- A McClatchy Newspaper

Kansas City Star press building, Kansas City, MO flickr.com

By Michael Collins
“Scoop” Independent News
Washington, D.C.

This week we honor the Kansas City Star, that fine McClatchy newspaper in Kansas City, Missouri. Thanks to a heads up from Missouri activist Phil Lindsay, we have a wonderful narrative on the US Attorney scandal in Western Missouri.

It seems that there was a ninth US Attorney fired (we’re well beyond 9 but that’s OK). Todd Graves, the US Attorney in Kansas City was reluctant to bring an election influencing lawsuit that supposedly (some say) was touted by Missouri political operatives.

You’ve probably guessed this one but in case you haven’t, there was a close US Senate race between the hard right conservative Republican Jim Talent (R-MO) and Clare McCaskill the Democrats finesse choice as challenger. McCaskill was running ahead and not by slinking away from tough issues. She supported a stem cell initiative and saw it through to victory. She obviously made an impression with the good people of Missouri by her clear respect for their intelligence on this issue. It is, after all, a matter of life and death, compassion versus indifference.

What to do? Hmm…let’s think. Oh, right, the Republican - Regent University brain trust at the US Department of Justice was on duty. Who knows for sure but just maybe someone said…let’s indict some Democrats for something, hmm…one of those voter registration groups…for, lets see…right, voter fraud!

Graves would have none of it. And now he’s gone, replaced by Bradley Schlozman, a hard right ideologue who has presented his credentials as a lawyer who seeks only the truth. Tuesday, June 5th Scholzman goes under oath where he’ll have multiple opportunities to revise his previous positions by forgetting. It’s called the Modified Gonzo-Libby Hangout.

But I digress. What does the Missouri story sound like? If your answer was New Mexico, you are correct for $800. Thinking Washington State, collect your $800. If you said Wisconsin, sorry, US Attorney Biskupic cooperated and brought an indictment against a Democrat right before the 2006 elections.

Somehow Biskupic got a conviction in a trial that was mocked by some. Turns out they were right. When the case went to appeal, here’s what the chief judge on the conservative appeals panel decided. Remember, the judge is talking about a case where an individual closely associated with the Democrats was subject to a pre election indictment.

The prosecution, which led to the conviction and imprisonment of a civil servant for conduct that, as far as the record shows, was designed to pursue the public interest as the employee understood it, may well induce congress to take another look at the wisdom enacting ambulatory criminal prohibitions.

Chief Judge Esterbrook took the extraordinary action of ordering the defendant released immediately from federal prison. That’s how a good judge deals with an affront to justice.

When the White House tells a US Attorney, to cooperate, they can look forward to either of two bad outcomes: getting fired if you say no or making a weak case if you say yes. Now we know just how lousy these cases must have been, the ones ordered up form the heart of darkness in your nation’s capitol, the United States Department of Justice and turned down in Washington State, New Mexico, and, not it seems, Missouri.

While describing the US Attorney situation in Missouri, the Kansas City Star Editorial, May 13, 2007, summed up the entire US Attorney scandals in just two sentences:

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