Evidence that the mass firings of United States Attorneys in late 2006 was a result of partisan politics continues to mount this weekend as a new report McClatchy newspapers, which has been all over the prosecutor purge story, offers proof in the form of new emails that tie the forced resignation of fedeal prosecutor Carol Lam to her probe of corruption within the CIA and Republicans in Congress. Margaret Talev and Marisa Taylor have the story (h/t Atrios).
Fired San Diego U.S. attorney Carol Lam notified the Justice Department that she intended to execute search warrants on a high-ranking CIA official as part of a corruption probe the day before a Justice Department official sent an e-mail that said Lam needed to be fired, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday.Feinstein, D-Calif., said the timing of the e-mail suggested that Lam's dismissal may have been connected to the corruption probe.
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Feinstein said Lam notified the Justice Department on May 10, 2006, that she planned to serve search warrants on Kyle Dustin "Dusty" Foggo, who'd resigned two days earlier as the No. 3 official at the CIA.
On May 11, 2006, Kyle Sampson, then Gonzales' chief of staff, sent an e-mail to deputy White House counsel William Kelley, asking Kelley to call to discuss "the real problem we have right now with Carol Lam that leads me to conclude that we should have someone ready to be nominated on 11/18, the day her 4-year term expires."
The e-mail did not spell out what the "real problem" was, and it was unclear whether Kelley and Sampson talked later.
What we have now is a pattern of actions. U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton begins an investigation of Republican Congressman Rick Renzi of Arizona and is subsequently added to the purge list. U.S. Attorney David Iglesias informs two Republican members of Congress that he will not rush an indictment of a former Democratic elected official in New Mexico before the 2006 midterms and and is subsequently added to the purge list. U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins opens an investigation into Missouri's GOP Governor Matt Blunt and is subsequently added to the purge list. U.S. Attorney Carol Lam informs the administration that she is opening a probe into corruption within the CIA and is subsequently added to the purge list. Could this all be a coincidence? Really?
As more information continues to flow in this story -- and more will indeed come out this week as the administration dumps more documents tomorrow and key White House and Justice Department officials are subpoenaed to testify under oath -- it becomes harder and harder for me to see a way that Alberto Gonzales survives.
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