Bush Personally Ordered Visit to Ashcroft’s Hospital Bed

[babylonsister]

http://washingtonindependent.com/50466/bush-personally-ordered-visit-to-ashcrofts-hospital-bed

Bush Personally Ordered Visit to Ashcroft’s Hospital Bed
By Spencer Ackerman 7/10/09 5:43 PM


One warrantless surveillance mystery solved. My friend Marcy Wheeler beat me to this: George W. Bush personally ordered White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and Chief of Staff Andy Card to visit an ailing Attorney General John Ashcroft in the hospital in March 2004 after Ashcroft’s deputy Jim Comey refused to certify the warrantless surveillance program. Just look at this profile in courage:

According to notes from Ashcroft’s FBI security detail, at 6:20 p.m. that evening Card called the hospital and spoke with an agent in Ashcroft’s security detail, advising him that President Bush would be calling shortly to speak with Ashcroft. Ashcroft’s wife told the agent that Ashcroft would not accept the call. Ten minutes later, the agent called Ashcroft’s Chief of Staff David Ayers at DOJ to request that Ayers speak with Card about the President’s intention to call Ashcroft. The agent conveyed to Ayers Mrs. Ashcroft’s desire that no calls be made to Ashcroft for another day or two. However, at 6:45 p.m., Card and the President called the hospital and, according to the agent’s notes, “insisted on speaking .” According to the agent’s notes, Mrs. Ashcroft took the call from Card and the President and was informed that Gonzales and Card were coming to the hospital to see Ashcroft regarding a matter involving national security.

Jack Goldsmith remembers that after a seriously-ill Ashcroft told Gonzales and Card to follow Comey’s legal advice, Goldsmith seriously thought Ashcroft might actually die right then and there. Ashcroft earns himself a place in the patriot’s pantheon just for that. I truly can’t wait to see how Bush’s presidential library treats this incident.

[spanone]

1. k&r

bu$h* was pressuring mrs ashcroft to get the mr to sign....

[babylonsister]

6. I seem to remember, at the time, there was a denial that idiot son

was involved in this. Oops! :D

[spanone]

10. kelly o'donnell on msnbc was white house reporter at the time

she said she specifically asked bu$h* if he had any personal involvement in this and she said he sidestepped the answer......i'll bet he did.

[babylonsister]

16. Thanks, I saw her interview on KO. He did hem and haw. nt

[snappyturtle]

28. He definitely didn't deny it. To me he more or less told O'Donnell

it was super duper classified and he couldn't talk about it!

[BlooInBloo]

2. Man - is this like a blockbuster day of news or what? I'm on vacation just watching...

And thinking to myself: "self, are you missing this everyday???"

[mod mom]

5. Friday news dump.

[debbierlus]

34. Huge Friday news dump this week - BIG vacation week

[lamp_shade]

3. Ed just had this story as breaking news. K&R

[spanone]

30. i see NOTHING about it in the saturday morning news......

[opihimoimoi]

4. They will go into DENIAL...then some lame excuse BS. it turns out, Bush looks stupid and desperate

he reeks of INCOMPETENCE and GREED

[spanone]

31. they won't need to deny it cause no one will question them about it.

[Mrs. Overall]

7. Wait, didn't we already know this was true or was just here on DU

and now the infotainment is catching up.

[babylonsister]

8. See post #6. If memory serves, his involvement was always denied,

but I'm sure there were DUers who weren't so easily swayed.

[Mrs. Overall]

9. Ah, thanks. I'll have to read the entire article.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. The chickens are finally coming home to roost

you know that there was corruption in the last administration. Just wait til they get Gonzales

[flyarm]

26. no one wants to get any of them in this current admin! Truth no longer exists in this country

and rule of law????..ahahahahahahaha..

yeah ..don't hold your breath..you will die of oxygen deprivation first..

[jazzjunkysue]

12. I actually remember this, vaguely. Trouble is, the public doesn't.

And none of it matters unless the senate gets the cahoneys to prosecute. They're complicit. They need to get re-elected.

