Domenici and Rove

by emptywheel

The Great Orange Satan links to an article tracking Heather Wilson's Senate campaign activities, suggesting that she's angling to replace Domenici. Markos notes what the local bloggers don't--that Domenici may actually be thinking of retiring to spend time with Karl Rove's family.

An intriguing bit of intel from folks down in New Mexico:

She's recently been in Clovis, Los Alamos and Las Cruces. Now one of the Alligators has an unconfirmed report that ABQ GOP Rep. Heather Wilson has had an appearance slated for Farmington. You know the score, but it bears repeating. Wilson is positioning herself for the US senate seat held by Senator Domenici--just in case. Domenici is indeed running for a seventh term in '08, but frail health is the opponent that could keep him out of the race. He is 75.

Frail health and the U.S. Attorney scandal, a potent combination.

I find the timing on this curious. As I suggested the other day, there's a lot of reason to suspect Rove may be getting nervous about the White House cover-up of the reasons why Iglesias was fired.

And there's reason to believe that such scrutiny may, in fact, be closing in on Rove. In late July, the House Judiciary Committee published an interim report [pdf] on the committee's investigation into the firing of at least nine US attorneys.

The report provides a good deal of evidence to suggest that several top justice department officials lied to cover up calls from Senator Pete Domenici and other New Mexico Republicans, made just before and after the 2006 election, seeking to have New Mexico's US attorney, David Iglesias, fired.

Rove was subpoenaed to testify about these matters before the Senate judiciary committee on August 1. But he refused to even show up, citing a letter from White House counsel Fred Fielding invoking executive privilege. Committee chairman Patrick Leahy noted at the time that "Karl Rove, who is now refusing to comply with Senate subpoenas, spoke publicly in speeches about these firings when the scandal first broke, but is suddenly unable to talk it about when he is under oath?"

Leahy went on to echo the language of the house of representatives judiciary committee report, suggesting that Rove was part of the cover-up of the reasons for the firings of US attorneys. "Mr. Rove has given reasons for the firings that have now been shown to be inaccurate after-the-fact fabrications. Yet, he now refuses to tell this committee the truth about his role in targeting well-respected US attorneys for firing and in seeking to cover up his role and that of his staff in the scandal."

On the same day Rove was scheduled to testify, the justice department released still more emails [pdf] relating to the firings, adding to the evidence that there was a concerted cover-up of the reasons for Iglesias' firing.

Clearly, the Democrats on Congress's judiciary committees suspect Rove may have something to hide. And they continue to accumulate evidence supporting that claim.

And as I suggested last week, there's at least the appearance that Domenici was coordinating with the White House on the cover-up.

The March 4 panic seems to start on Friday, March 2, when Domenici's office asks for a statement from DOJ signed off on by the White House. There's no mention of such a statement (which would have been a Friday document dump) at TPMM, which I trust caught everything from this period of time. Which suggests something damning: The Sunday, March 4 Domenici statement was likely issued in coordination with the White House.

All of which might contribute to making Domenici feel rather old. Or rather interested in retiring before the Senate gets its collective head out of its arse and starts an ethics investigation into his actions. After all, if Pat Leahy knows there was a cover-up, the rest of Senate is likely to learn of it soon, anyway.
 

Comments

[Rayne]

"frail health".

Yah, sure. Like a lack of ethics and obstruction of justice shouldn't be greater opponents to remaining in office.

Or maybe this is the defense talking already, and we're being inoculated against the notion that Domenici is healthy and hale and competent to make decisions like whether to obstruct justice.

[MarkH]

Obviously Dems need great candidates who can take both seats (House and Senate)!

[marksb]

So is this (finally) the storm that brings down the ship?

Rove potentially implicated in the USA scandal (or even--be still my beating heart--charged?), along with Domenici and Gonzo...and leading to Bush?

Then what I read around here Thursday that Cheney is neck deep in the meetings surrounding the illegal snoop program (with singular usage) and the Ashcroft hospital visit...

Throw in the rapidly approaching non-report "from" General Petraeus that now isn't his after all.

Gonna' be an interesting Fall. You-all won't have time to follow football.

