Administration Withheld E-Mails About Rove
Murray Waas writes for National Review:
The Bush administration has withheld a series of e-mails from Congress showing that senior White House and Justice Department officials worked together to conceal the role of Karl Rove in installing Timothy Griffin, a protégé of Rove’s, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Several of the e-mails that the Bush administration is withholding from Congress, as well as papers from the White House counsel’s office describing other withheld documents, were made available to National Journal by a senior executive branch official, who said that the administration has inappropriately kept many of them from Congress.
The senior official said that Gonzales, in preparing for testimony before Congress, has personally reviewed the withheld records and has a responsibility to make public any information he has about efforts by his former chief of staff, other department aides, and White House officials to conceal Rove’s role.
The anonymous official said: “If [Gonzales] didn’t know everything that was going on when it went down, that is one thing. But he knows and understands chapter and verse. If there was an effort within Justice and the White House to mislead Congress, it is his duty to disclose that to Congress. As the country’s chief law enforcement official, he has a higher duty to disclose than to protect himself or the administration.”
The secrecy is unbelievable, firstly and, secondly, the White House isn’t even good at keeping its secrets, you, secret. This has the potential to hurt the image of Gonzales, of Karl Rove, and of the White House in general, quite tremendously. It will increase calls for thorough investigations, it will embolden Democrats in Congress, it will force Republicans to take a tougher stance against the White House; all in all, extremely bad news for Bush (Rove, and Gonzales).
What I am interested in is whether someone will actually be held responsible and accountable. Some leading officials seem to have stepped out of line, they have acted in a not so honorable manner… they should, yes, go.
Incompetence and secrecy rule. Never a good combination.
The effort of the White House, if the article at National Journal is accurate, to obstruct the investigation of Congress is unpardonable.
How anyone can actually defend the conduct of Gonzales, Rove et al in this affair is beyond me.
Where’s the personal, and professional, responsibility?
More at The Washington Monthly, Think Progress, Balloon Juice and Obsidian Wings.
Share This
Related Posts
-
Lame Questions for Alberto Gonzales. Cheesy, Whiny Answers
Posted on Aug 9, 2009
-
Ashcroft and Gonzales Defend Torture Program
Posted on May 4, 2009
-
Doing Evil in the Name of the Good: Le Temps, Switzerland
Posted on May 4, 2009
-
Bush Era ‘Came Close to Disfiguring the Country’: Estadao of Brazil
Posted on Apr 28, 2009
I’m not sure how much more it can hurt Gonzales or Karl Rove. Both serve at the pleasure of the president and retain his full confidence in their ability to fulfill their duties in the administration. In any case neither has much of a reputation left to ruin.
Translation- they will have to be dragged kicking and screaming from their posts or endure hearing the gossip from now until Bush leaves in 2009. No one in this administration has the grace to be embarassed by their wrongdoing and leave office on their own anymore. They are all in a “state of denial”.
kritter is right, why would Bush fire Gonzales or Rove for doing exactly what he wants and expects them to do. Even if he did fire them, it would only because they’ve botched the cover-up, not because they betrayed the public trust.
But I am glad that you’re as incensed as I am Michael. As a country we need to unite around the idea of responsible and open government, independent of political affiliation.
This reminds me of our holding pattern on the tobacco industry a few years ago. Everyone knew Big Tobacco was lying thru their teeth about the harmful effects of their product, but no one seemed to really be able to hold them accountable for it as long as they kept towing the line and obfuscating the matter. It took one of their own to really point out exactly how far they had gone before we were able to nail those bastards to the wall for their costly deceptions.
The Bush administration seems to be in a similar state. They are obviously covering up things in just about every arena. When asked about anything from energy policy, domestic spying, treatment of prisoners, appointments, lobbying connections or even the touching of young interns all of a sudden files are lost, executive privilege get invoked, or some other delaying tactic is used to shift attention long enough. The president personally has stepped in to prevent key people from testifying under oath for gods sake.
Some times I forget what country I’m living in. My country, the USA, is supposed to be a place where those in power are held accountable because history has shown us when they are not things go to hell in a handcart. Pretty soon you have the gov’t spying on its citizens, arresting folks without a trials, torturing anyone they see as a threat. In order to hold them accountable they have to tell us what they are doing and why. Not us the people, but at least Congress or appropriate commitees where sensitive issues are concerned. A gov’t that insists on operating in the dark is a gov’t that is a threat to its own people.
If I had to place a bet on what will happen, I would lay my chips on the WH stonewalling, and Gonzales and Rove stay where they are. From a hardball political standpoint what is the downside for the WH? They piss off the D’s in Congress…they are already pissed off. The general public gets more pissed off…so what, Bush’s poll numbers are already at 28%, so they go down another 3 or 4 points, big deal.
From Bush’s perspective, he has no incentive to budge an inch on this matter. If I thought he was really worried about the impact that all of this could potentially have on Republican prospects in the 2008 election, I’d say he might at least cut Gonzales loose. But I doubt he is really losing any sleep over what could happen in the 2008 election.
My money stays on “steady as she goes” for the WH.
That’s National Journal not National Review.
Big difference.
Well, it’s not as if these are honorable people. Gonzales, with his ‘I don’t know what happened but I’m sure nothing wrong did’ schtick certainly hasn’t been trying to elucidate things, he’s been obfuscating them and stalling the investigation. Gonzales’ main function at this point is to slow down the march towards Rove, Bush and any others. That’s one of the chief reasons Bush can continue to say he’s so pleased with Gonzales – he is.
I would add, though, that incompetence and secrecy aren’t just a bad combination, they’re a common one. As a few writers have pointed out (I believe Digby being one), corrupt, incompetent governments always try to cover their deeds up. I’ve lost track of all the contradictions, shifting stories or lies coming from the Bush administration on this affair. Demanding honesty and accountability should not be partisan issues. If an accurate, honest account of what went on would exonerate them, they’d have offered it long ago.
Well said Sam… In three short paragraphs you have given an accurate overview of the current situation, and potential future problems being forced on us by the Bush Administration. They threaten not only our country and the American way of life but the entire planet.
Shame on George W. Bush and 28% that refuse to open their eyes… How anyone can defend these people is beyond me.
Kritter said:
> They are all in a “state of denialâ€.
I disagree. I believe the word is “defiance.” There’s a bit of weasel-dom included, as well, since I doubt the Bush people intended to get caught or exposed at doing what they are doing.
Perhaps Bush should declare Rove and Gonzalez enemy combatants.
Then they could ship them off incommunicado, and neither the courts nor Congress could have access to them!
Then they could ship them off incommunicado, and neither the courts nor Congress could have access to them!
If it includes some “coercive interrogation” – esp. waterboarding, sodomy with a light-stick, and being left out naked in the freezing cold – I’m all for it.
Bush, Gonzales , Rove and the Republicans will stick together and stonewall until the end, in the hopes of mutual survival. The GOP obviously doesn’t care what happens to the justice system in this country as long as their seats are safe. Pretty cowardly and despicable, I’d say. Even their little protest yesterday to the WH was about their own survival, not American soldiers dying for nothing.
I wonder if “Turdblossom” would enjoy the examination with the light stick?
> being left out naked in the freezing cold
Sadly, Russia is no good these days. The terrorists deserve Kolyma.