The truth is out there.

[Spazito]

13. I am really glad to see this re-surface!

I watched Comey's testimony and it was riveting and horrifying at the same time. There was never any question in my mind that the order came from either Bush or Cheney. It is good to see there is now solid proof.

Thanks for posting this, it is much appreciated!

[blogslut]

14. No shock

Still glad the truth is coming out. Ten to one Dubya clams up and hides behind his Park Cities door, yelling "EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE!" through the mail slot.

Don't know what Dick will do. It's possible he'll sit back and laugh because frat boy is feeling the heat now.

Here's to hoping we finally find out what that damned secret program was. Just a few more dots...

[Vinnie From Indy]

24. LOL!

So true! Great imagery with the mail slot.

[NYC Liberal]

15. This should be a lesson to those who think Obama should be ordering the AG

to do things.

The DOJ should be as independent as possible, especially since part of its function is to investigate and prosecute federal crimes, including when people in the executive branch commit them. Otherwise you have conflict of interest, which is what happened under Bush.

[tomp]

18. no lesson.

bush stepped outside the system. he was talking to the wrong man. ashcroft couldn't have overridden comey if he wanted to (legally, that is). bush was desperate.

obama shouldn't have to direct the ag to do anything, but if the ag is missing something that obama sees, there ought to be no ethical problem with directing him/her to undertake legal action, or at least discussing the matter. one has to ask why the current ag is not prosecuting bush, who admitted to illegal warrantless wiretapping on national tv. it borders on dereliction of duty, or political NON-prosecution.

[ThomWV]

20. There is no comparison at all - Bush was ordering something illegal to become legal

Obama would be ordering that a crime be investigated - no where near the same thing. By your logic the President could never give anyone in any Agency any order at all.

[flyarm]

22. nycliberal..you are very wrong on this..

what happened under Bush was he was attempting to have the AG break the law..big difference!
The pres can not and must not even attempt to order or pressure the AG to break the law!

[frylock]

29. a more apt comparison would be clinton not ordering his AG to prosecute iran/contra..

or BCCI criminals, thus allowing them to return and create the mess we're currently experiencing. the same thing will happen if Obama and company don't get off there collective nuts and prosecute these bastards.

[Grinchie]

39. The first law of Captialism is to never damage profits, no matter how unethical

It would be like me telling a customer that my apples are not as sweet of delicious as the farmers down the road, and that he'd be better off and more satified with them than my product.

BCCI was fully enmesahe with big business and Tyson, who was Bill Clinton's best buddy. With their established Client Attorney relationship established, is it any wonder that Clinton gave a free pass to the smae criminals that were making huge profits for Clintons drug schemes, which depended and eneabled the CIA iran contra drug division to function?

The incontrovertible connections exist, and are available to anyone with an interest to examine and determine for themselves if they are allowed the free time to pursue it.

But the way society is structured, nobody has free time or energy to do any independent research, study or analysis, and is more comfortable with a can of beer and America's Most Wanted or American Idol.

Clinton is just as evil as Dubya, but in a more sinister, less blatant manner. Bill Clinton is the great taste that gradually turns into the searing pain in the stomach when the body realizes that it just consumed a large amount of great tasting poison.

[Divine Discontent]

35. I'm sure he told Holder to follow the law, & if he saw things act upon them (fingers crossed) and,

the prob with Der Fuhrer was that sometimes he would be told of misdeeds and tell the justice official to ignore the situation, a la, the training of the pilots of the w.t.c. in 2000-1 being told to the proper authorities and nothing was done.

[malaise]

17. KO has a great section on this tonight

Watch the repeat

[SpiralHawk]

19. "Smirk." - xCommander AWOL (R)

"Darkside occultism is one of our favorite Republicon Homelander Family Value strategeries. Smirk."