[LP]

Rayne,

We have a pretty damn good candidate to take the House seat (Martin Heinrich), but so far no one has stepped up for the Senate seat. Like many others here in the state, we're hoping that Richardson steps back from his Presidential ambitions and goes after the Senate seat. Even if Domenici doesn't retire, Richardson would be the prohibitive favorite to take the Senate seat.

[radiofreewill]

First, how did Heather Wilson survive the Foley Scandal? Foley resigned for molesting boys during her watch on the Page Board. The thought that the NM electorate might elevate her to a Senatorial seat doesn't make sense??? Unless, Heather is being rewarded for 'playing ball.'

Second, on Domenici - even if Rove takes the bullet for the Iglesias hate-firing, it's still going to get Bush, too. Nobody will accept that Karl Fucking Rove put the names on the List, or took names off the List, without the knowledge and approval of 'the Boss.'

Also, there hasn't been any attempt to put out a counter-story to the one that we've all heard on the Domenici-Rove-Bush sequence leading to the firing of Iglesias - it might be the case that the 'facts' of this situation have pinned the three stooges against the wall, squirming uncomfortably in the kleig lights.

If there is still Justice in America - Wilson, Rove, Domenici and Bush should be toast.

[bmaz]

Ain't no justice; just us.

[albert fall]

Aren't Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame down in NM these days?

Joe in the Senate, investigating abuses by the loyal Bushies? That would be fun.

[spoonful]

Rove may be getting nervous about the White House cover-up of the reasons why Iglesias was fired . . . could be the Siegelman conspiracy, too.

[readerOfTeaLeaves]

Domenici, like Ted Stevens, is due for a lot of "I Love Lucy" reruns and old movies, preferably after hobbling on their walkers to Movie Nights at an Assisted Living Center. The sooner, the better.

[Neil]

It'd be grat to have a shoe-in Democratic candidate in NM for Domenici's seat and Richardson would be that. He's such a high energy guy though, it's hard to see him being thrilled by the pace of the Senate.

And Heather Wilson, don't get me started. Whatever happenened to the investigation she called for into domestic eavesdropping program? Nothing.

Republican Who Oversees N.S.A. Calls for Wiretap Inquiry

By ERIC LICHTBLAU February 8, 2006

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 — A House Republican whose subcommittee oversees the National Security Agency broke ranks with the White House on Tuesday and called for a full Congressional inquiry into the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program.

The lawmaker, Representative Heather A. Wilson of New Mexico, chairwoman of the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence, said in an interview that she had "serious concerns" about the surveillance program. By withholding information about its operations from many lawmakers, she said, the administration has deepened her apprehension about whom the agency is monitoring and why.

And we still don't know. Rubberstamp Republican.

[JEP]

"Joe in the Senate, investigating abuses by the loyal Bushies? That would be fun."

ditto, but change the word "fun" to "effective." Or "justice" or maybe, "karma."

[JEP]

Domenici and Stevens... two of the white elephants of modern government.

Seems to me these two represent a "club" of unwilling, unwitting members, made up of formerly uber-powerful "Uncle Teds." Their influence was both pervasive and pernicious, and their "benefits" benefited only the rich, often at the expense of the middle class and the poor.

Who else belongs on this list?

Just think about the power some of these "white elephants" have wielded under the Bush dynasty... and even throughout the Clinton years.

They have produced enough pork to feed the world's poor (but unfortunately that's not where it went)...

Who else belongs on the Senate "white elephant" list?

There's a nuch-longer list of Senators out there who belong in this club. Before November 2008, it will include even such venerated neocon enablers as Pat Roberts, the KS-R Delay-clone who refused to investigate the lies that led us into war, when he had the power to do so.

Anyone who thinks there is a guaranteed "red" Senate seat left in the entire country is ignoring their own state democgraphics, and the parade of corruption the Republicans have put on for us over the past seven years.

I don't suggest that the Republicans won't keep SOME of those seats, but they are not likely to pick up any new ones, and some of those "old ones" are not nearly as safe as they have been in the past. Re: Domenici and Stevens.

There may be some pro-war congressional districts out there still, but as for the Senate, you would be hard pressed to find an entire state that is still 50% pro-war, thus pro-Republican.

The Senate is in for a bigger shake-up than even most of us here on "the blogs" imagine...

It will be historic.