The DoJ's been leaking like a sieve!

[Rose Siding]

Addressing the leak about acting AG Comey's (and possibly even the pharmacologically stoned Ashcroft's) coolness toward Bush's spying program, Benen at WaMo reminds us:

.....it appears that there's something of a revolt underway at the Department of Justice. There's no way the NYT could get this story, with these details, unless several in-the-know Justice officials decided it was time to start talking.

Indeed, it may be part of a trend. DoJ officials recently leaked word, for example, that attorneys in the in the Civil Rights Division concluded that Georgia's poll-tax law was discriminatory against minority voters and should be blocked from implementation, but they were quickly overruled by Bush-appointed higher-ups. Moreover, the lead attorney in the government's landmark lawsuit against the tobacco industry recently told reporters that her politically appointed bosses undermined her team's work on the case. And earlier this month, the Washington Post reported on leaked memos showing that DoJ officials concluded, unanimously, that Tom DeLay's re-redistricting scheme in Texas violated the Voting Rights Act -- but once again they were overruled by Bush's political appointees.

Criticism of Voting Law Was Overruled
Justice Dept. Backed Georgia Measure Despite Fears of Discrimination
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/16/AR2005111602504.html

In Retiring, Lead Attorney in Tobacco Suit Cites Bosses
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/30/AR2005113002091.html

Justice Staff Saw Texas Districting As Illegal
Voting Rights Finding On Map Pushed by DeLay Was Overruled
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/01/AR2005120101927.html

and the latest:

Justice Deputy Resisted Parts of Spy Program
http://nytimes.com/2006/01/01/politics/01spy.html?ei=5094&en=ec5c0349b8ec6bc6&hp=&ex=1136178000&partner=homepage&pagewanted=all

[MissWaverly]

1. I wish someone would speak out re Bush vs Gore

that's the marble that started this whole mess

[hootinholler]

9. I recently discovered that Scalia wrote an opinion that helped

Cheney and Rumsfeld convince President Ford to veto the FOIA. Leads me to wonder if that would have been a close enough relationship to have warranted recusal in Booosh V. Gore.

-Hoot

[MissWaverly]

12. thanks for that tidbit

there were so many little details about 2000, like Cheney and GWB being from the same
state, where they declared Cheney was really a resident of Wyoming although at the time
it was his vacation home. The constitution prohibits the prez and the vp to be from the
same state. That was another little legality that was overlooked or should we say
papered over.

[ClayZ]

13. I agree! Throw * out put Gore in!

Well, I can wish on New Years Day, can't I?

[MissWaverly]

21. I agree, new repug talking point might makes right

When pretzel in chief wins the war, he can then rewrite history and edit out the
NSA bits, heard this on This Week on ABC, George Will quote, rough summary

[EFerrari]

2. This is really interesting. Mid level guys going on the

record before the fertilizer hits the rotating member?

[tsuki]

7. SPLAT! Ain't it great! LOL

[Warpy]

3. The DOJ and the CIA, possibly the NSA!

That is what has the gang of criminals so upset. All their attempts to put sycophants at the top (Goss, Gonzales) haven't stopped any of the leaks, and they're too blind to realize that trying to force conformity from the top down rarely works beyond the level of lip service conformity.

The more the criminals try to crack down, the more leaking we'll see.

[MadisonProgressive]

6. From your keyboard to God's screen

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

38. Thank God there are still professionals with principles

In these agencies.

[madaboutharry]

4. I have an uncle who worked for many

years in the Department of Justice. These people are not political hacks, they are professionals serving in the civil service. They don't believe in the crap coming out of any administration, democratic or republican, they are lawyers whose job it is to apply the law. Of course they are leaking like a sieve. I am sure that we only know about 10% so far. My hope is that someone over at the USSC will start leaking about what went down during Bush v. Gore.

[FreedomAngel82]

5. Good for Comey!

Boy I hope he's protected. He's one smart cookie. Now he deserves a medal of freedom.

[Lasher]

8. A trend has now been established

This is big, thanks for sharing! I knew of the DeLay redistricting issue, but did not know about the Georgia poll-tax or tobacco cases. Once or twice is an incident, more than that is a trend.

I admire these DOJ professionals for their courage. They know the attack dogs will be set on them.

[salin]

10. Per the Comey story... timing... question

when did the Brits charge the "leaker" {in the US NSA spying on UN security council members (pre-invasion)} with the Official Secrets Act? The story broke (briefly) around the time of the attempted push by the US for a second security council vote (to back an invasion of Iraq, an effort which was aborted by the US when it was clear that the security council was never going to go for it) - and later in the year a woman was arrested in Britain for the leak. Unexplicably the story received almost zero press in the US.

Back to this story - as I read it I wondered if this was around the same time that the story was being circulated in Britain in response to the charges filed against the 'leaker'... as if - it could be very harmful for the US were it to be known to be engaging in such activity (going around FISA courts) ... esp in light of charges for NSA spying on UN representatives... in their homes as well as offices (against the law, btw; and also NOT in line with the stated intent (to go after those linked to al qeada) of this NSA FISAless spying policy). If so, seems more a little bit of attempt to potentially protect the admins *ss - were the british story to start gaining ground in the US press.

[bleever]

17. An interesting question...

Another loose thread to tug at.

[seafan]

22. This adds some answers from the UK Observer, March 9, 2003:

UN launches inquiry into American spying

Martin Bright, Ed Vulliamy in New York and Peter Beaumont
Sunday March 9, 2003
The Observer

The United Nations has begun a top-level investigation into the bugging of its delegations by the United States, first revealed in The Observer last week.

Sources in the office of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan confirmed last night that the spying operation had already been discussed at the UN's counter-terrorism committee and will be further investigated.

