Marc Choquette
Perspectives Editor
Two main sides exist in the current investigation of the firings of eight U.S. Attorneys and Attorney General Roberto Gonzales’ possible responsibility. There are those who call for a full investigation, many of whom say Gonzales should be fired, and those who believe the Democrats are on a witch-hunt in a fit of pent-up vengeance against the Bush administration.
Both sides have legitimate arguments, yet the checks and balances that are the supposed cornerstones to our democracy provide the answer to whether it is proper for Congress to be investigating the U.S. Attorney firings.
The administration says this investigation is a complete waste of Congress’ time. But part of the job of Congress and the judiciary is to keep a watchful eye on the dealings of this administration and the way it go about its business.
It is no secret that the executive branch is stronger than ever, especially when one party dominates all three branches of government as was the case since 2001. With the GOP at the helm in all corners, any revealing self-investigation was a laughable idea. Nobody outside the party had the power to hold it accountable for its actions.
But now that Democrats have taken back the legislative branch, the tables have turned. E-mails and other Department of Justice correspondence with the White House indicate the task was to replace some of the attorneys while retaining the “loyal Bushies” as Gonzales’ Chief of Staff Karl Sampson put it. One attorney was let go to supposedly give the job to a close friend of Karl Rove’s.
One of the fired attorneys, H.E. “Bud” Cummins, considered the administration’s reasoning that he and other attorneys were fired for “poor performance” to be “outrageous,” and went on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday to elaborate.
“We do serve at the pleasure of the president, but in this case, it looks like the authority was delegated down through Harriet Miers, Karl Rove, Judge Gonzales and all the way down to a bunch of 35-year-old kids who got in a room together and tried to decide who was the most loyal to the president,” Cummins said.
The firings are troubling, but what is getting Gonzales and the Administration into hot water is that he may have lied numerous times as an attempt to cover up the firings and their true motives.
After saying he had zero involvement in the firings, a memo released by the Department of Justice on Friday revealed that a meeting was set in the Attorney General’s conference room regarding “US Attorneys.”
The eight prosecutors were dismissed 10 days later.
If this is a true witch-hunt as the administration insists, start the fire around the stake. Bush and friends, obviously trying to hide something, deciding that instead of letting White House officials testify under oath, they would offer them up to talk with Congressional officials only behind closed doors, without being under oath and with no record of the meeting.
They cannot be serious. If this administration truly believes they have done nothing wrong, like they say about every controversy, then the White House should be very willing to let these guys testify under oath and clear their names, just like Bill Clinton had to do with the Lewinsky ordeal.
This controversy is not helping the GOP, and the White House’s outrageous aversion to this subject is indicative of their poor management. Things are so bad three Republican Senators have admitted the facts against Gonzales’ testimony simply do not add up.
Instead of dodging investigations and giving vague responses to inquiries, the White House should be up front about what is going on, for if they are not guilty of any wrongdoing, Democrats will be the ones looking bad for wasting time.
03-29-2007