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(Hilarious hot sauce photo via Malavagma.)
Sen. Pat Leahy must have been feeling a little hot under the collar, because he sent a letter to AG Alberto Gonzales that was a little…saucy: (via TPM Muckraker)
…At our last oversight hearing with you on January 18, 2007, you apologized for the tardiness with which you had provided written responses to questions that had been outstanding for six months. Regrettably, the Committee has yet to receive answers from the written questions sent to you in connection with that January 18th hearing. We are approaching three months since the last hearing, yet you and the Department seem to be repeating the practice of not responding in a timely manner. Instead, if you respond at all, you do so only as a hearing appearance approaches. Although the Committee was informed weeks ago to expect your answers on a rolling basis, we have yet to receive a single answer. Please ensure that the Committee receives your answers to the oversight questions from the January 18th hearing without further delay.
As I noted in a letter to you last month, the Committee had also not received answers to the questions we had propounded to the FBI Director following his appearance in December. We proceeded with a hearing on March 27th without the benefit of those answers. I had received a letter from his staff indicating that the Director had provided the Department of Justice with his responses to the questions propounded to him following his December appearance. It is now four months since those questions were propounded and we still do not have answers from the Department of Justice.
You would not tolerate this kind of response time in a Justice Department investigation where months go by without answers and when those answers are finally provided they are outdated or superseded by events. That is not conducive to effective oversight. (emphasis mine)
Quite the piquant little missive, manages not to tell the AG to go Cheney himself, and yet gets the "get yer lazy behind in gear or else" message across with a little spice. Can anyone else say disrespect for Congress and a potential attempt to thwart and impede oversight? How about contempt of Congress? I thought you could.
This is me, looking forward to the hearings with the AG. And stocking up on popcorn in the meantime. Booyah!
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first!
almost a zed, slow typist
Ooh, SNAP!
I’ve requested April 17th off as a personal day. Its gonna be better than a trip to Disneyland.
Nice Article. Go Leahy. Guess he has his “Irish” up. I ran across this article at American Chronicle: Here
Ghani is calling on Republicans to look at impeachment because Bush is becoming too big of a liability for his party. Interesting reading. I do not know much about the author. Keep up the great work.
I have been waiting for an excuse to use this picture, can I just say that? hehehehe
Oh, April 17th, I’m clearing me calendar for that fun. I expect the FDL server to be smokin’ and the FDL Gabbly chat to be hoppin.’
Meanwhile, this sure is a slow week in the FotHoB (Fall of the House of Bush).
If only that DoNuttin Demmycrat Congress hadn’t gone on Easter/Passover break (like their Preznit did). O well… ROTFLOL
I’ve been buried under a sh*tload at work and am working furiously to get rid of the pile on my desk so I can sit back and enjoy this ass-whipping on the 17th.
So I guess we can expect that Abu will provide inadequate horseshit answers before the 17th?
Booyah indeed!
Nice op-ed written by the former chief of the criminal division of Fitz’s office, titled “Prosecutors Without Politics”:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/…..7814.story
AbuG is the hermetic seal on BushCo’s Unitary Plenary Boiler Room.
His cork is about to pop but the contents are known to have spoiled. This vintage is lost. (Not even salad dressing — more like battery acid.)
Christy Hardin Smith @
6
Do we have to call you Sally?
Mutant at 13 — Only Mr. ReddHedd gets that privilege… ;-)
Sadly, I will be running around all day on the 17th…must try to Tivo…
Mutant — All is not lost — I believe that AG has an appointment with folks in the House on the 12th. At least, I recall reading that somewhere in the copious pile of printouts in my house. Can anyone confirm on that for me?
A-GAG has been rehearsing for 3 days now.
Lets see if he’s learned his lines well.
If he pulls the sos like the others before Congress, be it GSA’s Lurita Doan , or his previous non answer/evasive answers appearances, I hope Leahy flexes his crusty muscle and throws his ass in contempt.
Lets see how fast he’ll sing then.
OMG that is the funniest brand name for a hot sauce. I want it.
Great post!
