I saw the strangest article in the American Spectator the other day. If I read it correctly, it suggested that Alberto Gonzales resigned a week or so earlier than he or the White House intended.

So why the speed up? According to DOJ staff, revelations that the Department was continuing to improperly vet partners for Muslim outreach programming were brewing, particularly with the resignation of the head of the department’s civil rights division.

So what’s the big deal with that?

Earlier in August, it was reported that the department had canceled a Muslim outreach event at Washington headquarters, which would have featured Gonzales, after it was learned one of the cosponsors had ties to a Muslim organization that was an unindicted co-conspirator in the federal Holy Land Foundation terrorist financing prosecution.

Holy Land Foundation???   Where or where intrepid Plamesters have we heard the name of the Holy Land Foundation before????    Hmmmm?

Wait, wait, something is coming back to me from my foggy memory? Why do I associate Holy Land Foundaton with the Libby Trial?? What is the connection?

Yee Gods! and little fishes!!

I remember now. Judy, Judy, Judy!

Yes, intrepid pups—those of you with steel trap memories where probably shouting her name at your computer screens as you were reading this.

Judy Miller telephoned the Holy Land Foundation and tipped them off the day before the FBI came with a search warrant from Pat Fitzgerald. Josh Marshall had that story long ago, and do scroll through the comments following it for some informative tidbits or maybe just tinfoil hattery.

The thing is, the commenters seem to think that the WH may have had an interest in tipping off the Islamic charities that were the targets of PatFitz’s money laundering/terrorism financing investigation because there were connections that would lead back to some of Bush and Cheney’s favorite Saudis.

Well I don’t know, but something pretty strange is going on because in the American Spectator article an unnamed White House source who claims that Pat “the silent one” Fitzgerald has leaked, LEAKED I tell you, information about Gonzales’ connection to the Muslim charities and it had embarrassed AGAG and he was afraid of being caught out again.

And why was there concern about these stories? Because the U.S. Attorney handling the Holy Land case is none other than Patrick Fitzgerald, of Scooter Libby fame. Fitzgerald is believed by some inside the White House to have been the source of the earlier Muslim leak that embarrassed Gonzales.

OK, repeat after me: what is the first rule of White House spin?  If they are accusing you of doing it, it doesn’t mean you are doing it, it means they are doing it.

So, if some anonymous person in the WH is accusing PatFitz of leaking information that AGAG broke the law and committed blatant obstruction of justice, perhaps witness tampering and could even be considered a co-conspirator or inside “mole” inside the DOJ for these targets of criminal investigation; what can we surmise?

1) First, how much does it strain credulity to believe the sphinxlike Fitzgerald has suddenly taken to leaking to the press. Oh, he will throw you a hint here and there if you want to read between the lines of one of his legal filings, but “let’s do lunch dahling” and leak?

I’m having a really hard time swallowing that one.

2) What incentive would he have to leak? If he has the goods on Gonzo, he could either bide his time and hope he gets a chance to indict him before the Statute of Limitations runs out, or JUST GO PUBLIC. Like Comey did with the Ashcroft hospital thingy.

3) Why would it profit the WH to put out this goofy story? Well, OK, why other than their insatiable need to slime PatFitz?  But this isn’t even high quality slime, in fact it’s silly sounding slime.

Don’t forget this story essentially admits that Gonzo did something criminal. That’s a kinda big deal.

So, Firepups, it’s time to get out the tinfoil. Clearly, there is SOME KIND OF JUICY BACKSTORY here. Let’s have a good time trying to speculate figure out about what the truth might be.

It’s kinda like playing Clue (which I love—Colonel Mustard in the Library with the candlestick!), only with real crimes that have real consequences.

Excellent hat collection via Deadly Computer Blog

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  2. Cheney’s Lawyer Already Leaked the Content of Cheney’s “Privileged” Interview
  3. Senate, NPR Torture Reports Both Include Alberto Gonzales
  4. Cheney’s Betrayal Made an IIPA Charge for Libby Possible
  5. Isikoff Doubles Down on His Anonymous Leak from Cheney’s Lawyer