though they could show whether Abramoff made more visits to the White House than those already acknowledged.
"The simple act of doing so ... would reveal sensitive information about the methods used by the Secret Service to carry out its protective function," the Justice Department argued.
Sensitive Security Records are created in the course of conducting more extensive background checks on certain visitors to the White House. In sworn statements accompanying the filing, two Secret Service officers said the extra attention is paid to some visitors because of the background, "the circumstances of the visits" or both.
The Justice Department said that releasing the information could allow people to figure out the protective activities of the Secret Service.
The filing came in a lawsuit by a conservative watchdog group, Judicial Watch. Another private group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, also has requested Secret Service records of Abramoff's White House visits, and on Friday, the Justice Department asked that the two suits be consolidated.
To date, the government has turned over Secret Service records referring to seven White House visits by Abramoff — six of them in the early months of the Bush administration in 2001 and the seventh in early 2004 just before Abramoff came under criminal investigation.
The White House has released little information about the visits, but none of them appears to involve a small group meeting with President Bush.
"This is an extraordinary development and it raises the specter that there were additional contacts with President Bush or other high White House officials that have yet to be disclosed," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch. "We've alleged that the government has committed misconduct in this litigation and frankly this is more fuel for that fire."
The White House had no immediate comment Saturday.
Nearly two years ago, just after Abramoff had pleaded guilty in the influence peddling scandal, Bush told reporters, "I can't say I didn't ever meet" Abramoff, "but I meet a lot of people."
"I don't know him," Bush said at the presidential news conference in January 2006. "I've never sat down with him and had a discussion with the guy."
After Bush's comments, Abramoff wrote an e-mail to the national editor of Washingtonian magazine saying that Bush had seen him "in almost a dozen settings, and joked with me about a bunch of things, including details of my kids. Perhaps he has forgotten everything, who knows."
Time magazine reported that its reporters had been shown five photographs of Bush and Abramoff. Most of them, the magazine said, had "the formal look of photos taken at presidential receptions."
The Justice Department probe of Abramoff and his team of lobbyists has led to convictions of a dozen people, including former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, former White House official David Safavian and former Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles.
Abramoff is serving six years in prison on a criminal case out of Florida. He has not yet been sentenced on charges of mail fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion stemming from the influence-peddling scandal in Washington.
___
On the Net:
Transcript of President Bush's comments on White House Web site: http://tinyurl.com/8f2bn
Source: AP News
http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Secrecy_invoked_on_Abramoff_lawsuit...
Revealing Comments Section about timeline and denials of links to President Bush by Administration Officials
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/rawstory/10775946a/?a=19359
The recently released NIE report has been in the possession of the Bush Administration for months and months. The release of this report has been blocked by VP Cheney. It’s release indicating Iran halted its nuclear program back in 2003 condemns the Bush Administration to being guilty as Domestic Terrorists according to the US Patriot Act.
It is iilegal to intentionally manipulate and coerice the psyche of the people or government by threatening and seeking to scare them.
US Patriot ACT
SEC. 802. DEFINITION OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM.
(a) DOMESTIC TERRORISM DEFINED- Section 2331 of title 18, United States Code, is amended–
(1) in paragraph (1)(B)(iii), by striking `by assassination or kidnapping’ and inserting `by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping’;
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking `and’;
(3) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and inserting `; and’; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
`*(5) the term `domestic terrorism’ means activities that– *
`(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
* `(B) appear to be intended–
`(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
`(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or *
The public statements of fear mongering and scare tactics used by the President and Vice President are in direct opposition to what they knew in advance was the NIE determination regarding the suspension of Irans nuclear programs. The mushroom clouds, the threat of world war three and other statements were made to manipulate ‘intimidate and coerice the US civilian popultaion, and to influence the policy of government by intimidation and coercion.
The Presidant and VP have repeatedly stressed an implied threat of imminent danger from Iran’s nuclear weapons program, which we now know has not existed since 2003. They have been in reciept of this information and willingly and knowingly subverted and misrepresented the Iraniam threat intentionally. They are by definiton Domestic Terrorists.
YouPolls
Who do you consider more dangerous to world peace, President Bush or President of Iran Ahmadinejad?
President Bush
83%
President of Iran Ahmadinejad
17%
http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=1187
Do you believe the White House will be moving away from its increasingly aggressive rhetoric?
Yes, they have no other option
15%
No, they will continue to find ways to deceive the public
85%
http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=1177
and if that wasnt enough, theres the commutation of scooter libby and the coverup trail to jack abramoff
Bush Administration invoking 'secrecy' on Abramoff docs
Secrecy invoked on Abramoff lawsuits
Administration Employs New Secrecy Defense in Lawsuits Over Abramoff's White House Visits
PETE YOST
AP News
Dec 01, 2007 13:39 EST
The Bush administration is laying out a new secrecy defense in an effort to end a court battle about the White House visits of now-imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Article
http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Secrecy_invoked_on_Abramoff_lawsuit...
Revealing Comments Section about timeline and denials of links to President Bush by Administration Officials
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/rawstory/10775946a/?a=19359
'If you fly to close to the Plame, you get burned' - merry fitzmas!
"Is there anyone more tedious than an enabler like you"?
Nope. No one.
God Bless George W. Bush, and God Bless Mike Huckabee, the next President of the United States.
unitary executive theorist hubris knows no bounds
LongTooth @ 28:
Mike Huckabee will be in jail before the election in November. Mark my words!
This little cheerleader is so typical of the lack of professional and qualified staff under this crime family administration. She is "laughable", but it's not a funny matter. So pathetic...so sad.
mudshark @ 7:
Yeah no shit! I guess treasonous acts mean nothing to you Neo-con nazis!!! If this was happening to a Dem administration, you repugs would probably have assasinated someone by now...
LongTooth @ 28:
LMMFAO!!! You sorry ass, neo-con, it's because of regressive thinkers like you who ENABLED this coup of democracy and support an ILLEGAL war in Iraq, that this nation is on the brink of fascism. But you don't care do ya, because you're probably a white, conservative, xtian supremacist, who expects to be rewarded by his masters after the fascists take this country over. You schmucks might just have bitten off more than you can chew!
What will the reply be once appeals are exhausted?
"Helen, that's an old issue that has been replayed and replayed again in the press. The President has said all he has to say on the matter, and I think it's time to move on." [follow-up from reporter]. "Helen, I think it's time to move on."
Bush's answer is Libby's pardon. Beyond that, they will never add anything.
PS -- To anyone who thinks Mike Huckabee might win the election, think about the name. "President Huckabee"? Sounds like Huckleberry, and America is already thought too much a backwater by its peers to afford a name like this as its leader.
Keep our justice system straight. If you out a CIA agent and undermine National Security you walk. If you get caught killing dogs you will do time, if you are black and beat the shit out of a white kid you will get tried as an adult and do time. Jena 6.
get our justice system straight folks.
Dr. Dave @17 WHO [broke into the Niger Embassy in Rome, stole letterhead and a government seal and] FORGED THE YELLOWCAKE DOCUMENTS from NIGER and “floated” them into the intelligence community?
the same person who snuck into Democratic party headquarters in Chicago, stole official campaign stationery, counterfeited an invitation to a fundraising event, forged a signature, and floated them in Chicago's red light district in 1970 to embarrass a political rival........Rove.
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