The disdain that this White House and now Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have for the rule of law in this country has now become undeniable. From Law.com:
Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey on Tuesday provided dramatic new
details of an internal Justice Department rebellion against the White House's
warrantless surveillance program in 2004 and told Congress that the White House
had briefly reauthorized the program over the objections of the government's top
legal officials.
In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Comey told senators of an
extraordinary White House effort to circumvent him in seeking reauthorization
for the secret eavesdropping program while Comey was serving as acting attorney
general. At that time, in March 2004, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft was in
intensive care while being treated for gallstone pancreatitis and had
temporarily relinquished his powers to Comey.
Comey, who was Justice's No. 2 official from December 2003 to August 2005,
came to testify before the panel about his views on the controversial firings of
at least eight U.S. Attorneys last year, but instead spoke at surprising length
about the White House's effort to bypass him on the secret program. Comey
avoided naming the specific program during the hearing, though senators of both
parties made clear they understood Comey to be referring to the National
Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program.
Comey explained that, in Ashcroft's absence, he had refused to sign a
presidential order reauthorizing the National Security Agency's program, citing
unspecified concerns about its legality raised by the Justice Department's
Office of Legal Counsel.
In response, Comey testified, then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and
then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card Jr. paid a visit to Ashcroft's bed
in the intensive care unit at George Washington University hospital in
Washington, D.C., and attempted to get a still-groggy Ashcroft to overrule
Comey. Comey, who testified that he had "raced" to the hospital with his
security detail to arrive at Ashcroft's bedside before Gonzales and Card, said
that Ashcroft refused Gonzales' request to overrule Comey and that Ashcroft
indicated that only Comey could provide such authorization.
"I was very upset. I was angry," Comey testified in response to questioning
from Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "I thought I'd just witnessed an effort to
take advantage of a very sick man who did not have the powers of the attorney
general."
Comey and FBI Director Robert Mueller were so concerned that the White House
was trying to circumvent the Justice Department that, before Gonzales and Card's
arrival at the hospital, Mueller instructed FBI agents not to allow Comey to be
removed from Ashcroft's bedside "under any circumstances," Comey said.
There's no way around it... this is an absolute disgrace. Who knew things would get so bad that John Ashcroft would turn out to be one of the good guys in comparison to who remains in the Bush Administration.
It is my considered opinion that the Attorney General should resign or be removed from office. And any President who keeps a man like this on for no good reason other than to save his own hide from possible prosecution has violated his oath of office and his solemn constitutional duty to see "that the laws be faithfully executed."
It occurs to me lately that the worst consequence to come out of Bill Clinton's impeachment is not the turmoil the country was put through and not the distraction it created that may have contributed to, among other things, this country's failure to neutralize the threat of al Qaeda before 9/11.
The worst consequence is the fact that after going through that painful episode over a relatively minor offense by Clinton, our country is now willing to jump backward through hoops of fire to ignore the multitude of real and unmistakable crimes, breaches of duty and other impeachable offenses that have come out of this shameless and cynical Administration.
And remember, none of this would be coming to light had the Democrats not regained control of Congress in the last election.
Link: Former Deputy AG Details Justice Department Rebellion over Surveillance Program - Law.com
Link: Shocking Lawlessness - The Progress Report
Link: President Intervened in Dispute over Eavesdropping - The New York Times
