A New Kind Of Principled Response
The words the administration has been scrambling for weeks to avoid being uttered have finally been said. Yesterday, Monica Goodling, counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, said them, and the first size twelve broghan hit the floor with a resounding thud. The words? "Fifth Amendment."
It is deliciously ironic that a member of this administration would seek the protection of a document that this administration has been hell-bent on trashing. What is even more delicious is the effect of invoking the Fifth Amendment. It seems to signify an admission that a crime has been committed, and that perception is what the Attorney General and the White House have been working furiously to avoid.
An editorial in today's NY Times implies that the administration has lost this round and would do well to change its tactics and timeline.
The news that Monica Goodling, counsel to the attorney general and liaison to the White House, is invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination takes the United States attorney scandal to a new level. Ms. Goodling’s decision comes just days after the Justice Department released documents strongly suggesting that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has not been honest about his own role in the firing of eight federal prosecutors.
As the liaison between the White House and the Justice Department, Ms. Goodling seems to have been squarely in the middle of what appears to have been improper directions from the White House to politicize the hiring and firing of United States attorneys. Mr. Gonzales has insisted the eight prosecutors were let go for poor performance, and that the dismissals are an “overblown personnel matter.” But Ms. Goodling’s decision to exercise her Fifth Amendment rights suggests that she, at least, believes crimes may have been committed. [Emphasis added]
And that is why the issuance of subpoenas by Congress to the Department of Justice and White House officials was so necessary, and why the refusal by Congress to back down when the President demanded "private interviews" away from "klieg lights" and without transcripts was required.
It is deliciously ironic that a member of this administration would seek the protection of a document that this administration has been hell-bent on trashing. What is even more delicious is the effect of invoking the Fifth Amendment. It seems to signify an admission that a crime has been committed, and that perception is what the Attorney General and the White House have been working furiously to avoid.
An editorial in today's NY Times implies that the administration has lost this round and would do well to change its tactics and timeline.
The news that Monica Goodling, counsel to the attorney general and liaison to the White House, is invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination takes the United States attorney scandal to a new level. Ms. Goodling’s decision comes just days after the Justice Department released documents strongly suggesting that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has not been honest about his own role in the firing of eight federal prosecutors.
As the liaison between the White House and the Justice Department, Ms. Goodling seems to have been squarely in the middle of what appears to have been improper directions from the White House to politicize the hiring and firing of United States attorneys. Mr. Gonzales has insisted the eight prosecutors were let go for poor performance, and that the dismissals are an “overblown personnel matter.” But Ms. Goodling’s decision to exercise her Fifth Amendment rights suggests that she, at least, believes crimes may have been committed. [Emphasis added]
And that is why the issuance of subpoenas by Congress to the Department of Justice and White House officials was so necessary, and why the refusal by Congress to back down when the President demanded "private interviews" away from "klieg lights" and without transcripts was required.
Labels: Justice Department
posted by Diane at 3:41 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home