Gonzales Throws McNulty Under The Bus

[kpete]

Gonzales Throws McNulty Under The Bus

During an event this morning at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Attorney General Alberto Gonzales launched an unabashed and shameless finger-pointing campaign at outgoing Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, blaming him for the U.S. attorney scandal.


Minimizing his own role, Gonzales said McNulty has “most of the operational authority and decisions” at the Department of Justice.

Despite having delegated the task of putting together the list of fired U.S. attorneys to his chief of staff Kyle Sampson, Gonzales claimed that “the one person I would care about would be the views of the Deputy Attorney General. … At end of the day, my understanding was that Mr. Sampson’s recommendations reflected the consensus view of the senior leadership of the Department — in particular the Deputy Attorney General.”

When asked why two inexperienced staffers — Sampson and Monica Goodling — were given prominent roles in the firing process, Gonzales responded, “Well again you have to remember at the end of the day, the recommendations reflected the views of the Deputy Attorney General. He signed off on the names and he would know better than anyone else.”

Video and More at:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/15/gonzales-mcnulty/

[DS1]

1. If Gonzo was hit by a falling tree in the woods, would anyone at DOJ notice?

That guy doesn't know shit about shit, then openly confesses to not actually doing anything in the first place.

[L. Coyote]

3. He was all powerful!! ADD TO TIMELINE right after the firings:

McNULTY: USAs, Prosecutors MUST seek approval from senior DoJ officials for corporate fraud decision.

Maybe, his work there, centralizing corporate-fraud charging authority, was done!
McKay's "chilling effect" may have been intentional with the seven firings, given
that just a week later McNulty centralized the corporate fraud prosecution authority. (No more Carol Lams running amok of lobbyist donations?)

Consider all the decisions/settlements made by McNulty regarding corporate fraud, esp. centralizing decisions.

Timelines are important forensic tools! ADD TO TIMELINE right after the firings:
Dec. 7, 2006 - Michael Battle, director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, calls seven U.S. Attorneys to ask for their resignations.
Dec. 13, 2006 - McNulty curbs USAs', Prosecutors' powers, centralizing decisions at highest levels w/ immediate changes to corporate-fraud charging policies

This lends some credence to the possible relationship of Sampson's e-mail to the same issue, corporate fraud.

May 10, 2006 - USA Carol Lam's Litigation: Health and Human Services Seeks to Bar Medicare and Medicade Payments to Nation's #2 Hospital chain.
May 11, 2006 - Kyle Sampson e-mails deputy White House counsel William Kelley, re "the real problem we have right now with Carol Lam ....

New DOJ Guidelines Tone Down Corporate Fraud Prosecutions
http://www.itbusinessedge.com/item/?ci=22930

=============
MORE: US Attorney Firing: Voter Fraud, Medicare Fraud, WHICH IS IT ???
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x853813

MORE: 30 U.S. attorneys investigate BILKING BILLIONS, Medicare, Medicaid, Military’s Healthcare
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x877011

[Swamp Rat]

6. Yes, and they'd celebrate like the rest of America.

Welcome back! :hi:

[DS1]

10. thanks!

( nice choice in picture ;-) )

[BlooInBloo]

2. It's more of a preemptive strike...

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/014129.php

"Even Later Update: If I were Gonzales and the White House, I'd see McNulty's departure as a very unwelcome development. Behind the scenes, supporters of McNulty and Gonzales have been increasingly at odds as the scandal has progressed -- with McNulty's supporters saying he wasn't kept in the loop and that that the Gonzales clique is made of crooks and the Gonzales supporters (read: Sampson, Goodling, Elston, et al.) saying McNulty let the cat out of the bag in his testimony earlier in the year. (So, McNulty: You guys are crooks; Gonzales: Yeah, whatever, but no one would know if you'd kept your mouth shut.)"

[radfringe]

4. there be fireworks soon?

off the cuff general impression of McNulty is that he's not going to fall on his sword for Gonzales or other loyal bushies

A response from McNulty by tomorrow? Next question - will he spill all the beans?

[Quixote1818]

5. So is McNulty going to be on the next Vote Vets ad?

Sounds like they are lining up to clear their reputations!

Maybe he won't be on a Vote Vets ad but it sounds like he is going to spill some beans.

[question everything]

7. Wait a minute: how does he know?

I thought that he did not know anything about the going on in the DOJ?

[Norquist Nemesis]

8. LOL! That was yesterday. Today's a different story

Wasn't it McNulty that told McKay (or maybe it was Cummins) that the decision 'came from higher up' indicating the WH?

[Lil Missy]

9. What a big surprise - A repuke passing the buck and blaming their crimes on others

I think it is in their genetic makeup.

[L. Coyote]

11. BEWARE of distractions and diversions from the MANY SCANDALS

What the DoJ needs right now is something legal for everyone to focus on, like people bickering.

Is this like switching the story of the day to Pares Hiltoon or what is the dead playgirls name again??? (Being careful what what unwanted keywords I use, so missspellin on perpose.)

[Supersedeas]

12. or a celebrity incident...