E-Mails Contradict White House

Staff / Truthdig Mar 16, 2007 The White House has suggested that the idea to fire U.S. attorneys originated with former counsel Harriet Miers, but newly released e-mails show that Alberto Gonzales discussed the matter with political guru Karl Rove even before he was confirmed as attorney general. Related: Check out the Brad Blog's excellent coverage of the voter-fraud angle of the scandal. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Going Bananas for Terrorists

Staff / Truthdig Mar 15, 2007 Chiquita has agreed to pay $25 million in fines for bribing Colombian terrorist groups to safeguard its banana plantations. One of the groups, a right-wing paramilitary organization, has been guilty of some of Colombia's worst atrocities. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Partisanship at Justice Dept. Is Nothing New

Joe Conason / Truthdig Mar 15, 2007 This isn't the first Bush White House to exert political pressure on U.S. attorneys. Back in 1992, a principled Arkansas Republican sacrificed his own career to defy partisan thuggery. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Gonzales Admits ‘Mistakes’ but Won’t Resign

Staff / Truthdig Mar 14, 2007 On Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced there was "direct evidence" that Alberto Gonzales was politically motivated to order the firing of U.S. attorneys. The attorney general admitted that "mistakes were made here," but said he had no plans to resign. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Schumer Ties Bush to U.S. Attorney Scandal

Staff / Truthdig Mar 14, 2007 Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Tuesday that there is now "direct evidence that Attorney General Gonzales was carrying out the political wishes of the president" when he fired U.S. attorneys. (h/t: Alternet) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Top Democrat Calls for Attorney General’s Resignation

Staff / Truthdig Mar 13, 2007 Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, said Sunday that Alberto Gonzales should step down "for the sake of the nation." Schumer pointed to the partisan firing of U.S. attorneys and the FBI's abuse of the Patriot Act as evidence that the Justice Department has become highly politicized under Gonzales' leadership. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

FBI Abuses Patriot Act Powers

Staff / Truthdig Mar 9, 2007 An internal Justice Department investigation has documented multiple abuses by the FBI in obtaining the private records of U.S. residents. Even with the broad powers of the Patriot Act in place, the bureau is still required to certify that the phone, e-mail and financial documents it seeks are at least related to investigations of terrorism or intelligence activities. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

A Partisan Purge Too Far

Joe Conason / Truthdig Mar 8, 2007 The plot to eliminate politically inconvenient U.S. attorneys was a direct assault on the integrity of American justice, and its architects should be investigated and punished accordingly. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

House Majority Leader Wants Ethics Investigation

Staff / Truthdig Mar 7, 2007 Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., has said there should be an ethics investigation of improper behavior related to the politically motivated firing of eight U.S. attorneys. The Senate is already conducting an inquiry into the matter, which involves at least three prominent Republicans in Congress. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Democrats Issue First Subpoenas

Staff / Truthdig Mar 2, 2007 As expected, the House Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas Thursday as part of an investigation into the Justice Department's alleged partisan abuse of U.S. attorneys. The decision marks the first time Democrats have exercised their reclaimed subpoena power. Chairwoman Linda Sánchez called the move a "last resort." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Break Out the Subpoenas

Staff / Truthdig Mar 1, 2007 Members of the House Judiciary Committee have said they will dust off that discarded tool of congressional inquiry, the subpoena. The committee is investigating the Justice Department's allegedly partisan hiring and firing of U.S. attorneys. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Judge Orders Google to Turn Over Some Data

Staff / Truthdig Mar 14, 2006 A federal judge says he will require the search engine company to provide the government with some search-query data in connection with the Justice Dept.'s attempts to revive an online child pornography law. It's unclear what kind of and how much data the judge will order turned over. That strange shifting underneath your feet? It's the slippery slope we're all sliding down, toward an Orwellian future. Truthdig's Google expert Mark Malseed has the skinny on the implications of this battle. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )