Posted on 03/21/2007 4:21:43 AM PDT by theothercheek
On the heels of the Senate’s 94-2 vote to pass a bill voiding a provision in the Patriot Act that allowed the attorney general to appoint U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign. Reports KDVR-Fox 31 (Denver):
"Gonzales' legacy at the DOJ has been one of misplaced priorities, political miscalculation, and a failure to enforce the laws which he has sworn to uphold," he said. "I think that it is time for him to move on."
Tancredo faulted several Justice Department decisions dealing with border crimes, including the prosecution of two border patrol agents for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler and trying to cover it up.
Tancredo said Gonzales should have overturned local and state "sanctuary" policies, which Tancredo said allow people to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation.
Tancredo also said Gonzales should have gotten tough on nations that resist U.S. attempts to return foreigners who have broken U.S. laws.
Tancredo won’t get an argument on any of this from The Stiletto. However there is a more compelling reason than failure to enforce immigration laws to get rid of Gonzales: His utter indifference towards Sandy Berger’s theft and destruction of documents pertaining to 9/11 from the National Archives and Records Administration.
According to The Washington Post, Paul Brachfeld, inspector general of the National Archives, "wanted the Justice Department to notify officials of the 9/11 Commission that Berger's actions - in combination with a bungled Archives response - might have obstructed the commission's review of Clinton's terrorism policies."
According to the WaPo:
The Justice Department spurned the advice … But more than three years later, as Brachfeld and House lawmakers have pushed new details about Berger's actions onto the public record -- such as Berger's use of a construction site near the Archives to temporarily hide some of the classified documents - Brachfeld's contentions have attracted fresh support.
A [January report] by the Republican staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said for the first time that Berger's visits were so badly mishandled that Archives officials had acknowledged not knowing if he removed anything else and destroyed it. …
[Philip Zelikow, the commission's former executive director] said in an interview … "I think all of my colleagues would have wanted to have all the information at the time that we learned from the congressional report, because that would have triggered … questions we could have posed to Berger under oath." …
Brachfeld pressed Justice Department officials on six occasions in 2004 to make a fuller statement to the commission about Berger's actions, to no avail. He also contacted Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine, who organized an April 2004 meeting between Brachfeld and Justice officials that convinced him that "these issues had to go before the 9/11 Commission," according to two people present. …
[W]ell after Berger testified to the commission, "the Department had not yet asked Mr. Berger any questions, as he had not yet agreed to an interview." …
Judge Deborah A. Robinson imposed a stiffer penalty in the case than the Justice Department sought, fining Berger a total of $56,905, canceling his security clearance, and requiring monthly reporting to a probation officer for two years.
Columnist Michael Barone points out that, "Some of these documents may have been unique and may have contained handwritten comments that could have looked bad in light of what happened on September 11." Then he asks the $64K question: "Did Bill Clinton ask him to destroy documents that would make him look bad in history? I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I ask that question. But this or something very much like it seems to be the only explanation that makes sense."
To be sure, most of the screw-ups and shoulder shrugging at DOJ predates Gonzales’ tenure. But he could have turned the heat up on Berger from Day One for a full accounting – for instance, why he destroyed multiple copies of the same document - instead of allowing him to plead guilty to a misdemeanor in April 2005, and get off with a slap on the wrist. Thanks to Gonzales, the American people, the 9/11 Commission and historians as yet unborn will never know the whole truth about 9/11 and the Clinton Administration’s failure to recognize the grave and gathering threat stalking the U.S.
For that alone, Gonzales must go.
NOTE: In case I did not put all the links in correctly, please see the original source.
Typical spineless republican.
"Gonzales' legacy at the DOJ has been one of misplaced priorities, political miscalculation, and a failure to enforce the laws which he has sworn to uphold," he said. "I think that it is time for him to move on."
It's time for Gonzales to leave. It would have been better if he'd never been appointed.
Tom Tancredo has jumped the shark
Typical spineless republican.
The Berger investigation alone is cause for his removal. Or were you refering to Gonzales?
Tancredo: Strong on immigration...Looney Tunes on the rest!
Keeping Republicans on the reservation is like trying to herd cats.
"It would have been better if he'd never been appointed."
But he helped fill the minority quota in this administration. Clinton did the same thing when Hazel O'Leary was put in charge of the Los Alamos nuclear secrets and Joslyn Elders was appointed Surgeon General...both disasters. It should be painfully obvious that affirmative action hires in government don't work out any better than they do in the real world.
This is ultimately why you fire Alberto...
Tancredo's not being spineless here. He's typically going in some direction neither into or against the wind and saying he should be fired for reasons no one is talking about. Namely that he did a lousy job on guiding the prosecution involving our borders.
Which is true, it would seem.
Perhaps not the best timing, though...
I'd rather they do right by the People. Screw their reservation.
A certain Clarence Thomas tests your theory. But consider that Gonzales' name was floated for the Supremem Court.
This is ultimately why you fire Alberto...
There's so many reasons to pick from. His firing is something that we Republicans can get behind, no matter what wing you are from.
There is some big ole secret everybody is trying to hide by covering eachothers butts, both dems and republicans. It is a slap in the face to ALL OF US! We have people coming into this country at will, with the you can't touch me attitude. We have officials STEALING classified documents while we are involved in a war. Documents that directly have to do with the WAR and nothing happens. WTF is going on here!?! I am beyond insulted that these effin' idiots think I am too stupid to see the writing on the wall. I am disgusted at the fact that these elitist trash the constitution and treat all of us as peons, with no recourse. I am enraged that my goverment, the goverment OF THE PEOPLE are expected to sit back and keep our mouths shut while our country is being sold out!! Gee, nothing like starting the day totally pissed off.
tancredo, like most of the gop, is tone deaf
the reason you don't fire gonzo is because the dems will be emboldened if you do
if tancredo and others had the courage to demand his resignation or firing because of border issues, it is long past time to have done so
now, tancredo is sending the message that the gop caves to the dems at the first sign of trouble, completely out of balance with the dems who will commit fraud on live t.v. and laugh in the public's face
tancredo, like bush, is a complete naive fool
Yes, but at least you know that there are people out here who agree with you :-)
You are sooooo right! If this keeps up and the Repub don't fight back, Rats will surely win in 08. Wish the Repubs stop being afraid of the media and start fighting back.
"Tancredo: Strong on immigration...Looney Tunes on the rest!"
I would hardly call the request of a Sandy Berger investigation Looney Tunes. Bush should also answer for letting Berger off. I want to know why he was left off. This was not an action without thought!
"Tancredo: Strong on immigration...Looney Tunes on the rest!"
I would hardly call the request of a Sandy Berger investigation Looney Tunes. Bush should also answer for letting Berger off. I want to know why he was left off. This was not an action without thought!
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