Legal Commentary

Waas: Alberto Gonzales Turns on Bush

By Jeralyn

Murray Waas has a new article in the Atlantic on the infamous Ashcroft hospital visit during which the ailing Ashcroft was pressured to sign off on Bush's warrantless electronic surveillance plan. Murray says:

"According to people familiar with statements recently made by Gonzales to federal investigators, Gonzales is now saying that George Bush personally directed him to make that hospital visit. "

More...

...."Gonzales has also told Justice Department investigators that President Bush played a more central and active role than was previously known in devising a strategy to have Congress enable the continuation of the surveillance program when questions about its legality were raised by the Justice Department, as well as devising other ways to circumvent the Justice Department’s legal concerns about the program, according to people who have read Gonzales’s interviews with investigators."

The import:

In portraying President Bush as directly involved in making some of the more controversial decisions about his administration’s surveillance program, Gonzales may, intentionally or unintentionally, be drawing greater legal scrutiny to the actions of President Bush and other White House officials. And what began as investigations narrowly focused on Gonzales’s conduct could easily morph into broader investigations leading into the White House, and possibly leading to the appointment of a special prosecutor.

Murray also discusses the White House fear of a "nightmare scenario" in the context of Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

But in the hands of congressional Democrats, a public report accusing Gonzales and other administration officials of misconduct could make it difficult for Mukasey to resist their calls for the appointment of a special prosecutor.

One thing to keep in mind is that Michael Mukasey will not be Attorney General next year. Regardless of whether Obama or McCain are elected, we will get a new Attorney General. I doubt either would call for their new Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Bush Administration on warrantless wiretapping. But that's just my opinion.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 26, 2008 (boomark / email).