Gonzales: Did He Help Bush Keep His DUI Quiet?

Newsweek via MSNBC ^ | January 23, 2005 | Michael Isikoff

[John W]

Jan. 31 issue - Senate Democrats put off a vote on White House counsel Alberto Gonzales's nomination to be attorney general, complaining he had provided evasive answers to questions about torture and the mistreatment of prisoners. But Gonzales's most surprising answer may have come on a different subject: his role in helping President Bush escape jury duty in a drunken-driving case involving a dancer at an Austin strip club in 1996. The judge and other lawyers in the case last week disputed a written account of the matter provided by Gonzales to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "It's a complete misrepresentation," said David Wahlberg, lawyer for the dancer, about Gonzales's account.

Bush's summons to serve as a juror in the drunken-driving case was, in retrospect, a fateful moment in his political career: by getting excused from jury duty he was able to avoid questions that would have required him to disclose his own 1976 arrest and conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) in Kennebunkport, Maine.

[zzen01]

F*** O** Newsweak AND PMSMBC!

[cripplecreek]

If he helped to keep it quiet, he did one heck of a sorry a$$ job of it since every neswpaper, pundit, and reporter spoke about it at every opportunity.

[areafiftyone]

Oh man NewsWEAK is getting pathetic! They really are scraping the bottom of the barrel!

[MEG33]

Good Grief!

[PokeyJoe]

These are the same Senate democrats who voted against conviction when someone lied to a Federal grand jury.

[pipecorp]

How many times have fat-boy kennedy or communist kerry been on jury duty I wonder?

[BlueAngel]

Who gives a crap, Isikoff?

[Bahbah]

Having lost the battle to make the President appear to be insubordinate during his time in the NG and having discredited the entire CBS organization in the process, another arm of the MSM picks up the ball and attempts to run with it. I wonder if it is possible to be more disgusting.

[TomGuy]

1996.

GWB would have been Governor of Texas.

That would seem highly prejudicial for service on any jury. Even if he had showed up, he would have been dismissed. No DA or defense attorney would want a sitting governor on their jury.

Someone is trying to dig dirt and make an issue out of a non-issue.

[Bahbah]

Even if he had showed up, he would have been dismissed.

Correct.

[Coldwater Creek]

Wasn't George Bush the Governor in 1996? Of course he would be excused.

[nuconvert]

When's the last time a governor served on a jury?
Ever?

[dts32041]

This from spikey, who could always pass up a good sexual harassment case.

[shield]

Who the F cares.

[Piquaboy]

Weeknews is at it again, beating on a dead horse. No wonder they cannot go anywhere.

[Ed_in_NJ]

Not surprising, coming from this ridiculous putz!

[Fiddlstix]

Good Lord! What Next?

[rollo tomasi]

Heck, if this came out in '96 so what. It would have been 20yrs after the incident.

If Newsweak thought this would be a political "killer" in '96 then perhaps the rag can explain how Bush was elected in 2000 after the DUI revelation.

[John Thornton]

And don't forget their ultimate icon, Teddy Kennedy, who killed a girl while drunk.