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Thursday, May 3, 2007
What’s Really At Stake in the U.S. Attorney Scandal
James Comey, the former deputy attorney general, told the House Judiciary Committee that he did not know why the U.S. attorneys had been fired since nearly all of them had strong performance records.
But Comey said the most serious part of the controversy surrounding their dismissals is the allegation that Monica Goodling, the department’s former White House liaison, had administered party loyalty oaths before hiring federal prosecutors.
Here Comey responding to questions from Georgia Democratic Rep. Henry Johnson Jr., about that allegation, now the subject of two internal Justice Department probes:
And in response to questions from Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tenn., about internal documents that show the administration wanted “loyal Bushies” in power, Comey said the following:
Republicans were few and far between at the hearing. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, called the congressional investigation a “fishing expedition that has come up dry.”
Richardson Calls For Federal Probe Of LA Police
Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico called Thursday for a federal investigation into the response of Los Angeles police officers during immigration demonstrations earlier this week.
“I’m troubled by the disturbing images of officers going after people who posed absolutely no threat to them, including women, young people, even news reporters and photographers - striking them with batons, shoving and kicking them for no apparent reason,” Richardson said in a statement issued in Santa Fe.
Richardson, who is seeking to become the first Hispanic elected president, said an independent federal probe is “the only way that the community will have confidence in the results of the investigation.”
Richardson, a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, said the history of problems within the Los Angeles Police Department “does not inspire confidence in an internal review.”
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Freedom of the Press
President Bush during Wednesday remarks to Associated General Contractors:
“And freedom of the press is a valuable freedom here, and it’s just something that we’ve all got to live with …”
President Bush in a Thursday statement marking World Press Freedom Day:
“The United States values freedom of the press as one of the most fundamental political rights and as a necessary component of free societies. In undemocratic societies where governments suppress, manipulate and conrol access to information, journalists are on the front lines of the people’s battle for freedom. The danger journalists face in such repressive states can be great - and even deadly. On behalf of the American people, I salute those in the press who courageously do their work at great risk.”
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Moving Day
That’s the White House Briefing Room last August, a few days after everybody packed up and moved out for a massive overhaul and modernization that was to take eight months or so.
Eight months or so ended a month or so ago. New target date for move in by the White House press corps (now temporarily and comfortably housed in a nearby conference center) is June 25 or so.
That was the word today when officials of the White House Correspondents Association were given a tour (sorry, no photos allowed) of the ongoing construction, properly characterized by the tour guide as “basically sheet rock and studs.”
Massive work has been done. A good deal remains. The delay is due, in part, to issues that arose with asbestos, structural steel and electrical supply. Those have been addressed.
Some highlights of the refurbished briefing room: Seats will be one inch wider. Instead of eight rows of six seats, there will be seven rows of seven seats. A neater, cleaner look will be achieved by moving a lot of the electronic gear into the old swimming pool that is one floor down. Reporters and others who gather in the briefing room throughout the day will be encouraged not to eat there.
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