The news comes as British police confirmed the arrest of a 28-year-old woman working at the top secret Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) on suspicion of contravening the Official Secrets Act.

Last week The Observer published details of a memo sent by Frank Koza, Defence Chief of Staff (Regional Targets) at the US National Security Agency, which monitors international communications. The memo ordered an intelligence 'surge' directed against Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Bulgaria and Guinea with 'extra focus on Pakistan UN matters'. The 'dirty tricks' operation was designed to win votes in favour of intervention in Iraq.

The Observer reported that the memo was sent to a friendly foreign intelligence agency asking for help in the operation. It has been known for some time that elements within the British security services were unhappy with the Government's use of intelligence information.

The leak was described as 'more timely and potentially more important than the Pentagon Papers' by Daniel Ellsberg, the most celebrated whistleblower in recent American history.

snip

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,910657,00.html



And yet, the American "liberal media" completely ignored this story. Why do these people not think an informed US populace is critically important?

We will continue to do their jobs for them.

[salin]

25. good find... and wrong timing per my memory

and a possible link/explanation for the story. Better for Comey (not such a duplicitious reasoning for objecting). And hopefully good to keep reminding folks of this almost not-at-all reported story in the US press (though apparently it had rather wide coverage in the international press.)

[Patsy Stone]

11. Here's to the little guys

Who don't believe the hype.

I dare say that they didn't expect anyone to notice what they were doing. Oops. People noticed.

K&R.

[bleever]

14. God Bless them,

every one.

:hi:

[ClassWarrior]

15. Thanks Tiny.

:hi: bleev and Pats!

NGU.

[bleever]

16. Last year was pretty goofy, but this year's gonna be swell.

Onnaccounta all the people not givin' up, and stuff.

Happiest of New Years to you, and to us all, CW.

:hi:

[Patsy Stone]

19. Cheers, darling!

[Patsy Stone]

18. Amen!

Happy New Year to you! :toast:

And: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=315x31800

[oasis]

20. True patriots determined to make a difference. They've had enough. (eom)

[Burried News]

23. K&R. They have had enough and we have had enough.

The Tobacco case alone should have been scandalous enough to wake people up to the corruption of this administration.

[DemReadingDU]

24. K&R

[toymachines]

26. Uh, is it fascism yet?

Olberman should just come out and say it. get the word out there.

[petgoat]

27. IMPEACH FASCISM nm

[EST]

28. It is.

A lot of people simply can't accept it yet, but the fascists are in charge.
Only swift action to remove these miscreants will spare us from the armed uprisings that will follow. The battle lines have been drawn.

[toymachines]

29. word

[The Backlash Cometh]

30. Okay, explain to me again...

...why did we create a regulatory system which could easily be compromised through political appointments?

[psychopomp]

31. I have been thinking the same thing lately

This is deserving of its own thread: How is it that our very well-thought out system of checks and balances was so easily upended through corruption from within the system? Specifically, as you mention, via political appointments?

[EST]

32. Wasn't easy-this is what is called a coup.

They have been working on this for a long time.
A valid timeline would, imo, have to go back far enough, around one hundred twenty years, I think, to the granting of limited citizenship to corporations.
Jump forward, for simplicity's sake, to thirty years ago. The fascist extremists of the rt wing went to work at putting their compatriots into public office, all the while emulating more moderate GOPers. Thirty or forty years of smart, nearly single-minded effort put them in control of everything GOP and, with the assistance of characters of limited ethical standards, such as justices Thomas nd Scalia, were able to create key events and decisions that put them in control.

Five years of consolidation and distribution of thorough-going fascist minded, not-my-brother's-keeper types, into virtually all positions of authority, and the noble experiment was handed them, with comparatively few dissenters. The arrangement and utilization of fortunate circumstances - 9/11, for a big example - accomplished the division and fear necessary to complete the transfer of power.
It is not an official declaration, but the America we thought we knew is gone and we have a fascist (corporation/govt incest) regime with a fairly strong theocratic leaning for a tool to lend it some legitimacy.

Clumsy explanation, but welcome to history.

[The Backlash Cometh]

33. If everything is as deliberate as you say, and if they undermined

the voting process in order to achieve their purpose, then you're suggesting a good number of the top GOP leaders are quilty of conspiracy and treason. And if it really was that deliberate, then we are talking about capital punishment.

[EST]

34. Yes, it does rise to that.

They will not go quietly, and they have a lot of mega dildo associates. This will not be easy, and, even though I am totally against the death penalty, the scope of their treason rises to hanging and I shall work toward this end. I think the evidence will suppoprt it if the people will.

[The Backlash Cometh]

35. What an irony.

Once the verdict is read, these GOP convicts' best friends will be the liberal anti-capital punishment crowd.

We will have to get their sheeple to do some serious thinking before we can get the necessary support. And one way to do this is to make their sheeple define for us how far they're willing to go to achieve their purpose. How many laws, moral and otherwise, are they willing to break? For example, it is getting pretty weird around here when a neo-con, pro-israeli supporter is actually promoting methods that parallel's Hitler's strategy. That is just too crazy.

[EST]

39. Couple, three more years of boosh should do the trick,

by then he'll have destroyed everything except for the lifestyles of the uber-rich and it should be starting to penetrate even the most hypnotized of the dildoheads.

[greiner3]

36. More evidence of power corrupting;

They were morally unfit and now the proof is coming out. We need a deep throat AND a media outlet willing to tell the story, from start to finish.

[cal04]

37. It's time for everyone whether they're in the CIA, FBI,

Congress, any branch, maybe even military, to get together and do something. I can't see how even some republicans, are not starting to see these guys need to go