Reforming Rove's Torture Chambers

The Rove Republican Racket stronghold of the U.S. Department of Justice became notorious because of the political firings of nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006.

Among those to be fired by Karl Rove and company was former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico. Last  August, The New York Times wrote that there was strong evidence of a DOJ firing scandal involving Karl Rove, and the "most disturbing revelations" were in regards to the firing of Iglesias.

In September, Iglesias called for major reforms in the U.S. Department of Justice including appointing U.S. Attorneys for six year terms.

Now, Iglesias has been called to duty: investigating the insidious torture of a Canadian citizen at Guantanamo. The Miami Herald Reports:

For hearings on whether U.S. forces tortured confessions out of a Canadian teenager accused of killing an American soldier in Afghanistan, the Pentagon Monday unveiled a new face to advocate military commissions: Fired former Bush-era prosecutor David Iglesias, a key figure in the so-called Attorney-Gate scandal. He was mobilized last year to the war court as a U.S. Navy Reserves captain. Iglesias, a Panama-born Republican, served as George W. Bush's U.S. attorney for New Mexico during the Justice Departments of both John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales. Monday, Capt. Iglesias was part of a Pentagon prosecution team going to Guantánamo for up to two weeks of hearings on which, if any, of Omar Khadr's confessions cannot be presented to a jury at his summertime trial.

Rove Victim Talks Reform

Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico was fired by the Rove Republican Racket in 2006. This past Friday before Labor Day Weekend, Iglesias (pictured) spoke about reform and directed it at the cancer that almost killed justice: Karl Rove's political conversion of the U.S. Department of Justice.

From the Associated Press:

David Iglesisas says U.S. attorneys should be appointed for six-year terms that overlap administrations to minimize the influence of politics on what should be an independent federal office.

The former U.S. attorney for New Mexico—one of nine federal prosecutors fired in a series of politically tinged dismissals in 2006—spoke Friday at the Hispanic National Bar Association's annual conference in Albuquerque. "When you talk or think about prosecutors, there should be two adjectives that are attached: independent and integrity. If you don't have those two, you don't have a legitimate prosecutor," he said.

In addition to advocating longer terms for U.S. Attorneys, Iglesias said in an interview they should only be removed for misconduct to insure that politics stay out of federal prosecutions. "I think one very practical thing to do would be to change the term because, right now, there is a four-year appointment. Maybe make it a six-year term so there's an automatic overlap into the next administration," he said.

Iglesias spoke about phone calls he received in 2006 from former Rep. Heather Wilson and former Sen. Pete Domenici, both New Mexico Republicans. He claimed the two pressured him to bring an indictment in a public corruption case before Election Day in November 2006.

An Apology for Rove?

Karl Rove today wrote an op-ed piece for The Wall Street Journal demanding an apology from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers.

Rove writes:

Judging from the evidence released, it uncovered facts that show that my role in the U.S. attorneys issue was minimal and entirely proper. I did not conceive of the idea of removing certain U.S. attorneys, did not select those to be removed, and did not see the lists of U.S. attorneys Justice was considering to replace. I had no idea who was on the final list until Justice sent it to the White House in November 2006. No fair-minded person can review the thousands of pages of documents and testimony and conclude that I drove the process.

If he had asked us for an apology, we would have said: No, you, Mr. Rove, need to apologize!

Taking a closer look at his words, they are not the "whole" truth. Rove may not have conceived the idea but he surely approved of the idea. He may not have selected those to be removed but his staff gladly took suggestions from others. Rove may have not seen the list of replacements but he knew damn sure they were more "loyal" than those being given the boot. As Rove tries to spin the media, we think the independent investigator that is still on the case will conclude otherwise. To us, Karl Rove and the entire Rove Republican Racket turned the U.S. Department of Justice into a political arm of the Republican Party to prosecute Democratic leaders.

Maybe Karl Rove didn't turn on the light switch, but he made sure the electricity was running.

NY Times: Evidence of a Rove Scandal

We have been documenting the political and legal consequences of the Rove Republican Racket and today, the gray lady, The New York Times, agreed with our general view on Rove's political firing of nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006, especially the firing in New Mexico.

From today's editorial, appropriately titled, "More Evidence of a Scandal:"

Documents released by Congress, including testimony from Karl Rove, offer powerful new evidence that the Bush administration fired top prosecutors who refused to use their offices to promote the electoral fortunes of Republicans.