Gotta run – time to work!
Oh, and is it just me, or has Orrin (I am the most unctuous Senator ever) Hatch had his ass smacked so many times he calls his daily RNC Fax daddy? ‘Cuz the lies now aren’t even artful…
Monica Goodling that God fearing 3rd rate lawyer will be another I’d like to see squirm before Congress to the tell the truth the whole truth before God and country with her hand on the bible.
then invoke the 5th
IrishJim at 5 — I’d say he definitely has a little Irish up in the letter. I could hear the sarcasm dripping from it as I read it. Amusing.
Totally OT:
From Truthdig
Scott Ritter interview that every single American should see. It’s long but more than worth watching.
http://www.truthdig.com/interv…..rt_scheer/
C’mon, this is supposed to be a heavy letter? All I see is “please, please.” These are fascists we’re dealing with. They have NO ethics. Subpoena, hold in contempt, STAND THE HELL UP and quit begging.
April 17 is punaise jr.’s birthday….
Leahy gives the gift of oversight.
Subpoena Monica for 4/17, slot her in for 10 minutes ahead of Gonzales, let her take the Fifth, and then ask Gonzales why she did it. That way they both lead the news, on a Monday with a full week of news cycles to show the clips over and over.
Christy Hardin Smith @
16
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17956095/
Leahy’s letter sounds a bit like Waxman’s letter to Condi…
LOL
landofthefree at 18 — Have I got a hot sauce website for you: Mo hotta, Mo betta. Some hilarious hot sauce names — and some GREAT sauces.
With all of this time for rehearsal old Abu needs to produce a Hollwood perfomance..
Why doesn’t Congress require answers to their letters in a time specific manner?
that picture recalls attaturk’s header over at rising hegemon
angie at 26 — Thanks — I remember two hearings and couldn’t remember who had him on the 12th. Senate budget hearing. For some reason, I was thinking that Rep. Conyers had him that date…really appreciate you finding a link for me.
CHS- questions: Can the committee delay the hearing in this case? And then, would they want to? Would it wise to resolve the Goodling testimony and then have Gonzo testify?
I love this site BTW, thank you for a place to vent.
Eureka Springs@28Why doesn’t Congress require answers to their letters in a time specific manner?
Big Hank does.
Christy,
You are on a ROLL today!
On a related note, Marcy also been on a roll (as emptywheel) at
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/
in her inimitable, detailed way.
Orrin said when Kyle Sampson was up before the Judiciary Committee, that he would ‘resent’ anyone who mistreated him while testifying.
How the ghey 111one111 is that? This man is way past his shelf life. He should be voted out of office. I think he died a few years ago.
OT but not much – Wolfowitz has made sure his girlfriend get promoted and now makes more than the Sec. of State. Murray Wass over at HuffPo has the laundry flapping in the wind on this story:
Wolfie has a Girlfriend!!
GeniusBoy at 23 — It’s called making a record so that when you do smack someone with a contempt citation, you have the paper trial to show for it. Or oversight — something the GOP didn’t bother to do for the last 6 years. You have to build the record before the hammer gets to fall.
Ha, it’s a small world… I know the person who took that photo.
For the guys, it’s “slap my ass and call me Charlie.”
At least it was when Mr. Garrison said it on South Park. (My favorite TV show)
Linda says
April 5th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
A-GAG has been rehearsing for 3 days now.
how hard can it be?
Answer #1: I do not recall
Answer #1a: they serve at the pleasure of the president
Answer #1a: Yes – mistakes were made (”and I take the blame” should be mixed in liberally when using this one)
Answer #1b: No – they were not fired for political reasons
Answer #1c: I really, really, really didn’t know anything about anything.
That oughta cover it.
I still think we should have a drinking game revolving around AG’s use of “I don’t recall” (though it’d better be a short hearing)
bdu at 37 — That is so hilarious! Tell her I love it!
tbsa @ 32
Thanks, at least we know they have a choice.
Dunno about angry or exicted or whatever. The guy just wants to do his job – and for Abu to do his job.