- xCommander AWOL (R)

[flyarm]

21. from my files on this...the way back machine.......Comey and Gonzo testimony's to senate.

linking to my journal.....this is just a few things in my files..to numerous to post all here


http://thinkprogress.org/comey-testimony/
Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey, 5/15/07, Senate Judiciary Committee

edit to say: must read this full testimony of Comey..it does not do it well for me to cut it and snip it to post here per DU rules.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Senate hearing about Comey with Gonzalez:
questions by Schumer to Gonzo

"Was there one program the President confirmed??????????

"Then Jim Comey comes and talks about not just mild decent but decent that shook the Justice Dept to the rafters"

Shumer questions Gonzalez about deceiving the Committee.."Did you talk to the president about it beforehand?"
Who sent you to the Hospital????? Shumer "did the president ask you to go ?" Did you talk to the president about it before you went?

check out all these UTubes:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye2afa8vvi4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uKtGVWa_YI&NR=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye2afa8vvi4&feature=channel

and this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uKtGVWa_YI&NR=1
was there one program the President confirmed?? Testimony by Gonzo to Schumer..About Comey testimony about program The Pres confirmed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Comey’s Revelations Suggest Either Gonzales Is Lying Or More Spying Programs Exist
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/16/swire-on-gonzales /

Comey’s Revelations Suggest Either Gonzales Is Lying Or More Spying Programs Exist

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faces new legal problems after yesterday’s testimony of former Deputy Attorney General James Comey.

In a 2006 hearing, when Sen. Chuck Schumer asked him about Comey’s objections to the NSA wiretapping program, Gonzales denied there was any “serious disagreement about the program“:

GONZALES: Senator, here is a response that I feel that I can give with respect to recent speculation or stories about disagreements. There has not been any serious disagreement, including — and I think this is accurate — there has not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed. There have been disagreements about other matters regarding operations, which I cannot get into. I will also say –

SCHUMER: But there was some — I am sorry to cut you off, but there was some dissent within the administration, and Jim Comey did express at some point — that is all I asked you — some reservations.

GONZALES: The point I want to make is that, to my knowledge, none of the reservations dealt with the program that we are talking about today.

Gonzales’ answer suggests two possibilities.

1) Comey’s objections apply to the NSA warrantless wiretapping program that Gonzales was discussing. If so, then Gonzales quite likely made serious mis-statements under oath. And Gonzales was deeply and personally involved in the meeting at Ashcroft’s hospital bed, so he won’t be able to claim “I forgot.”

2) Perhaps Comey’s objections applied to a different domestic spying program. That has a big advantage for Gonzales — he wasn’t lying under oath. But then we would have senior Justice officials confirming that other “programs” exist for domestic spying, something the Administration has never previously stated.

During an interview I gave to PBS’s Frontline for a new documentary entitled Spying On the Home Front, I said, “there could be lots of room after you read testimony for other programs to be doing really unprecedented things.” Watch it:

You can watch the entire Frontline documentary at link.



xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

from May 2007

http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/2007/05/the_new_details.html#more

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/003221.php

Comey Details White House Attempt to Force Approval of Secret Program
By Paul Kiel - May 15, 2007, 11:31 AM

In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey detailed the desperate late night efforts by then-White House counsel Alberto Gonzales and White House chief of staff Andrew Card to get the Justice Department to approve a secret program -- presumably the warrantless wiretapping program.

According to Comey's testimony this morning, only when faced with resignations by a number of Justice Department officials including Comey, his chief of staff, Ashcroft's chief of staff, Ashcroft himself and possibly Robert Mueller, the director of the FBI, did the White House agree to make changes to the program that would satisfy the requirements of the Justice Department to sign off on it (Comey refused to name the program, but it's apparent from the context and prior reports that this was the warrantless wiretapping program).

The events took place in March of 2004, when the program was in need of renewal by the Justice Department. When then-Attorney General John Ashcroft fell ill and was hospitalized, Comey became the acting-Attorney General.

........

