see the Murray Waas article... hat tip to standingup... Secret Order By Gonzales Delegated Extraordinary Powers To Aides ...wherein we learn that Attorney General Gonzales gave Goodling and Sampson the authority to remake Justice into a political extension of the Bush administration.

The senior administration official who had firsthand knowledge of the plan said that Gonzales and other Justice officials had a "clear obligation" to disclose the plan's existence to the House and Senate Judiciary committees -- but the official said that, as far as he knew, they had not done so. When the committees began to inquire into the firings of the U.S. attorneys, the official said, Congress had a right to know that the firings were part of an ambitious effort to install administration loyalists throughout the department. The official spoke on the condition that neither his position nor agency be identified, because he feared retaliation from his superiors and the White House for disclosing aspects of the program.

Referring to the firings of the U.S. attorneys and the broader plan targeting other Justice employees, the senior official said, "You cannot separate one from the other. They were one and part of the same plan by the White House."

The official added, "The president of the United States has said it was imperative for the attorney general, and the attorney general alone, to re-establish trust with the Congress to keep his job ... and you have, even after the president has said that, the attorney general and his men stiffing Congress."

by Cho on Mon Apr 30, 2007 at 11:19:27 PM EST

give me a noodge via e-mail.  I have access to some potentially fascinating IEM documents related to the Katrina response.

by Black Max on Fri May 04, 2007 at 09:55:14 AM EST