Comey’s Stunning Testimony

 

May 21, 2007 - Another clear, crisp and clean indication of the thuggery and intimidation at the highest levels of this administration was quietly explained during the May 15th Senate Judiciary Committee testimony of James B. Comey, the Deputy Attorney General under John Ashcroft.

 

According to an editorial in the Washington Post, the tale of a March 2004 late night visit to the then hospitalized John Ashcroft was  "an account of Bush administration lawlessness so shocking it would have been unbelievable coming from a less reputable source."

 

What happened?

 

Bush's illegal domestic surveillance program needed reauthorization, and (then) White House Council Alberto Gonzales and Chief of staff Andrew Card were determined to get it, even though Justice Department officials had already deemed the program illegal.

 

They took the law in their hands and went for a late night chat with John Ashcroft, who was in intensive care suffering from pancreatitis at a Washington DC area hospital.  Their intent?  To procure a signature from the ailing Mr. Ashcroft, thus securing approval for the illegal program.  In doing so, they’d perform  "an end run" around James Comey, the number two man at the DOJ, who was that day performing as acting Attorney General for the hospitalized Ashcroft.

 

Comey's testimony starts off by describing a phone call he received from an Ashcroft aide describing that Mrs. Ashcroft had just received a call from "someone" in the White House informing her that Mr. Card and Alberto Gonzales were on their way to "talk" to her ailing husband.  She had requested no visitors and was deeply concerned for Mr. Ashcroft's health. Comey immediately was rushed to the hospital with sirens blaring and lights flashing.  He phoned then FBI Director Mueller for back up, and in short order, leapt up the hospital stairs to the bedside of disoriented Mr. Ashcroft, suffering from pancreatitis, and attempted to explain to him what was coming.

 

Soon after, Andrew Card and Alberto Gonzales entered the room.  They ignored Comey and proceeded to Ashcroft to seek a signature.  Although in a weakened condition, Ashcroft declined, referring them to James Comey, the acting Attorney General. 

 

The two men left, ignoring Comey's presence.  Within minutes, however, Comey was asked to come to the White House.  Threats of resignation loomed from many in the Justice Department, as well as Mr. Mueller, head of the FBI.

 

Listen to the testimony to get the rest of the story.  This portion is twenty minutes long and a must see.

 

This type of activity is akin to intimidation, smells like mob behavior, potentially obstruction of justice and one more outrage to pile upon the rest. Refresh your memory about Alberto Gonzales, David Addington, John Yoo and others in the Justice Department who, after 9/11, set the legal justification for torture and warrantless wiretapping, by reading the February 2006 Newsweek article "The Palace Revolt".

 

Just think if we had known about this type of activity in March 2004. Most of us didn't know about the loss of our privacy through warrantless wiretaps until the following year!  The administration and the neoconservative/corporate cabal running Washington felt so superior, so elite, so in control - flexing their unitary executive theory while flaunting our Constitution and international law - that they could bypass the Department of Justice and intimidate a sick man to sign an authorization from a hospital bed.  Next thing you know someone will find a horse's head.   Who knows what's really happened in the many nooks and crannies of this criminal crowd. 

 

 With the fervor over Comey's testimony, Paul McNulty's resignation and the latest bombshell from veteran investigative reporter Greg Palast, who has 500 e-mails that were supposed to be “missing,” the Department of Justice is about to turn on its head.  Regardless of your spiritual inclination, let’s pray that the meltdown has begun.