tags: Monica Goodling, Alberto Gonzales, US Attorney General, US Attorney firings, politics
So what is Monica Goodling's excuse for her poor memory? She's a terrible liar if the best she can come up with is that she "didn't intend to commit a crime," that she "crossed the line, but didn't mean to." Meanwhile, Justice Department documents show that Goodling attended numerous meetings over a year's time about the plans to fire the U.S. attorneys and she corresponded with the White House and at least one of the fired prosecutors before the dismissals were ordered. It's no wonder that she pled the Fifth rather than tell the American people what really happened. If she didn't have immunity, she would be facing jail time!
The Justice Department's former White House liaison denied Wednesday that she played a major role in the firings of U.S. attorneys last year and blamed Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty for misleading Congress.
McNulty's explanation about the dismissals, on Feb. 6, "was incomplete or inaccurate in a number of respects," Monica Goodling told a packed House Judiciary Committee inquiry into the firings. "I believe the deputy was not fully candid."
McNulty disputed her version of events.
"I testified truthfully at the Feb. 6, 2007, hearing based on what I knew at that time," he said in a statement. "Ms. Goodling's characterization of my testimony is wrong and not supported by the extensive record of documents and testimony already provided to Congress."
Goodling, 33, quit the department last month and initially pleaded the Fifth Amendment on Wednesday. After being granted court-approved immunity, she admitted that in some instances she may have weighed the political views and affiliations of job applicants for jobs as career prosecutors -- a violation of federal law. [story]
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So who was supervising her? If she "crossed the line", who was supervising her to stop it and prevent the violation of law? (hint, no one in the "Justice" Department)
"Ms. Goodling's characterization of my testimony is wrong and not supported by the extensive record of documents and testimony already provided to Congress." Yeah Duh! Of course it isn't supported by the "testimony", that is because the "testimony already provided to Congress" is false and inaccurate.
Ms. Goodling is no different from other members of this GOP administration. They have uniformly run roughshod over the law and rights of Americans with the full blessing of the religous right. The "truth" is whatever advances the cause of the GOP and big oil.
Well, this goes into my "poor taste & insensitive" folder, along with people who use "Off your meds again?" as an all-purpose insult.
As someone who recently lost a family member with Alzheimer's, and who has a child who depends on "staying on her meds" to live a productive life, I do wish you and others could find some other form of insult.
I'm sure that there was no bad intent on your part ... but it's in poor taste and insensitive regardless.
There is something very wrong with the US political system. There are simply too many ways for one to get away with murder. Judging from the string of outrageous outright criminal acts revealed about this administration, there seems to be a total lack of checks and balances to hold those responsible accountable to the law. This makes the US constitution and laws a joke.
It clearly is not Alzheimer's. But since so many young to middle-aged people working at the top of the DOJ are suffering from severe memory loss, I think we're probably looking at an environmental toxin.
PS - As someone who has seen Alzheimer's take a loved one and who is on meds, I thought the headline was pretty funny. But then, I come from a family that has always believed in laughing at our demons and at each other's demons.
Is dis wat dey call a white collar crime? Dat means no matter wat dey did dey get off with just a slap on the wrist and dey get to keep all of der pension and other benefits, right? Boy it must be nice to be smart and be able to make all the right moves even when your a.s.s. is on the red carpet.
I actually think that the House Judiciary Committee struck a pretty good bargain in giving her immunity from testimony. Despite trying to go after McNulty at the outset, she also ratted out Kyle Sampson left and right. It was her account of Alberto Gonzales "refreshing" her memory after his sworn testimony before the Senate that comes closest to demonstrating obstruction of justice.
The only part where I felt congress should have pressed harder was on the way that McNulty was explicitly dethroned by Gonzales in favor of Kyle and Monica. None of her answers made any sense there, although she probably was careful not to outright lie. Overall, a few Democratic congressmen such as Artur Davis shone and many Republican congressmen came off looking like slavish thugs.
Does anyone think that any of these people will be punished or suffer in any way?
My guess is no.
Just as in Britain, politicians & civil servants who toe the party line can get away with murder and whistleblowers lose everything.
Doesn't really matter much who is in power, each team supports its own.
It is not credible that a lawyer at the Department of Justice could be unaware of the restrictions on political activity contained in the Hatch Act or that they applied to DOJ career employees in particular - that is why the act is singled out for enforcement by a separate authority, the Office of Special Council. Her characterization by some as "scrupulous" can only be according to an alternate definition not contained in my dictionary.
She well-knew that what she was doing was wrong and she expected that she would get away with it. That is why she was distraught to learn that the jig was up and later decided that she better take the fifth. Maxine Waters' point is finally sinking in - I'm so sorry she misspoke; saying that it was Ms. Goodling's skills when it was really her ethics that were undermined doing Opposition Research at the RNC.
Here is an edit of the four and half hours of testimony by Monica Goodling before the House Judiciary Committee:
http://petulantrumble.blogspot.com/
"I think we're probably looking at an environmental toxin."
Probably decay products from all the corruption. Gangrene in the body politic....