Why isn’t Hillman’s removal-upstairs part of the current subpoenas and hearings about US Attorney firings?

Today, Huffingtonpost.com columnist has this to say about the soon to be ex-chief Abramoff presecutor, Hillman:

‘Let me be clear about this. At the same time that Mr. Hillman was conducting a grand jury and submitting evidence aimed at Bush’s allies and perhaps Bush himself, he was meeting with Bush, who was, in effect, offering him a bribe.’

This is calling a horse a horse, and an ass an ass.

‘The best leader is unseen. The next best is beloved. The next is feared. The worst is ridiculed.’  Laotse, circa 5th century BCE.

These people have no shame. Bush deserves to be ridiculed.

This is extremely disturbing. Bush must know that the entire planet is cognizant of the implications between Abramoff and his administration.
Yet Bush arrogantly nominates Mr. Hillman?  This is the one man who could expose through his investigation the depth of corruptness’ of Bush’s administration.
What is he concealing?  Is it that appalling? Will it forever change America’s image?  It must be explosive!
I can only conclude that Bush is so desperate to cover up his unlawful activities that he’ll stop at absolutely nothing regardless of how our world perceives this, to silence his most feared critics.
This is very scary!

What I find most disconcerting about this new example of Executive Hubris, is that it winds up on page 21 of the NYTimes.

If our nation’s journalists spent more time pursuing stories like this in the field (i.e asking whether Hillman is obliged to step down?, who put his name up and when?, and whether there’s a Lourie / Jeb Bush connection?), and less time at White House “press briefings” (at least until Helen Thomas is called on), we might all be better informed.

Does the Attorney General have anything to say about promotion or release of personnel?

As a young man I exposed to my superior an illegal activity in our publicly traded corporation.  I was promoted and given a much higher salary and new assignment.  Unfortunately I was too young to recognize deceit and thought it was an earnest reward for uncovering a management ripoff scheme.

Does anybody remember Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre, when he sacked the prosecutors investigating him?

Bush’s “kicking upstairs” of Noel Hillman is just like the Saturday Night Massacre, i.e., getting rid of annoying investigators, but with a Karl Rove PR slant:  nobody’s being fired or “deep sixed”, rather, this is GOOD!  An excellent prosecutor is being rewarded by being given a judgeship (and now there’s less heat on Bush/Abramoff/Delay & Co.)

Question:  Does Hillman get to say “thanks but no thanks” or is he out of the picture?

And if he’s out of the picture, who replaces him?

Less than three weeks ago (04-Jan-2006), Bush appointed Alice Fisher as deputy chief at DOJ/Criminal Division/Public Integrity Section (PI) during a recess in the Senate. Fisher’s confirmation was stalled amid concerns about “her earlier role at the Justice Department in deciding on interrogation tactics used on military detainees kept at Guantanamo Bay.”

Andrew Lourie is a career prosecutor who is taking over as acting chief at PI. However, if history repeats itself, Lourie won’t hold the position long. This same scenario played out in July 2001 when then-Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff demoted Clinton-appointee Lee Radek. Chertoff simultaneously appointed Lourie acting chief and Noel Hillman deputy chief at PI.

We do not know whether Fisher will succeed Hillman; however, this remains the most-likely scenario.

It also follows the pattern of Bush to obstruct the Abramoff investigation, first by firing the prosecutor, then by replacing the prosecutor’s boss. One wonders how aggressively the prosecutors will now follow the trail of Abramoff bribes into the White House.

As Rep. George Miller says, this is “startling”. It is however not unprecedented. When former Senator Max Cleland began to clamor for more information from the White House and others regarding the investigation of the Kean Commission into 9/11, Bush promptly made Cleland an offer he couldn’t refuse, i.e. a lifetime appointment to the board of the Export-Import Bank.

Thus, Bush silenced his most outspoken and honest critic on the 9/11 Commission.

The pattern of fraud being perpetrated by George Bush is obvious. What is not so obvious is how to stop this criminal from further damaging America.

Clearly the Abramoff prosecutor put his own self interest ahead of that of the country. Was he intimidated with a carrot-or-stick offer? We’ll probably never know.

But one thing is certain. This story stinks to high heaven.