A federal prosecutor investigating the dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys during the Bush administration has issued a subpoena to former senator Pete V. Domenici [R-NM] and is preparing to interview key witnesses, lawyers following the case say.
Nora R. Dannehy, a public corruption prosecutor who helped convict Connecticut’s GOP governor four years ago, was named last year to go to Capitol Hill and the Bush White House, where government officials declined to provide voluntary testimony to the Justice Department inspector general probing the firings. At the time, Inspector General Glenn A. Fine urged prosecutors to use their subpoena power to compel documents and testimony about the dismissal of New Mexico U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias, whose pace on criminal investigations involving Democrats in the state drew complaints from Domenici and then-Rep. Heather A. Wilson [R-NM].
The Dannehy investigation appears to be intensifying with the disclosure that she will interview former White House political affairs deputy J. Scott Jennings as early as today, lawyers involved in the case said. Jennings worked alongside Karl Rove, a top aide to President George W. Bush. Jennings will "cooperate to the best of his ability" and is not a target in the case, lawyer Mark R. Paoletta said yesterday.
Through lawyer Robert D. Luskin, Rove also has said he will cooperate with Dannehy’s investigation. K. Lee Blalack, an attorney for Domenici, declined to comment. In recent weeks, Dannehy has requested documents through a grand jury operating out of the federal courthouse in Washington. When she was selected by then-Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey last year, she also was asked to examine public statements by former Justice Department officials about their knowledge of the firings…
J. Scott Jennings, White House Deputy Director of Political Affairs, has been Karl Rove’s right-hand man, assisting him in schemes ranging from the U.S. attorney scandal to political briefings at government agencies.
ThinkProgress spoke with a White House spokesperson today who confirmed that Jennings is resigning, less than two months after his boss stepped down. The official told ThinkProgress that Jennings would be leaving “sometime soon.” KYPolitics.org reports that Jennings is leaving to become a principal at Peritus Public Relations in Kentucky.
Biography
SourceWatchA native of Dawson Springs, Kentucky, Jennings graduated with a B.A. in political science from the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center for Political Leadership. He began his career as a journalist for WHAS Radio and the Kentucky News Network before becoming a Republican political operative.
He’s directed the political operations for three successful statewide campaigns: President Bush’s 2000 campaign, Senator Mitch McConnell’s 2002 reelection, and Governor Ernie Fletcher’s 2003 campaign. He also served as a spokesman and senior advisor to the Republican Party of Kentucky, as well as press secretary to Kentucky Senate President David L. Williams.
Before joining the White House in January 2005, Jennings managed President Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign in New Mexico.
And it sounds like Dannehy already has plenty of information about the because:
Gonzales May Face Obstruction Charges in U.S. Attorney Probe
Saturday, February 07, 2009
by Jason LeopoldA special prosecutor appointed to investigate the firings of nine federal prosecutors in 2006 has built a strong case against Alberto Gonzales that may result in obstruction of justice charges against the former Attorney General related to the role he played in the U.S. Attorney firings, according to attorneys directly involved in the probe and lawyers defending former Bush administration officials whose clients have met with the special counsel.
According to legal sources, over the past several weeks Gonzales’s former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, has provided damaging information to Special Prosecutor Nora Dannehy, an Assistant U.S. Attorney from Connecticut, about Gonzales. Sampson is said to have told the special prosecutor that Gonzales was far more engaged in the attorney firings than he had previously disclosed to Dannehy, in Congressional testimony and in interviews with Justice Department watchdogs.
Sampson, these sources said, is also facing obstruction of justice charges and the sources familiar with his interviews with Dannehy said he had provided detailed information about Gonzales’s role in the firings in hopes of staving off the possibility of criminal charges he may face for his role in the dismissals. The legal standard for an obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and perjury charges is specific intent.
With that in mind, the legal sources added that although Dannehy has collected voluminous evidence over the past four months that would appear to suggest Gonzales and other Bush administration officials may have committed crimes related to the attorney firings – including perjury and conspiracy – it’s also possible that criminal charges won’t be filed if she believes she cannot prove intent. However, Sampson is said to have provided Dannehy with an important piece of evidence that bolstered her case against Gonzales: the former Attorney General was aware of and helped create a list of federal prosecutors to fire.
In testimony before Congress in April 2007, Gonzales said he played no role in creating such a list and was unaware that anyone in his office had put such a list together…
"I have searched my memory," Gonzales said, in response to a question by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) about one meeting Gonzales attended in November 2006 when he discussed the firings. "I have no recollection of the meeting… I don’t remember the contents of this meeting"…
Additionally, Dannehy is said to have closed in on former Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty and apparently has information that shows he allegedly perjured himself during testimony before Congress. McNulty testified before Congress in February 2007 that the prosecutor firings were "performance related," an allegation he knew to be untrue. Documents released by the Justice Department showed that Gonzales and McNulty participated in an hour-long meeting with Sampson and three other officials on Nov. 27, 2006 – about two weeks before the U.S. Attorneys were fired – to review the plan to fire them…
Mickey — you are increasingly becoming a crackerjack journalist. I don’t have the patience to dig up all the supporting data that you do, so I’ve begun turning first to your blog and am usually content to stop there, feeling well informed.
On top of that, your commentary is always thought-provoking. It helps that we start out thinking alike on most things, but I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your blog.
Enjoy your vacation, but don’t stay away too long.