I think it shows that were any credible person who respects America this mans boss they would fire him.
Linda @ 34
I believe he is in line to be the next Attorney General, if I have been following things right.
Abu:
“I wish I knew more, I really do Senator. I believe that no laws were broken. I have 10,000 people working for me, so I just do not know”.
—granted only a handful were USAt, but what the hell.
Joke Line still a few cards short of a full deck:
I’m glad Mr. Klein considers the overthrow of the Rule of Law simply a “minor matter”. Ironically, the contemporary world crisis triggered by the BusChen Regime does offset the visibility of this burgeoning domestic conflagration.
redX at 41 — Pretty much.
Abu is rehearsing his “I don’t recall”s and his “I don’t remember”s. I hope he forgets when to use them.
Senator Leahy: Please state your name for the record.
Abu: I don’t recall
eyes at 42 — Or so Sen. Hatch would like you to think, perhaps…
tbsa @ 32
Big Hank does.
But that doesn’t stop BushCO from ignoring him. He gave Condi a deadline of March 23 to ‘fess up that her NSC had loaded the 16 words into the SOTU, but she blew him off. That’s what got her a personal invite to his Committee (on the 18th, so folks are going to want to take two days, if she actually plans on attending, which I doubt).
These Bushies, they believe teh Unitary Executive doesn’t need deadlines. Same thing with the funding supplemental.
“You would not tolerate this kind of response time in a Justice Department investigation where months go by without answers and when those answers are finally provided they are outdated or superseded by events.” -Leahy
After seeing the timeline of the slow-walk for the NH Phone Jamming case, I would disagree with the Senator. Abu not only tolerates but encourages s-l-o-w investigations of republican hacks.
I’m betting that Abu is no longer Attorney General of the USA by the time the Ides of April 2007 Plus Two rolls around.
S.O.S. from MA @ 51
From your lips….
Christy Hardin Smith @ 48
A pro-pounding is in order after questions that have been propounded by congress remain unanswered.
PSA – Pet food recall has expanded yet again. The April 5th updated lists can be found at the bottom of the page at this link: http://menufoods.com/recall/index.html
There are 20 new varieties added and the production date of the tainted food now extends back to Nov 8th 2006.
Best advice is to avoid using any pet food that has wheat gluten in it.
CNN reports that the Senate will be holding hearings to get to the bottom of the pet food recall.
tbsa @ 52
Then what happens? Can he be subpoened as a private citizen?
eyesonthestreet @ 53
I screwed up, my comment was lost, sorry here it is again.
I think he will , somehow they are going to have to contain the William Jeffries case. That is a whole kettle of welfare and tax cheating, child abuse, etc.,. that needs a lid on it, especially in regards to Hatch country.
albertfall @ 25
Man, do I like your style! After Abu promised to make his aides available to testify, his top aide refuses? Just how does that answer “They are certainly entitled to invoke their constitutional rights against self- incrimination” square with that pledge.
Doesn’t it go something like this…
AG, you are aware that your top aide has refused to testify,pleading the 5th?
Yes, that is her right.
Her right under the 5th is not to incriminate herself – Is that correct?
Yes.
So she was involved in something criminal?
No, not to my knowledge.
So she should not need to invoke the 5th if there is no criminal act she’s committed in her capacity as your aide?
Uhhh.
May I take that as a “No”?
Uhhh.
(thanks for the pet food info- My dogs says thanks too.)
S.O.S. from MA @ 51
I’m not sure that necessarily benefits us (though I don’t necessarily disagree). We’re best off if we get rid of Gonzales AFTER the sane Republicans (you know, whathisname) and the endangered incumbents (like Sununu) demand his ouster. That’s because we’ll be in a stronger position to make demands at that point.
Or think of it this way–we don’t want Gonzales to go until enough Republicans realized Bush has RUINED DOJ and therefore cannot have his pick of AG to replace AGAG. We need to get teh Republicans begging for someone to clean up DOJ. Because if we don’t AG Hatch or AG Olsen or AG Silberman will simply replicate Gonzales’ corrupt program.