The program was reauthorized without the signature of the attorney general. Because of that, Comey said, he prepared a letter of resignation. "I believed that I couldn't stay if the administration was going to engage in conduct that Justice Department said had no legal basis."

more at:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003221.php


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

YouTube - Randi Rhodes: James Comey testimoney

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmLLOtMVgXM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Edemocraticunderground%2Ecom%2Fdiscuss%2Fduboard%2Ephp%3Faz%3Dview%5Fall%26address%3D385x30189

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Comey’s Revelations Suggest Either Gonzales Is Lying Or More Spying Programs Exist
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/16/swire-on-gonzales /

Comey’s Revelations Suggest Either Gonzales Is Lying Or More Spying Programs Exist

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faces new legal problems after yesterday’s testimony of former Deputy Attorney General James Comey.

In a 2006 hearing, when Sen. Chuck Schumer asked him about Comey’s objections to the NSA wiretapping program, Gonzales denied there was any “serious disagreement about the program“:

snip:
SCHUMER: But there was some — I am sorry to cut you off, but there was some dissent within the administration, and Jim Comey did express at some point — that is all I asked you — some reservations.

GONZALES: The point I want to make is that, to my knowledge, none of the reservations dealt with the program that we are talking about today.

[2manycats8]

23. small men

bush is and has been all his life a very small, petty, selfish man. as we get deeper into the bush crimes, bush is going to get smaller and smaller. only his arrogance allows him to look in the mirror without disgust

[happydreams]

25. Babble on sister if you must,....

Now you are dredging up all of this while yer boy Obama is continuing Bush's policies and you are slamming those who try to expose ODrama's lies.

[pinto]

27. I don't see how this has anything to do with Obama. It's new info and was published yesterday.

http://washingtonindependent.com/50466/bush-personally-ordered-visit-to-ashcrofts-hospital-bed

:shrug:

[flyarm]

36. This was published yesterday also by Feingold! see what he says about Obama admin.

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On the Inspectors General Report on President Bush's Warrantless Wiretapping Program

http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=315641




Friday, July 10, 2009



“This valuable report highlights just how outrageous and damaging the illegal warrantless wiretapping program really was. Although more information can and should be declassified, the unclassified version of the report underscores the dangers of operating a hidden, illegal program for years. It documents the internal conflicts and chaos surrounding the purported legal authorizations, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s highly misleading congressional testimony. Notably, the report calls into serious question the repeated assertions from Bush Administration officials, especially during debate over the so-called Protect America Act and the FISA Amendments Act, that stopping the program would have had catastrophic results.

“This report leaves no doubt that the warrantless wiretapping program was blatantly illegal and an unconstitutional assertion of executive power. I once again call on the Obama administration and its Justice Department to withdraw the flawed legal memoranda that justified the program and that remain in effect today.”

[flyarm]

37. Oh and just because it was published just yesterday,doesn't mean it wasn't known until yesterday

There is much classified the Obama knows and has known, as well known by Congress and the senate.

[Grinchie]

40. Unfortunately, it has everything to do with Obama

Obama is the CEO that decides when the dangerous product is going to be taken off the market before more people die, or ignore the issue because it would be an "Acceptable Risk" to allow a few more people to be injured.

The flunkies that reported the problem have done their duty, and the CEO just ignores it, so the fraud continues.

[spanone]

32. 'odrama's lies? yer boy? pssst you are in the wrong place....boy

[snappyturtle]

33. Holding up hand here with a question?

Do I remember right or wrong that Bush's attempt to get Ashcroft to sign off would have approved the spying after the fact? That is, Bush wasn't asking for Ashcroft's nod on future spying but on spying he had already committed?????

[truedelphi]

38. From what I have heard - here's the scoop -

Ashcroft's medical bills were really skyrocketing.

With Bush being such a downer, the insurance companies asked the President to visit Ashcroft, figuring that one visit alone might do Ashcroft in, and thus save them a hefty pile of change.