The Office of Special Counsel has started an investigation into Karl Rove and political operations inside the White House. Good night and good luck. Once you open us this can of worms, there's no looking back.
As you can see in this Los Angeles Times article about the investigation, there's no question that the White House used federal agencies as their own personal political piggy bank. The question is what crossed the line from regular course of business to illegal or unethical activities. The LA Times explains the focus of the inquiry:
"The new investigation, which will examine the firing of at least one U.S. attorney, missing White House e-mails, and White House efforts to keep presidential appointees attuned to Republican political priorities, could create a substantial new problem for the Bush White House."
I can hear it now from conservatives: The White House is political! Of course, they are going to partake in politics, that's part of their job, etc. etc.
Just calm down. Let's first find out what's legal and what's not. Can a person working in the White House cross the line into doing something that breaks the law by combining politics with federal government work? Of course. That's part of the reason why the Office of Special Counsel exists in the first place. They are charged with investigating whether administration officials were "engaging in prohibited political activities."
Didn't Republicans get all over Gore for making the wrong type of phone call from the White House? If that's wrong, I can certainly see how sitting every cabinet agency down and telling them to direct funds to help Republicans in upcoming elections is wrong. Way wrong.
There are certainly rules prohibiting political activity on federal grounds. But the investigation is just starting, so they might find out that no laws were broken. I doubt it. If there isn't a law against using federal money to make sure one party wins elections, there certainly ought to be.
But I have an open mind. Let's see what the investigation uncovers. Remember we already know that interfering with a Justice Department investigation in order to make sure members of your own party aren't prosecuted or encouraging prosecutions of the other party is illegal. This Office of Special Counsel probe will also specifically be looking into this issue as it relates to the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, David C. Iglesias.
Here's another example of possibly illegal activity by the White House, from the LA Times story:
"Rove and his top aides met each year with presidential appointees throughout the government, using PowerPoint presentations to review polling data and describe high-priority congressional and other campaigns around the country.
Some officials have said they understood that they were expected to seek opportunities to help Republicans in these races, through federal grants, policy decisions or in other ways."
That is at the very least grossly unethical. Do we really want the White House running policy based on purely political considerations rather than what's best for the country? Absolutely not.
I would be outraged if a Democrat got into office and did the same thing. I don't give a damn about the Democratic Party. I only want them to win elections if they are doing the right things. And if they use the Oval Office as a way to keep winning elections rather than doing the people's business, then I would be pissed.
Every administration combines some politics with policy. No one should be naive enough to think that doesn't happen on a regular basis. But on the other hand, there is a line. You can't simply run the whole federal government as a giant political apparatus whose sole goal is to re-elect members of your own party. The actual goal of the government is supposed to be doing the business of the people.
Directing federal agencies to use their resources -- more accurately, our resources, this is our tax money after all -- to help Republicans (or Democrats) win elections seems to cross that line. Let's see what the investigation finds and what those findings lead to.
I don't think this is good news for Karl Rove or the rest of the White House. My sense is that this is the one that sinks them. You don't have to bother arguing with me because we're going to see soon enough. If it's above board, it's above board. If they crossed the line -- and my guess based on the information we already know is that they went way over the line and did it all the time -- they are going to be in a lot of trouble. If you're sure that they did nothing wrong, then you have nothing to worry about.
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Posted Apr 24th 2007 3:32PM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: Politics, Elections, George Bush, Young Turks, Republicans, GOP, Al Gore, U.S. Attorneys
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Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 6)
16. Our mission; get and destroy utterly --->Rove!
From the beginning he has remained a constant shadow figure, an individual of suspect. What little the public actually know of him seems to be made up mostly of innuendo and gossip. The arrogance he consistently demonstrates is nothing compared to his political agenda, as the brain-of the entire junta which overthrew our government. Of interest would be to issue a quwarranto to learn why he remains on the government payroll, since his current job is for the GOP>
Rove's agenda, and consistent goal has been to create a one party system for the far right neo-con/military industrial complex in order to achieve the agenda for imperialist New World Order.
What Rove along with others in this regime are deserving of is an investigation to learn whether they are in fact culpable of high treason.
Rove's over long strategized spin continues even now as a machine with the goal to split, divide and further polarize us as citizen's of these still UNITED States, during a time of war.
Their figurehead-geoWge was seen as the perfected speaker, sometime using his fake backwoods twang-depending upon how stupid he thought his planted packed house. As recent as these past few day's geoWge has spoken about Democrat's politicizing HIS failed middle eastern agenda. NO one in our federal government has consistently kept up the GOP political campaign more than geoWge, dICK and Rove.
Pelosi not withstanding-impeachment investigation against geoWge and dICK seem the justifiable route. I live in one of the most conservative areas, even my staunch Repub. conservative neighbors are saying this government does not resemble anything they've considered American...
