The Republican Scandals - Our Congressional Delegation Speaks Out

by: wvblueguy

Mon Mar 26, 2007 at 19:56:29 PM EDT

Each day seems to bring us more unbelievable stories about the political excesses of the the Bush administration and how the the likes of Karl Rove and his ilk continue to meddle in the peoples business.  From the management of our invasion of Iraq and the Defense Department, to the CIA and the National Security Agency, military hospitals ala Walter Reed and the Veterans Administration, the Justice Department, and now the General Services Administration. I just keep waiting for another shoe to drop bringing us more unbelievable scandals.  Even many members of Bush's rubber stamp congress have started to see the light as we saw this weekend with Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) mentioning that all important word... IMPEACHMENT.

It's another huge week in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which we knew would constantly be the case as soon as Democrats took over and oversight of a crooked White House actually started happening.

On Tuesday, Judiciary will call FBI Director Robert Mueller in to testify on what kinds of Constitutional corners his crew has been cutting over the last few years in a hearing called "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

Another big day in Judiciary is Thursday when a hearing is held on "Preserving Prosecutorial Independence: Is the Department of Justice Politicizing the Hiring and Firing of U.S. Attorneys?" Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) will be grilling D. Kyle Sampson, the former Chief of Staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

And I like the follow-up notice for the Thursday meeting that indicates time will be allocated to "discuss the possibility of the issuance of certain subpoenas in connection with investigation into replacement of United States Attorneys."

Click There's More to read about the response of the West Virginia Congressional delegation.

So what is going on with the West Virginia congressional delegation regarding this mess?  An article in Sunday's Charleston Gazette written by Paul J. Nyden has some answers in regard to the Justice Department scandal.  The article can be read in its entirety on line by clicking here.  He does a great job in showing how each Senator and Congressman has responded to the Justice Department scandal.

The Dean of the Senate, Senator Robert Byrd's feelings were reported as follows...

Sen. Robert Byrd has been leading congressional efforts to restore a Senate-confirmation requirement for U.S. attorney appointments, while other members of the state's delegation are demanding action and answers in the wake of the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys.

The process for choosing the government prosecutors has come under fire amid charges that the Justice Department's dismissals were politically motivated.

"Americans don't want law-enforcement officials appointed based on their good looks, family connections or because the Republican National Committee wants to groom them to run for Congress some day," said Byrd, D-W.Va., in a Sunday Gazette-Mail interview. "U.S. attorneys should be nominated and confirmed by the Senate based on merit."

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, also D-W.Va., said signs of White House involvement are troubling.

"It appears as if the Bush administration was attempting to politicize our judicial system, and I'm angered by it," he said. "This situation is unacceptable and exactly the type of thing that causes people to lose faith in their government. We must get to the bottom of it and demand accountability."

Gonzales should leave office if it turns out that he engineered the dismissals for political reasons, says Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va.

"At a bare minimum, the U.S. attorney's office should not be turned into a game of musical chairs to suit any president's political party," Rahall said. "And if it is, to any extent, the attorney general should be the one to find himself without a seat."

A spokesman for the state delegation's only Republican, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, said she wants to know more about the dismissals.

"The congresswoman understands these U.S. attorneys served at the pleasure of the president, but she also believes the explanation for their dismissals has been muddled and confusing at best," said Jordan Stoick. "She's pleased to see that administration officials have turned over thousands of e-mails to congressional committees and that both sides are willing to discuss this matter."

 The article goes on to point out that Allan Mollohan declined to comment.

He said he sees the dismissals as raising nothing short of a constitutional issue.

"Only the Constitution affords the people the powers and the prerogatives that keep us a free nation," he said. "We must continue to fight to ensure that our constitutional rights and privileges are never undermined or trampled by an ambitious, overly zealous executive branch like the one now in the White House."

The Senate has confirmation power in other matters as a check on presidential power, he said.

"The Founders granted the Senate the power of confirmation precisely so that we could prevent a corrupt White House from undertaking exactly the indefensible actions that this White House has embraced with respect to the appointment of U.S. attorneys," Byrd said.