Rove push on vote fraud tied to firings [Gonzales-Gate]

Wapo via SF Gate ^ | 5/14/07 | Dan Eggen, Amy Goldstein

[Sleeping Beauty]

Washington -- Nearly half the U.S. attorneys slated for removal by the administration last year were targets of Republican complaints that they were lax on voter fraud, including efforts by presidential adviser Karl Rove to encourage more prosecutions of election law violations, according to new documents and interviews.

Of the 12 U.S. attorneys known to have been dismissed or considered for removal last year, five were identified by Rove or other administration officials as working in districts that were trouble spots for voter fraud -- Kansas City, Mo., Milwaukee, New Mexico, Nevada and Washington state. Four of the five prosecutors in those districts were dismissed.

It has been clear for months that the administration's eagerness to open voter fraud prosecutions played a role in some of the U.S. attorney firings, and recent testimony, documents and interviews show the issue was more central than previously known. The new details include the names of additional prosecutors who were targeted and other districts that were of concern, as well as previously unknown information about the White House's role.

[Sleeping Beauty]

SUMMARY -- The article suggests that Rove (the political arem of the White House) selected some of the attorneys to be fired because they weren't trying hard enough to prosecute voter fraud among Democrats (ie. low income, ethnic voters). Apparently, it is illegal to fire Federal attorneys for not acting aggressively enough against a specific political party.

The new links between GOP voter fraud complaints and the U.S. attorney firings follow earlier disclosures that the White House, including President Bush, passed along complaints to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about alleged voting irregularities in Milwaukee, Philadelphia and New Mexico, where prosecutor David Iglesias was fired.

What's your opinion?

Do you think this investigation is going anywhere?

(My opinion -- If Gonzales had run for the hills like the rest of his staff when this story broke -- our president would NOT be in trouble now and this investigation would have petered out. I worry about this one. Gonzales is either a mental case or he is being held in place for another purpose -- that I do not understand. Yet.)

[Uncle Miltie]

So it was resistance to applying the law to Democrats that got these Democrats fired....possibly.

[Enchante]

"...five were identified by Rove or other administration officials as working in districts that were trouble spots for voter fraud -- Kansas City, Mo., Milwaukee, New Mexico, Nevada and Washington state. Four of the five prosecutors in those districts were dismissed."

If any US Attorney in those five Demagogue hellholes refused to look seriously at allegations of vote fraud, that is excellent reason to find a replacement. The Demagogues have spun this issue endlessly, but of course they do not want our laws to be enforced when it would threaten their scurrilous activities.

[jdsteel]

Investigate voter fraud vigorously. Prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Stop this insanity of allowing criminal behavior. Then start doing the same thing with ILLEGAL immigration!!!

[misterrob]

The WH once again did a piss poor job on this. Imagine the points that could have been scored with the republican base if they had made it known that they were targeting US Attys. that refused to look into voter fraud as well as prosecuting illegal immigration.

[DJ MacWoW]

(My opinion -- If Gonzales had run for the hills like the rest of his staff when this story broke -- our president would NOT be in trouble now

Hogwash. As long as Bush has an (R) behind his name, the Dems will trump up frivolous crap.

[IamConservative]

Nearly half the U.S. attorneys slated for removal by the administration last year were targets of Republican complaints that they were lax on voter fraud, including efforts by presidential adviser Karl Rove to encourage more prosecutions of election law violations, according to new documents and interviews.

Sounds like they were fired for cause.

[txhurl]

bttt

[WhiteGuy]

So it was resistance to applying the law to Democrats that got these Democrats fired....possibly.

or maybe it was their refusal to engage in a witchhunt?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The article suggests that Rove (the political arem of the White House) selected some of the attorneys to be fired because they weren't trying hard enough to prosecute voter fraud among Democrats (ie. low income, ethnic voters). Apparently, it is illegal to fire Federal attorneys for not acting aggressively enough against a specific political party.

That's an interesting statement.

It contains an implicit admission that acting against election fraud is an assault on Democrats.

The truth comes out at last.

[Badeye]

The reason doesn’t matter at this point. This was another political mistake by the Administration.

When the Dems began whining about the firings, the President should have called a press conference and said ‘I hired them via the Constitutional power granted my office, and I fired them via the Constitutional power granted my office. Period, end of story.’

Instead, they sent Gonzales out, who’s inept at best, to try to ‘splain it away’.

[stephenjohnbanker]

“Then start doing the same thing with ILLEGAL immigration!!!”

That will never happen.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Rove is pro illegal immigration, like Bush.

[DJ MacWoW]

Sounds like they were fired for cause.

This isn't even a new revelation.

About those fired U.S. Attorneys March 13, 2007

The Post breathlessly informs us that the "Firings Had Genesis in White House." Reading on, we learn that President Bush told Attorney General Gonzales he had received complaints that some prosecutors had not energetically pursued voter-fraud invesitgations.

[Sleeping Beauty]

So it was resistance to applying the law to Democrats that got these Democrats fired....possibly.

Brad, I believe most, if not all, the fired attorneys were Republicans.

[Steve_Seattle]

"The Demagogues have spun this issue endlessly, but of course they do not want our laws to be enforced when it would threaten their scurrilous activities."

Ever since the 2000 election, libs have been screaming "voter fraud" and "election fraud." But now, all of a sudden, the libs are making it seem sinister to actually investigate cases of potential voter fraud. I've seen stories suggesting that it's irrational and paranoid to even consider the possibility that there's been election fraud.

[Califelephant]

Here’s one theory (from the Weekly Standard) about why Bush should and would want to hold on to Gonzales:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/637ntzjr.asp

[Sleeping Beauty]

The WH once again did a piss poor job on this. Imagine the points that could have been scored with the republican base if they had made it known that they were targeting US Attys. that refused to look into voter fraud as well as prosecuting illegal immigration.

You should be working at the White House, Sir!

[Let's Roll]

I guess the WH thinks that it’s not necessary to communicate because “everyone knows fill-in-the-blank”. I knew this all led back to failure to investigate/prosecute voter fraud because it was reported here in the newspaper (NM).

But most people in this country don’t pay that kind of attention.

Another golden opportunity lost.