Why firing political appointees to prevent or obstruct an investigation is a miscarriage of justice, not just a political privilege of the Executive Branch.

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THE PERFECT CRIME:

WHY THE FIRINGS MATTER

By Eric Malone

What if you could rob a bank and just walk away scot-free? Here’s a good story for ya:

In October of 2004, a guy named James Tobin resigned as New England chair for Bush’s re-election. Why?

He was jamming the phones at Democratic headquarters on Election Day 2002, when the Democrats were urgently trying to get out the vote in New Hampshire. Republican John E. Sununu won that Senate seat by only 20-thousand votes.

Tobin was convicted on December 15, 2005, despite $722-thousand for his legal defense from the GOP, and sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Well, guess what? The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Tobin’s conviction last week. He gets to walk away, scot-free.

And do you think the U.S. Attorney in the case will appeal? “At this point, we’re simply reviewing the opinion and evaluating our options,” said Bryan Sierra, a Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman.

Right.

I think the remaining 85 U.S. Attorneys who weren’t fired by Karl Rove have gotten the message loud and clear: Play ball or hit the road, Jack. No need to bribe a judge if you can convince the prosecuting attorneys to look the other way. Obstruction of justice? Nah, just greasin’ the gears a bit.

Is Justice Blind or Just Myopic?

The pressure from the White House is palpable. And there’s an interesting pattern emerging as well:

U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in New Mexico was pressured by Senator Pete Domenici and Representative Heather Wilson to file charges against Democrats…for Voter Fraud, if you can believe that! (Iglesias looked into 100 complaints, but couldn’t find evidence of crime. So he got fired.)

U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden of Nevada was let go after opening a probe into Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons (Republican, of course).

U.S. Attorney Carol Lam in California convicted Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA) of taking bribes from defense contractors; she was also investigating Rep. Jerry Lewis (guess which party). So Attorney General Gonzales aide Kyle Sampson proposed getting rid of Lam. Oh, and get this:

Both Cunningham and Lewis took bribes from a company called MZM that re-furnished Dick Cheney’s office for $140-thousand dollars. MZM then bought a $140K yacht for Duke Cunningham. Attorney Lam was getting too close to the Vice President. Gonzales to Cheney: No problemo.

U.S. Attorney John McKay in Washington was asked to file charges of voter fraud against Democrats in the 2004 election of Governor Christine Gregoire. McKay found no evidence of wrongdoing, so he got axed.

U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins of Arkansas was canned and replaced with an inexperienced lawyer (Tim Griffin) who worked for Karl Rove as part of a national plan to make it difficult for certain Americans to vote. (Vote purging is the new “literacy test” to keep African Americans and other liberals from the polls.) Oh yeah, and Cummins was also investigating Republican Governor Roy Blunt (Missouri) so he was definitely on the short list to get his walking papers.

Isn’t it interesting that New Mexico, Nevada, California, Washington, and Arkansas all have prominent Democrats in Congress, and are considered pivotal states for the 2008 Election? Remember Ohio and Florida?

U.S. Attorney Paul K. Charlton of Arizona was fired after starting investigation of two Republican representatives right before the election.

U.S. Attorney Sharon Eubanks wasn’t fired, but she was pressured by the Bush Department of Justice to go easy on Big Tobacco, and she finally resigned in frustration after 22 years on the job. She is asking for an investigation to go beyond the Fired Eight.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Illinois still has his job, but after sending Cheney aide “Scooter” Libby to prison, his performance was ranked as “not distinguished.”

Fortunately, the House and the Senate repealed one line in Patriot Act II that allowed the Attorney General to appoint U.S. Attorneys without Senate confirmation. A bone, perhaps, but a step in the right direction.

So what?

So why does it matter? Who cares if these folks got fired “at the President’s pleasure?”

The whole idea of an independent legal system is that justice is blind. The law is supposed to treat you equally, no matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican.

But these attorneys were fired by the War Profiteer Administration (WPA) because they were prosecuting fellow Republicans (a big no-no) or else not prosecuting atheistic flag-burning gay Democrats. In some cases, they were removed to obstruct an ongoing or potential investigation.

No wonder people have lost faith in justice.

Many other more serious crimes have been committed by this Administration. But if this is what it takes to overturn the rotting log and see the creepy crawling insects eating its insides out, then bring it on, in the words of Flight Suit Boy.

James “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands…may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny” Madison

Authors Bio:
Eric Malone has been writing about politics with a sardonic sense of humor through more than one apocalyptic Administration. He is a subversive dedicated to revolution through thoughtful laughter.