Posted on 03/29/2007 10:12:47 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Ex-Aide: Gonzales, Miers OKed Firings Mar 29 12:54 PM US/Eastern By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and President Bush's former counsel approved the firings of eight federal prosecutors, Gonzales' one-time chief of staff told the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday.
"I and others made staff recommendations but they were approved and signed off on by the principals," Kyle Sampson said, referring to Gonzales and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers.
Responding to questions from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Sampson rejected the notion that the dismissals were ordered by young or inexperienced Justice Department officials.
"The decision makers in this case were the attorney general and the counsel to the president," he told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Gonzales and Miers were deeply involved for two years in discussions about which prosecutors to fire, according to Sampson's testimony and e-mails released by the Justice Department.
Sampson sat alone at the witness table, hands folded, as he fielded sharp questions from Democrats on the committee. His appearance was the latest act in a political drama that has shaken the Bush administration and imperiled Gonzales' tenure at the Justice Department.
Earlier, Sampson said that Gonzales had wrongly said he was not involved in discussions about the firings of the eight U.S. attorneys.
Asked whether Gonzales' statement was false, Sampson replied, "I don't think it's accurate if the statement implies that I intended to mislead the Congress."
Sampson also testified the prosecutors were fired last year because they did not sufficiently support President Bush's priorities, defending a standard that Democrats called "highly improper."
"The distinction between 'political' and 'performance-related' reasons for removing a United States attorney is, in my view, largely artificial," Sampson said.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
So what? It's perfectly fine for the President to fire US Attorneys, even for political reasons. And he doesn't need Congressional approval to do so.
They want his blood too.
..and given that said US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President, why is this even being discussed? Of course they were fired for political reasons, they're political appointees. NEXT!
So? They are hired politically, they can be fired for political reasons. They serve at the pleasure of the President. Period. This is a non story being ginned up by the left and of course the lame-stream-media is happy to carry the water.
Repeating others....
SO WHAT AND WHO CARES?
These are political appointees...
This is the difference between Republicans and Democrats. Democrats know that the average American is stupid, and therefore can get away with anything.
> So what? It's perfectly fine for the President to fire US Attorneys, even for political reasons. And he doesn't need Congressional approval to do so.
Of course it's perfectly fine to do so. The problem is that Gonzales pussyfooted around and lied about his involvement as if it were shameful, which it isn't. Gonzales made his own bed of nails, and now he must lie in it. The whole administration needs to learn, and maybe this is the painful lesson that teaches them finally, that you don't show weakness or faltering in front of a newly emboldened Dim party.
Maybe its just as well if Gonzales goes. He was never a bright legal mind, and his mistakes are many. Get someone competent in there with a spine.
I should hope so. When were US Attorneys ever fired by some flunky without the boss's approval?
The real irony here is that typically the complaints about political firings come because a USA is in the middle of an investigation of a high-powered official.
In many of the cases, they simply refused to prosecute their Democrat friends. The most egregious case is New Mexico.
We need some Alpha Dog Republicans!
The problem with Gonzales is his support for open borders. He should never have been appointed to begin with.
I notice that of the emails that have been released so far, they really don't tell you what it was about these particular US Attnys that they did not like. My suspicion is that some of them may have been less than supportive of the open border policy.
The last I read on it what Gonzales said was that he didn't recall any meetings and it turns out he had attended two meetings in which it was discussed over the course of two years.
> Gonzales problem seems to be endemic in the GOP right now. When Dem's attack, start apologizing and groveling ASAP.
Well, I think part of the problem is that Bush's loyalty, while great in theory and in private life, is not serving him well as President. Miers for SCOTUS? Puh-leez! Gonzales as AG? Not the best choice, as we have been finding out through the years, and especially lately.
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