Rove is brilliant, as were many infamous criminals throughout history.
Steve at 10:12AM on Apr 25th 2007
17. The average person in the United States has no idea of the amount of fraud and outright theft that has actually been perpatrated by the Bush Administration. They have effectively thrown out the FPR (The Fedral Procurment Regulations).
There are political appointees at all levels of federal government especially in the DOD that are raiding the US treasury at an unpresidented rate on a daily basis.
They are stealing money as fast as they can and no special counsel will ever be able to discover the magnitude of the problem.
The Bush administration has totally disarmed the Inspector General Orgainzations in every government agency.
They have appointed an individual convicted of fraud to head Army procurement.
He was appointed directly from a DOD contractor. If you are a liar and a thief you simply cannot do any better than this. There are senior excutative services employees who are using their government positions to run private businesses out of their posh government offices.
The public is clueless of the truth as it exist. There are now two documents that have been filed for the immediate impeachment of Bush and Chenevy both.
The entire legislative branch of the State of New Mexico filed a legal petition for impeachment and Denise Kucinich in the US congress has done the same.
That is not enough. We need the heat to be turned up. Both Bush and Cheney need to first be shown the door and then the curb and then a federal prison.
Is is extreme? No based on what they and their minions have done to the taxpayers of this country, it is not extreme at all, Nixon was booted from office for lying.
The two current members of the excutive branch of government have lied cheated and stolen and provided a means for hundreds if not thousands of other people to do the same thing.
To me it would not matter if it cost ten billion dollars and took ten years to indenfy and track down every person on the planet who fraudulently benefitted from the Bush Administration's mismanagement of public assets to the tune of so much as a dollar. Then, indict them and put them in prison. All of them. It is not going to happen because we have a corrupt congress that in many instances is not any better.
They do not want the king to go to prison because the bloodhounds would next turn to them. A good portion of them would end up in prison.
Trent Lott of South Mississipi is one hell of a thief. He converted 20 million dollars of taxpayer money to his on use after hurricane Katrina and has family memebers stuffing their pockets with lobbyist money all the time.
He needs to go to prison and evryone who has been part and parcel to his activities needs to go with him.
The part that you do not understand is these people are emboldened by their position and they are bullet proof because they are such great liars.. It has now become ok to say I cannot rememeber. That is Karl Rowe's position of all of the slime ball things he has done. We lost the e-mails or Skooter Libby said, I just can't ememeber. How about I lock you up for contempt of court until you can remember. The judges fail to take that action for perjury when they know they are dealing with perjury. Use your computer send e-mails to your congressional representativeand push for public impeachment hearings. Either that or give some serious though t to buying a gun and learning how to use it. Because you will need one in the future
We need a constitutioanl convent to rein it all in and return accountability to our government
Ralph Dreifus at 10:14AM on Apr 25th 2007
18. It would be great to find out how Bush had Cheney manipulated the oil industry to raise prices to the public and have the oil ceo's lie to the public why they had to raise their prices. This is so Bush and Cheney could pay for their war without raising taxes, and another reason why both should be impeached NOW.
Ben Shepherd at 10:33AM on Apr 25th 2007
19. Phil
It is possible to impeach Bush. but to remove him from office is almost impossible. It would take a two-thirds vote of the senate to do that. The guys who drew up our Constitution were pretty wise, because they tried to avoid a useless effort of a few people to dump a political enemy. But thay may have over done it, making it tough to nail really useless scum such as we now how.
Tom Edgar at 10:32AM on Apr 25th 2007
20. Thank Goodness someone has finally found a way to nail down this slimy worm. The White House should not be seen as the headquarters of the political party; the party exists to get someone elected to public office, but once they are elected, they should be busy running the country. But, just as Karl Rove told Sheryl Crowe the other night, "I don't work for you, I work for the American people." Huh? She is an American citizen. He meant to say, "I work for the people who support the Republican party."
Karl Rove is the devil, Cheny is the Anti-Christ, and George W. Bush is nothing but a puppet.
Sarah at 10:33AM on Apr 25th 2007
21. All Investigations concerning this administration will lead to no mans land, remember these parasites are experts in covering their back ends. Gonzo gave us our first lesson in that area. They even know how to invoke the Fifth Amendment without invoking it. Rather than refusing to answer a question, they just forgot or lost the answers. That is no surprise, but what fascinates me is there are still people out there that actually buy into that, and are still loyal to these pompous degenerates, Talk about moral and intellectual bankruptcies
How do any of you intend to beat that??????