“Smack my Ass and Call Me Sally.” I’ll bet that’s what kkkarl used to say to gannon/guckert or was it sanchez? So many male whores in the rethug party it’s hard to keep up.
I too await Abu’s tainted testimony.
I am also interested to see what Ralston can’t remember.
One fat contempt of Congress cite would do wonders for some people with memory problems I am thinking.
They can only stall for so long before someone starts getting real pissy.
(Ahem,Henry)
pogo @ 9
Well practiced inadequate horseshit answers supplied by the best cons, carnies and clowns in the biz.
April 17 is payup day for IRS this year. Gonzo may ask for an extension because of say — an medical emergency.
Is Ralston testifying today?
Bustednuckles @ 62
Isn’t she testifying today? When will we know what she (doesn’t) say?
I find it almost unbelievable how the Executive Department responds (should I say – “Does not respond”) to Congress based on my experience in DoD.
When we got a Congressional, we went BTTW until it was answered. It didn’t matter whether it came from a Pepub or a Demo, it was treated as it should be – a question from Congress.
God help our Country.
I do not know if she is today or not but I would like to see it.
Anyone else know?
Tithonia at 65 — Ralston was asked to appear for a deposition, which wouldn’t be public testimony, at least at this stage. (At least, that is my understanding of the request. It’s a preliminary fact-finding request. But no word yet as to whether she showed to honor the deposition notice.)
Former Fed at 67 — Appalling and rude, isn’t it? Let alone incredibly disrespectful to the institutions of government. One of the reasons that I front-paged this today — it’s about damn time some of the big media types started talking about this.
I checked cspan and did not see anything about it.
Could an obstruction charge be thrown at Gonzo?
twolf1 @ 55
Truly remarkable. Because of concerns that grew out of information that came to me…”over the transom”, shall we say, I have been trying to get more information for a possible article on the subject. Although I did get a call back from the FDA today, I cannot seem to get a response from ChemNutra, the company that imported the wheat gluten.
The clarion call here is that foods, and even refined food products like wheat gluten, can be imported into the country with little more than the trust that the importer has in the certification the producer gives to them about the product.
Some homeland security of you ask me.
shoepuker43 @ 64
I almost got sick when I read earlier today somewhere on the net that gonzo was a real estate lawyer, and that is how he met bush. A real estate lawyer, such breath of experience.
speaking of pet food: Ralston Pure Renal. she’s up to her kidneys in scandal.
GeniusBoy @
23
This wasn’t begging. This was high quality Washington-speak for “cough up, or I’m going to own your ass”.
punaise @
75
707!
I was trying to come up with something there and you saved the day!
angie @ 76
When least expecting, too. Stealth puns.
I want to see Gonzales get that perpetual surreal smirk wiped off his face. It never fails to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Bustednuckles @ 62
I doubt we’ll get to see what Ralston can’t remember, at least not yet. She’s jsut giving a deposition (today, supposedly). Not a public statement.
retirin’ at 78 [would that make you 73? :) ]
When least expecting, too. Stealth puns.
Here’s to Pun’s Health.
Christy @ 70
AMEN to that!!
Keep pushing – as always a great job by the FDL Team.
Thanks EW.
I think this is what Kyle Sampson would call gumming the thingy to death and running out the clock. Six months here, four months there, pretty soon, Shrub’s on the rubber chicken circuit gettin’ paid millions by Richard Mellon Scaife-funded “think” tanks for speechifying.
Good thing the statutes of limitation on various crimes won’t expire until long after Shrub has left the building.
GeniusBoy @ 23
Oh believe me, it’s threatening. Just because you can’t see the obvious threats. They ARE there. It’s an old trick in politics to be polite while holding a stick over the head of your adversary.
Ralston Pure Venal. maybe she should wear her red and white checkered outfit for the appearance.
earlofhuntingdon @ 84
Bet the Shrub will be the first Pres to pardon himself.
backatcha, egregious!
