Posted on 03/07/2007 4:27:24 PM PST by CedarDave
Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) has hired a top defense attorney to handle the pending ethics investigation into allegations that he pressured a federal prosecutor to bring indictments against New Mexico Democrats on the eve of the 2006 elections.
Lee Blalack, who recently represented former [convicted] congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) ... said today that he has signed on as Domenici's attorney in the wake of allegations from fired U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias. Iglesias alleged that Domenici phoned him at his home and asked about a pending public corruption investigation.
The Senate Ethics Committee indicated Monday that it has opened a preliminary inquiry into the matter, which will examine Iglesias's and Domenici's differing accounts of the phone call.
In dramatic testimony before House and Senate committees yesterday, Iglesias, the recently ousted U.S. Attorney from New Mexico, said Domenici's chief of staff placed the call on Oct. 26 or Oct. 27. The aide indicated to Iglesias that there were complaints about how the prosecutor was handling a corruption investigation into a courthouse construction project involving Democrats.
The aide handed off the phone to Domenici, who, according to Iglesias, directly asked whether indictments would be handed up before the election.
"Are these going to be filed before November?" Domenici asked, according to Iglesias. When Iglesias said no, Domenici responded, "I'm sorry to hear that," and hung up, the prosecutor said. He said the call left him feeling "sick" because he felt he was being pressured to speed up the case.
~~ snip ~~
Domenici released a statement Tuesday evening corroborating the overall nature of the call, but he adamantly denied that he mentioned the November elections. He reiterated his previous stance that he in no way pressured Iglesias on any case. He has apologized for asking about a pending investigation.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Pete was stupid to have made the call or to have talked directly with the US attorney. Pete is getting old but was going to run one more time in '08. This may derail that which almost certainly tip the seat to the Democrats. We'll see where this goes, but at best it will take the glow off what should have been his final Senate years. Though moderate, Pete held the tax and spend Rats at bay when he chaired the finance committee and more recently as chair of the energy/natural resources committee, has been instrumental in opening areas, including ANWR, to more oil and gas drilling. When the Senate changed hands, liberal NM Senator Bingaman took the chair.
So wheres the threat? Wheres the intimidation? Man this truly is a party of pnssys!
And the crime is? Why shouldn't a Senator have legitimate concerns about whether a prosecutor is dragging his heels to postpone indictments for political reasons, and question the U.S. Attorney about it?
It's only a crime if a Republican senator does it. If a Democratic minion of the Clinton's asks the same, its business as usual.
Republicans need to fight back or else they're going to go the way of the Whig party.
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