Turning law enforcement into a tool of partisan politics is a serious offense, and a Justice Department investigation is under way. Congress must also continue its investigation and call Mr. Rove and others to testify publicly so the American people can hear for themselves how the justice system was hijacked.

The materials released on Tuesday paint an ugly picture of fair-minded prosecutors under siege by the White House for refusing to politicize their offices. And it puts Mr. Rove, former President George W. Bush’s chief political operative, at the center of it.

Some of the most disturbing revelations concern the firing of David Iglesias, the United States Attorney in New Mexico. He was put on a list to be fired shortly after a White House aide complained to Mr. Rove that Mr. Iglesias was not doing enough — including refusing to bring politically useful public corruption cases — to help Heather Wilson, a Republican member of the House of Representatives, fend off a Democratic challenger in the 2006 election.

Harriet Miers, the former White House counsel, told investigators that an “agitated” Mr. Rove called her before the election to say that Mr. Iglesias was a serious problem, and he wanted something done. Mr. Iglesias had received high marks from the Justice Department for the quality of his work.

Read the full editorial here.

Rove Deeply Involved in Firings

Karl Rove can't hide anymore. Karl Rove can't spin it away anymore. The truth is out.

We have intensely focused on the follies of the Rove Republican Racket and now the mainstream media is picking up on the political decisions made by the Rove-Bush-Cheney Administration that turned the U.S. Department of Justice into a political wing of the Republican Party.

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Thousands of pages of internal e-mail and once-secret Congressional testimony showed Tuesday that Karl Rove and other senior aides in the Bush White House played an earlier and more active role than was previously known in the 2006 firings of a number of United States attorneys.

Aides to former President George W. Bush have asserted that the Justice Department took the lead in the dismissals, which set off a political firestorm that lasted months. Mr. Rove played down his role in the firings in a recent interview and in closed testimony last month before Congressional investigators.

But the documents, released by the House Judiciary Committee after a protracted fight over access to White House records and testimony, offer a detailed portrait of a nearly two-year effort, from early 2005 to 2007, by senior White House officials, including Mr. Rove, to dismiss some prosecutors for what appear to be political reasons.

Read the full article here.

Rove Had "Greater Role" in Firings

Breaking News from The Washington Post:

Political adviser Karl Rove and other high-ranking figures in the Bush White House played a greater role than previously understood in the firing of federal prosecutors almost three years ago, according to e-mails obtained by The Washington Post, in a scandal that led to mass Justice Department resignations and an ongoing criminal probe. The e-mails and new interviews with key participants reflect contacts among Rove, aides in the Bush political affairs office and White House lawyers about the dismissal of three of the nine U.S. attorneys fired in 2006: New Mexico's David C. Iglesias, the focus of ire from GOP lawmakers; Missouri's Todd Graves, who had clashed with one of Rove's former clients; and Arkansas's Bud Cummins, who was pushed out to make way for a Rove protégé.

Read the full article here.

New Mexico Firing

Tight lipped Karl Rove left his four-hour meeting with federal prosecutors on Friday making no comments. Investigators are looking into the 2006 Rove-Bush firings of nine U.S. Attorneys.

The Washington Times took a couple of paragraphs in its story to revisit the firing of the former U.S. Attorney in New Mexico, David Iglesias.

The internal report concluded that Mr. Rove - along with Monica Goodling, former White House liaison for the Justice Department; former White House official Harriet Miers; and former Sen. Pete V. Domenici, New Mexico Republican - were involved in the "most troubling" firing - that of former New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias.
Despite Justice Department assertions that Mr. Iglesias was fired because of his job performance, the report concluded that he was removed because New Mexico Republicans complained to the White House and Justice Department about his handling of voter-fraud and public-corruption cases. Mr. Iglesias said Mr. Domenici pressured him to bring corruption charges against a Democratic state lawmaker before the 2006 election. Mr. Domenici has acknowledged calling Mr. Iglesias but said he did not pressure him to bring an indictment. The internal report concluded that an appointed prosecutor could conduct a more extensive investigation because several officials, including Mr. Rove, refused to cooperate. The report said it could not fully determine the role of the White House in the firings but did conclude that it was involved in at least three of the nine dismissals.