Fresh thready goodness from Swopa, up and ready for reading.
earlofhuntingdon @ 84
Ah, but then the Rovians start screaming that it’s just partisan politics, payback for the Clinton impeachment. Then they orchestrate another terrorist attack so that the Democrat elected in 08, who “cut and ran” from Iraq can be blamed, teeing up Rove’s pick for 2012. They’re playing the long game here.
Pat Leahy, Henry Waxman, John Conyers- they’ve all been frustrated for so long, waiting for the chance to send letters like that one requesting real accountability. Time to set out the board & play a new game: Congressional Truth or Consequences…
I’ve seen your hot sauce, CHS, & wall to wall others in a store called Light My Fire in the old L.A. Farmers Market on Fairfax. They let you sample most sauces there; the habanero/scotch bonnet based ones turn you into a blowtorch, but they’re tasty. Here’s a site that features many of the brands carried by Light My Fire:
http://www.firebreath.com/home.php?cat=1
I seem to remember the dems (when in the minority) always making the point that information was not forthcoming from the administration, and the thugs would just ‘tut-tut’ and let the administration run roughshod over the legislative branch.
Now there’s a bunch of new sheriffs in town who won’t take their guff no more.
But the new minority just whines and complains that they didn’t get to see documents, etc… and you just gotta laugh.
Karma– this time with a vengeance.
Froomkin ha a great title for his column today:
FROOMKIN
emptywheel @ 60 . . Please never say AG Olsen – that just scares the living daylights out of me.
I wonder if Wolfie’s girlfriend can darn socks.
i am so, SO very late to this
particular party — but unlike
gonzo, i HAVE my tardy slip. . .
i’ve been off, sweatin’ over
the pixel-ated-fires, a-cookin’
up an entirely goofy .jpg graphic
of leahy’s tardy slip/detention
note for gonzo. . .
take a look. . .
more seriously, though — the
one thing that, in my experience,
really ticks off a prosecutor (and,
yes, leahy is a former prosecutor!), is
a target/witness making timely-production
delivery commitments, and then failing
to live up to them. . .
repeatedly.
that usually draws the “big stick”
in response. . . so buckle up for
a big ride, on the 17th. . . sez me!
I know the thread has moved on, but I was wondering if anyone–EW?–knows what game Mark Corallo (Babs Comstock’s partner in crime) may be playing in calling on Gonzales to resign?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/w…..htm?csp=34
–
eyesonthestreet @ 74
Gonzales mini-resume was on an earlier post on FDL. Gonzales has worked for Shrub most of his adult life. Gonzales’ adult life; I don’t know whether Shrub’s has started. After Harvard Law, he became a real estate partner at a large Republican law firm in Houston. Then Gov. Shrub hired him as his counselor. He spent just over a year each as an appointed Sec’y of State and State Supreme Court judge in Texas. Then to Washington as the President’s personal lawyer before replacing Ashcroft at DOJ.
Buying oil and gas leases and commercial buildings is not the same as parsing the Constitution, debating with the Supreme Court, enforcing federal criminal and civil rights laws, or managing an organization with some of the best and brightest and most ambitious legal talent in America.
Unlike Shrub, I think Gonzales earned his place at Harvard, but he’s over his head, and easily outmaneuvered by Libby and Addington. Helped in part because Gonzales was smart enough to know that Cheney, and therefore Cheney’s men, ruled the White House, and smart enough never to admit it.
Gonzales only lifeline is Shrub, who seems ready to cut it when it will most deflect attention from Rove. Sad, really, but Alberto chose his roommates. Just more flotsam and jetsam left in Shrub’s wake.
aliasofwestgate @
85
heard it through the grapevine: the sword of damn Oakley’s.
CityGirl @ 97
Corallo’s a weird one. He also criticized DOJ for subpoenaing the BALCO reporters. I think he’s more honest than Babs, provided he’s not on Karl’s dime.
Or there’s a Ashcroft/Gonzales split going on and Corallo is sticking with his guy?
yellowdogD @
95
lol
pun I thought you meant Steve Cl’s dog.