Gotta go now, I think I am being watched
rrm12 at 10:33AM on Apr 25th 2007
22. RIGHT ON BIGG WEST!!!!
Let's see the Dems or the media talk about any of those things. The truth is all politicians are the same. They will keep us blasting away at each other, while they spend OUR MONEY for what ever they want. We need to pass TERM LIMITS to keep these idiots from bankrupting us. See if you can find a politician who would vote for that. Now the Dems just want to attack any one that is in power. Forget the problems of the country. The ONLY PLATFORM they know how to run on is "The other people in power are idiots" All Repubs are liars, cheats and greedy. All of us who support Bush, are against abortion, against gays, against illegal aliens and for gun rights are some how lacking in intelligence. Cenk the cynic and other bloggers will continue to feed the minds of the uninformed. Spin the stories and you will get responses. This will continue until they are back in power. Then we will get to watch the same thing over again. OUR MONEY being wasted. WAKE UP PEOPLE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
Jim at 11:21AM on Apr 25th 2007
23. Come on, this investigation is being conducted by the whitehouse,would you hang your dirty laundry out to dry? I doubt it very serious. This is nothing but a pure smoke screen.Look what I did, I investigated my own house and found not wrong doing.
peni at 10:45AM on Apr 25th 2007
24. Bushit and most of his administration are slime ball
criminals. They lie, steal and strut around in arrogance with impunity. They have succeeded in making the US look like clowns to the rest of the world. Someday, all of you Bushit supporters will
truely see just how much damage this White House has
inflicted upon us. It blows me away as to how anyone
can support/respect Bush, Cheney, Rove et. al.
mdembree at 11:21AM on Apr 25th 2007
25. Now that Gonzales has slipped through his debauchery like a greased pig. I have little faith left that any reigning in of this adm will be able to be done by any one, from any where, for any reason. What IS revealed by any one will never be enough to have these rotten to the core people budge. These people are Teflon coated, un-touchable, no matter how rotten with warping the system to get it to go their underhanded way with lies, crime or corruption. Why? Because part of the issue is that they have no shame, no conscience as they do not even fear being found out because number one they don't care that what they do is wrong, illegal, corrupt or underhanded & they already know they will remain regardless because they know they can play the system. Why? Because they know enough of the republican party backs them no matter what & that gives them wiggle room regardless, so they have dug in & are literally daring any one to just try to uproot them. They know THAT won't happen because they there is little desire of too few to use what little capability our system has to do it. This administration is not DECENT, decent people, faced with what has been revealed so far would already have stepped down.... not these folks, no way.. as I said, they have NO SHAME. They won't be stepping down even if they are taken out in hand cuffs. Look at Gonzales, nothing will happen to him even though he says HE is responsible & even though things were done that were bad enough for people to resign over & hire attorneys to represent them for & to take the 5th so to not incriminate themself. On top of all this, the unit to do the "investigating" is a samll ambiguous group from within this very White House administration & "appointed" by the president. Need I say more about the credability of this side show Kangaroo Court? This "investigation" will be a joke & have as much teeth as a new born baby... case OVER... I can guarentee "no wrong doing" will be "found". The Bush administration will use this "investigation" like an ass wipe & shine their butts with it. The Bush adm is a pack of WEEDS but these weeds have the dirt of the republican party on their side & just like the ugly weeds in my lawn... these weeds aren't going away any time soon.
WDM59 at 10:50AM on Apr 25th 2007
26. Yes WDM59 They probably are Teflon coated. But,
didn't they once call "GOTTI" Teflon coated??????
Gotta go now, I think I am being watched
Richiemac
rrm12 at 11:03AM on Apr 25th 2007
27. This is one more nail in their coffin. As Michael Moore said some time ago, " the great unraveling has begun". This Whitehouse is a criminal enterprise and the lot of them should be impeached and prosicuted under the RICO Act.
LarryC at 11:09AM on Apr 25th 2007
28. Rove will getting a starring role in the movie "Harder they don't come" directed by Cheech Marin!
Robb at 11:09AM on Apr 25th 2007
29. Get on with the job of running the Country. What a waste of time; Rove and all of Bush's cabinet will be long gone before this latest probe is completed. Nothing ever happens to Politians anyway. Is this what we want to waste our time in power on.
Mike at 2:05PM on Apr 25th 2007
30. It certainly would appear as you say WDL #21
This "investigation" will be a joke & have as much teeth as a new born baby... case OVER...
After observing the Gonzales, "I do not recall 18 times" testifying, his smirk, his lack of preparations to explain...no doubt the idea of being truthful, and giving direct answers were not of a priority. Now again, we have the same situation with the Tillman Investigation, time and time again the lead investigator stated "No sir, we did not look into that" in other words, AGAIN...more of a half ass job with no answers.
So now we are going to do an Internal Investigation...LOL ! Sure sure, just as Bush did with the Plame Leak, "I will FIRE any one found to be responsible for this" As the rest of the country obey the laws of this land, the king and his men are overlooked, and even granted rewards, and accolades for their "service of the President.
PATTI at 11:18AM on Apr 25th 2007