Hoo boy. And it's not even Friday yet.
Looks like our friends in the White House just found some more emails. These are RNC server emails, and show that Rove's top aids, Sarah Taylor and Scott Jennings, were up to their proverbial eyeballs in the USA firings.
More below the fold...
You'll recall in particular that Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty testified to Congress that there wasn't any particular White House (read: Rove) interest in the appointment of Rove protege Tim Griffin to be USA for Arkansas. This pretty much nails the lid down on the coffin of that particular bit of misinformation.
Even more fascinating is watching these guys scurry around like ants when the hill is kicked over. Remember "Nobody could have anticipated the levies breaking"? It truly seems as if that's the way these clowns operate. Just cruise along doing whatever cute little scheme comes into their minds, and then when people start asking questions reacting with sudden shock and surprise like some two-bit bank robbers who weren't even smart enough to put together alibis in advance.
Think Progress has a good summary here including a great quote from Patrick Leahy, who is once again livid:
These documents, which should have been released by the Department long ago, provide further evidence that White House officials like former Political Director Sara Taylor were deeply involved in the mass firings of well-performing prosecutors. The Department of Justice should not be reduced to a political arm of the White House. We need an end to the White House’s stonewalling of our investigations so we can learn the truth.
He's going to get even steamier as her reads through docs like this one:
----original message----
From:[ ]
To: Sampson, Kyle
Sent: Wed Jan 10 07:48:10 2007
Subject: re: Pls. call [
No problem.
- [
]
- What do you think of David Iglesias? Would you hire him?
- [ ]
Buenas Dias,
[ ]
Check 'em out here (warning: PDF download)
Update:
One in particular jumped out at me.
On Jan. 13, Monica writes to Kyle, bringing to his attention two articles on the Lam firing in San Diego.
Kyle writes to Lisa Monaco, special counsel to the director, FBI, "Lisa, please bring to the Director's immediate attention the comments of FBI SAC Dan Dzwilewski (see below) . Thank you."
She writes back that she has done so.
What was that about? From the San Diego Tribune, Jan 13 (via TPM):
The top FBI official for San Diego said that Lam's dismissal would jeopardize several ongoing investigations. "I guarantee politics is involved," special agent in charge Dan Dzwilewski told the paper. He did not speculate further.
What did Samson's call accomplish? Again, from Josh Marshall:
Remember San Diego FBI chief Dan Dzwilewski? He's the one who said he "guaranteed[d]" politics was at the bottom of Carol Lam's firing and that her dismissal would adversely affect her public corruption investigations. He just announced he's resigning from the Bureau.
UPDATE #2
And check this out:
Fromm: Sampson, Kyle [mailto:Kyle.Sampson@usdoj.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, January 16,2007 1:57 PM
To: Kelley, William K,
Subject: FW: feinstein on the floor (USA issue)
Importance: High
Bill, the media and Senate Dems are alleging that we are forcing USAs out for inappropriate political reasons (Feinstein
said words to that effect on the Senate floor this morning!) - not for their incompetence. I really think that our letter should
include the (oblique) language about some USAs sometimes being "removed, or asked or encouraged to resign" because
of "substandard performance" and/or "failure to implement effectively the Department's priorities." This is the high road:
we don't finger anyone specifically (and never will.
FYI -our USA in SD is refusing to resign (though we've given her until 5pm eastern); recommendation that she be
removed immediately should be over to you by the end of the day.
"Refusing to resign".
Wow. I don't think that's been reported to date.
Update #3:
Wow. Talk about paranoid...
.From'Kelley, William K. [mailto:William-K.-Kelley@who.eop.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 6:41 PM ,
To:'Sampson, Kyle'
Subject:
The view here is that it is risky, and maybe unprecedented, for us to comment on a personnel matter in a negative way. It
is true, and frustrating, that Sen. Feinstein is attacking us unfairly, but the US Attorneys themselves haven't fired any
shots. Until they do, Harriet feels very strongly that we shouldn't respond on the merits, even though we are convinced
that they have disloyally stirred up the Senators.
Emphasis mine. Wow.
Update #4
Sarah Taylor is a piece of work. She quit last month as a top aid to Rove; can't wait to see her testify. (Note the gwb43 email address...)
From: Sara Taylor [mailto:st@gwb43.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 07,2007 10:09 AM
To: Sampson, Kyle
Subject: FW: USAT - Prosecutor fired so ex-Rove aide could get his job
I normally don't like attacking our friends, but since Bud Cummins is talking to everyone - why don't we tell the
deal on him?
From: Sara Taylor <st@gwb43.com>
To: Sampson, Kyle
Sent: Fri Feb 16 08:47:02 2007
Subject: RE: McNulty Strikes Again
Tim was put in a horrible position; hung to dry w/ no heads up. You
forced him to do whatbhe did; this is not good for his long-term career.
Bud runs a campaign and McNulty refuses to say Bud is lazy -- which is why we got rid of him in the first place.