Attorney General Orrin Hatch? Leahy implied Orrin had his knee pads on and was lobbying for it longingly. He didn’t say whether he’d vote to confirm him. I say, “Down the Hatch” with that one. But who will Rove propose as his next human shield?
CityGirl at 97 — Interesting, since Corallo has been hired to be the spokesperson for Fred Thompson’s “thinkng about running for President” campaign.
egregious @ 102
nahh, just semantic overreach.
As others have suggested.
“Hurry back senate”
Recess appointments dont have to be confirmed.
As in, Gonzales out. Hatch in
I have found the testimony of Kyle Sampson to be quite disconcerting. On several occasions he alluded to receiving information from the Executive Office in the Department of Justice. That office is essentially led by John Nowacki, who is the Principal Deputy Director as well as the Acting Counsel to the Director. His name appears time and time again in the emails released from the DOJ conversing the officials already subpoenaed to appear before the respective committees. In one document, a copy of Mr. Nowacki’s datebook, he is scheduled to meet with
On my personal blog (http://misterapologist.blogspot.com) I have been documenting these relationships and I believe there is ample evidence pointing to John Nowacki as a key source of aggregating information regarding each US Attorney in the field and subsequently passing that information up the DOJ chain of command. In 2003, before being appointed to his position, Mr. Nowacki worked at the highly partisan Free Congress Foundation. Mr. Nowacki is the broken link in the information chain at the Department of Justice. Kyle Sampson already has pointed a finger at the Executive Office at the DOJ and if Monica Goodling was not pleading the 5th it is also very likely she would have to explain how close of a relationship they both had. I hope that you can take a serious look at these concerns in order to understand the danger of having a political operative like John Nowacki in a position of such enormous power.
Visit http://misterapologist.blogspot.com for the full story on John Nowacki, including an analysis of the Kyle Sampson testimony as well as every piece of information on John Nowacki released in the earlier Justice Department Dumps.
try this
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?33
Simple answer, though they might not have the balls to do it (an expression, given who our speaker is, but a good one none the less). Start issuing Contempt of Congress citations. Let the Congress issue calls for Rover and company’s e-mails “off the system” let Congress start issuing Abu Gonzalaz and his henchmen citations, and let they who ignore them be dragged before the body in chains if necessary. Contempt of Congress is contempt of the American people, pure and simple. And if that’s the case, we need to start exercising the remedies provided for by the founding fathers. And soon.
This is a disgustingly comment by Leahy, playing on the worst stereotypes of lazy Mexicans. If you ‘liberals’ were serious about justice, rather than just attacking public servants in the administration, you’d be calling Leahy’s office and the Senate leadership to demand he step down as committee chair.
**Be right there, Mr. Rove. Just finishing my coffee break.**
I am certain that is subject has been discussed here many times, but here we go again.
It is childish and moronic to have to skip the first 30 comments to arrive at anything of importance of any kind. I will not be suckered into viewing comments on this site until there is a policy against this behaviour. So be it.
Numo Uno
First
Just missed it
Damned
Hi Flossy
Where are u js?
Number 3?
Maybe next time
Hi Joe!
etc.
Senionor @ 110
….awwww. You mean we don’t get the benefit of Mr Manners’ studied *cough* opinion no more? So be it. :b
Kinda reminds me of a story ’bout two drunks who encounter a dog that is licking its privates….
D1: Man I wish I could do that!
D2: Be my guest, but I would recommend you pet him and engage in a little small talk first.
IOW small talk is social glue, and has its rightful place in the weightiest of discourse!
Rock on, FDL
for anyone interested:
The hot sauce in the picture is the flagship of the house line of hot sauces produced by Tijuana Flats Burrito Company, the “Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally” sauces. Others include “Smack My Sweet Ass and Call Me Sally,” “Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally: The Slap Heard ‘Round the World,” “Don’t be a Chicken Shit” mild sauce, and “Mojo Mango” (a bottle of which is always in my house).
Tijuana Flats frequently donates proceeds from their hot sauces to charity, and they have shipped free hot sauce to troops in Iraq. They also use crushed ice in their soft drinks, which is all kinds of fun.