Balkinization: Stop the Presses!

Stop the Presses!

Marty Lederman

It was none other than the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney, who disagreed with the collective view of the Justice Department about the legality of the NSA surveillance program in March 2003!

Who would have thought . . . ? [Actually, we've been there, done that.]

This from written answers of Jim Comey in response to Senator Leahy's questions. (The document does not appear to be yet available online. [UPDATE: I've posted the responses here.] But here are some interesting but not-terribly-revealing answers to questions from Rep. Linda Sanchez of the House Judiciary Committee. Curiously, she did not ask Comey the most obvious question -- namely, why he and others were going to resign.)

Comey also named eight of the 30 or so Justice Department officials who were prepared to resign if the White House had not backed down from the President's decision to follow Cheney's legal advice rather than DOJ's. They included FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III (who was also present in the hospital room on the fateful evening), current U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg of Alexandria and OLC head Jack Goldsmith.

Posted 11:38 PM by Marty Lederman [link]

Comments:

This link illuminates what's behind the AG scandal iceberg tip--

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/6/6/182434/8934

And I recommend the most recent document dump posted on talkingpointsmemo.com, and the thread thereto. Monica in an email instructs the email recipient to send particular materials to her "outside the system".

And there is direct response from Iglesias challenging Schlozman's claim they he was authorized to file the indictments before the election by the author of the rule which prohibits doing so. In addition to which, there is an email exchange between Iglesias and DOJ from 2004 which refute Schlozman's claim.

"Bart" is a Schlozman supporter.

# posted by

JNagarya : 4:26 AM

The Comey answers to Sanchez are available via talkingpointsmemo.com.

# posted by

JNagarya : 4:28 AM

# posted by

Anderson : 10:44 AM

We really need Card or Gonzales -- or both -- to answer, under oath, "Who suggested that you go to Ashcroft's room?"

I refuse to believe that the White House counsel and the chief of staff just up and decided, while hanging out by the water cooler, that they had to personally intervene for the NSA program.

# posted by Anderson : 10:44 AM

We know Card was the first to call Mrs. Ashcroft and ask to see Asscrafty. She was adamant in refusal. The second call apparently got a "Yes sir!" from her.

Bushit was asked. But Buhit didn't deny it. (Apparently he was distracted: He missed an opportunity to lie for the practice.)

# posted by

JNagarya : 1:58 PM

How do we know Card was the first to call Mrs. Ashcroft and that she was adamant in refusal?

# posted by

Charles : 5:32 PM

FYI Everyone -- JNagarya answered this question for me on another thread -- he / she thinks "assumes" - "know." We now return to your regularly scheduled pogrom.

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