Cartoon of the Day

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Video- CNN spends 8 minutes asking if DOJ lawyers are "disloyal"

Glenn Greenwald rips 'em a new one over this here. Via Media Matters.

Video- Doocy: Are DOJ attorneys who represented Gitmo detainees "sympathetic to the Al Qaeda cause?"

I can finally understand why this show is so damn popular up here. What Doochey says is hands down one of the stupidest things ever, not to mention that by their own standards he is criticizing one of those damn government arms that the wingers usually revere. Or at least they did revere the Justice Department until those damn socialists got ahold of it. Asshat. Via Media Matters.

Justice Dept. OLC nominee Dawn Johnsen, still waits for confirmation, goes back to teaching

By GottaLaff

Remember Dawn Johnsen? Think back... wayyy back. The woman who could nail Bush, remember? I've posted numerous times about her impending confirmation and all the stalling. Ring a bell?

"Dawn Johnsen, whose nomination to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel has stalled, reportedly has gone back to Indiana University's law school to teach a class there while Senate Democrats count and recount noses to see if they might be able to muster 60 votes for cloture. Gonna be a tough vote next month, though."
-- Al Kamen, in today's Washington Post "In the Loop" column

If you want an excellent rundown of all the nauseating details, go here

Domestic surveillance program began soon after 9/11, intelligence agencies say

By GottaLaff

All these various leaks and reports are inflating the narrative, and the stories are growing, the way kids blows up balloons... Huff, puff, bigger... bigger... huff.. puff... until... eventually...

Pop!

The highly controversial warrantless surveillance program initiated by President George W. Bush began within weeks of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a newly released report to Congress compiled by the inspectors general of the nation’s top intelligence agencies, the Pentagon, and the Justice Department.

The report, mandated by Congress, provides context to information that has been leaked in press accounts and buttressed by congressional testimony and in books authored by former officials involved in the surveillance effort.

The report notes that several members of Congress — including then-House Intelligence Committee Chairman Nancy Pelosi — were briefed on the program on October 25, 2001, and a total of 17 times before the program became public in 2005.

Among other things, the report also cites a Justice Department conclusion that “it was extraordinary and inappropriate that a single DOJ attorney, John Yoo, was relied upon to conduct the initial legal assessment of the (surveillance program).”

“The lack of oversight and review of Yoo’s work … contributed to a legal analysis of the (program) that at a minimum was factually flawed,” it says.

Rove, Miers to talk in U.S. attorneys probe

Conyers hasn't been all that stern with the multiple violations by Rove and Miers, so I'm a little wary of the statement "claims of privilege will be "significantly limited". We'll see.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former White House political adviser Karl Rove and counsel Harriet Miers have agreed to face questions from Congress about allegations of improper political influence in the Justice Department, the House Judiciary Committee announced Wednesday.

Both will give depositions to investigators from the committee, and claims of privilege will be "significantly limited," according to a statement from the committee. Rove and Miers had been resisting congressional subpoenas about the matter, but a federal judge in Washington ruled that the former Bush administration officials had no grounds to invoke executive privilege in the case.

The committee, led by Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, has been investigating claims that Rove and his White House allies fired U.S. attorneys for political reasons and prosecuted officials whom they saw as opponents.

Conyers called the agreement "a victory for the separation of powers and congressional oversight."

More background here.

Rachel Maddow- Warrantless Wiretapping Whistleblower Thomas Tamm Interview

The man is an absolute hero. Background here and here and here.

Breaking- Obama team has finished Blagojevich report, will not release for a week per DOJ request

MSNBC reporting that Obama transition team spokesperson Dan Pfieffer has sent out a press release saying that their investigation into communications with Blagojevich is done, it is as reported (no shady stuff) and that they are delaying the release of it per the request of Fitzgerald. That's pretty much it, will put up more when I get it.

UPDATE- Per SusanG-

At the direction of the President-elect, a review of Transition staff contacts with Governor Blagojevich and his office has been conducted and completed and is ready for release. That review affirmed the public statements of the President-elect that he had no contact with the governor or his staff, and that the President-elect's staff was not involved in inappropriate discussions with the governor or his staff over the selection of his successor as US Senator.

Also at the President-elect's direction, Gregory Graig, counsel to the Transition, has kept the US Attorney's office informed of this fact-gathering process in order to ensure our full cooperation with the investigation.

In the course of those discussions, the US Attorney's office requested the public release of the Transition review be deferred until the week of December 22, in order not to impede their investigation of the governor. The Transition has agreed to this revised timetable for release.

Obviously, the talking heads on MSNBC don't speak English since after this direct statement was mentioned a half dozen times in the past 10 minutes, the dude talking with Norah just said, "If they have the information put together, I don't understand why they're waiting to release it!" Um, because the US Attorney's Office requested the release be deferred until the 22nd you moran.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Or pain as it might be.

LIVE: Barack's Town Hall in Springfield, Missouri

Senate Hearing on Politicizing DOJ

Justice Department Engaged In Illegal Hiring Practices

Sad that the little guy (again) is taking the fall since we all know the rot starts at the head.

A new Justice Department report concludes that politics illegally influenced the hiring of career prosecutors and immigration judges, and largely lays the blame on top aides to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Monday’s report singles out the department’s former White House liaison, Monica Goodling, for violating federal law and Justice Department policy by discriminating against job applicants who weren’t Republican or conservative loyalists.

In early 2006, Goodling directed an assistant attorney general to give her unprecedented authority to hire and fire political staffers “outside the system.” In March 2006, Gonzales signed a highly confidential order delegating to his then-chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, and Goodling “the authority, with the approval of the Attorney General, to take final action in matters pertaining to the appointment, employment, pay, separation, and general administration” of virtually all non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department.

Video is Countdown's take on the hearings.