In Closed Meeting With Gonzales, Prosecutors Express Their Dismay

[deminks]

Source: Washington Post

Even as he came under renewed political pressure in Washington this week, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales faced sharp criticism from many of his own U.S. attorneys at a private meeting in San Antonio, prosecutors who were there said.

At an executive session Wednesday during the Justice Department's annual U.S. attorneys conference, Gonzales met with most of the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys to apologize for the controversy over the firings of nine prosecutors last year and to attempt to shore up sagging morale.

More than a dozen U.S. attorneys spoke during the morning session, most of them expressing concern to Gonzales about the scandal's impact on their own offices and the overall image of the department, several participants said.

"People were very plainspoken," said one U.S. attorney, who along with others interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity because the session was private. "The overwhelming majority of the comments were about the controversy and how people are still not happy in the way things were going."



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/18/AR2007051801969.html

[Botany]

1. How many U.S. Attorney's kept their jobs by being Rove's soldiers?

So Rove/Gonzo only wanted 12 out .... what about the rest? And no shit
it makes every U.S. Attorney who stayed on look dirty.

[NJCher]

2. morale must be lower than a snake's belly

Reminds me of a friend who used to work for a company of ill repute (IDT). After a week of manning a booth for his company at a trade show, he looked pretty dejected. I asked him why he looked so down and he said, "Have you ever worked three days at a trade show when absolutely everybody who stopped by your booth said 'Your company sucks?'"

I had to say, no, I hadn't.

That must be what it's like working in Gonzo's Justice Department. Everything sucks. Everything.



Cher

[EST]

3. When are these pukes going to start to understand that

"I accept/take/acknowledge responsibility" is not just an empty slogan or something to say to defuse accusation?
Accepting responsibility includes accountability and means actually falling on the sword, not merely having it re-directed to point at you. Accepting responsibility is paying for that broken window, rendering victims whole, going down with the ship--if this isn't what you mean to say, then do not say it.

[magellan]

5. They don't understand and don't care

That's why they're such a threat. I've never witnessed such an amoral bunch -- except for the times I worked in big corporations. That's precisely where these people come from and where they should be sent back to. They have no business being in the US government.

[tanyev]

4. There is one very easy way for Gonzo to shore up sagging morale.

Hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more.

[GregD]

6. I'd like to see him stay on a bit longer

As soon as he departs, I fear the investigations into his conduct will end.

[salin]

11. I think that the tentacles of the investigations have already

reached far beyond Gonzo - in terms of how infected the Dept is - go or stay - Gonzo helped speed these investigations to the point where they will continue after he goes. But the WH doesn't want a confirmation hearing for a new DOJ going past the firing controversies and reminding the public of the spying - violations of civil liberties via the Patriot Act, and other piolicy actions - so I am sure they are begging him to stay - just to play the role of Chief Obstructor of Justice as long as is possible.

[intheflow]

7. Is this the same group of US Attny's who took the fired attorney's jobs?

It doesn't sound like they're saying, 'Stop the rape of the Constitution for political gain," but "What's happening is making us look bad and we don't like it." Hmmm...

[Polemicist]

8. Hey, Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Ho, Alberto has got to go...

I like the idea of declaring Gonzales in contempt of Congress for lying during Congressional testimony and not complying with Congressional subpoenas.

We have to take a shot across the bow of the Bush Presidency, so they know we are serious about compliance with Congressional investigations. We the People of the United States and their Representatives in Congress can't accept willful lying, misremembering, stonewalling, suborning perjury by coaching testimony of lower officials, and ignoring subpoenas. We have to take a stand and make an example of the price that must be paid to defy Congress.

Thus I like John Dean's suggestion that Congress hold a contempt of Congress vote on Alberto Gonzales. It would take just a majority vote of either House to approve such a measure, it can't be vetoed, nor can it be filibustered.

Then send the Capitol Police out to arrest the Attorney General. And tell Bush he can either replace his AG, or try to run the Justice Department with his AG locked in a Congressional cell.

Force is the only thing these assholes will respond to.

[Peace Patriot]

9. They're pissed because they can't do the "job" for which they were hired over their

betters: prosecuting Democrats on evidence that gets laughed out of court; influencing elections by intimidating voters with phony "voter fraud" charges and other political uses of USA powers; and stopping or deliberately bungling investigation and prosecution of the vast stewpot of Republican corruption.

Poor things! What is a half-wit Regents U. grad to do then, if he/she can't serve the Fascist Cause? I think this is why they "are not happy in the way things were going." They are not happy that they got caught. They are not happy that their unamerican, unethical toadyism has been exposed. They are not happy that power and privileges that they have not earned might be taken away. They are classic Bushites--who cannot operate in a fair and just society, only in one rigged in their favor. And now they're stamping their petulant little feet cuz the rigging's starting to come down.

[Canuckistanian]

10. The DOJ must be completely non-functional now

Gonzales is now spending 24/7 just trying to hold on to power.

What is keeping the department going now?