The Daily Background

Attorney firings investigation
More documents are expected to officially be released by the White House today detailing more information on Karl Rove’s role in the scandal that now threatens the job of Attorney Genearl Alberto Gonzales.

The White House is expected to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday whether or not it will allow Karl Rove and Harriet Miers to testify under oath before the Committee, which is expected to subpoena them later this week. A decision on this could come as early as today however.

And regarding our question of the week (Will Alberto Gonzales still be around by next weekend?), here’s Chuck Schumer (D-NY, Senate Judic Comm) on Meet The Press Sunday:

RUSSERT: Will Alberto Gonzales survive as attorney general?

SCHUMER: I think it’s highly unlikely he survives. I, I wouldn’t be surprised if, a week from now, he’s no longer attorney general.

(Unrelated, but also from yesterday’s episode of MTP: Richard Pearle tells Americans they shouldn’t think about the death toll in Iraq.)

Who is Carol Lam and why does she matter?
The scramble is on to figure out the real reasons why 8 US Attorneys were fired last December, despite good job reviews. Carol Lam was the US Attorney for the Southern District of California who successfully put (now former) Republican Representative Duke Cunningham (R-CA) behind bars after he took more than two million dollars in bribes from defense contractors in exchange for making sure they got hefty contracts.

Cunningham, who used to sit on the House Committee on Appropriations, is now sitting for 8 years and four months at the Federal Correctional Complex work camp nearby Tuscon Arizona. There were leaks that Lam was continuing her investigation after convicting Cunningham, and indications that other people (Republican Congressmen? CIA officials related to the Cunningham scandal?) might have had indictments heading their way. She was fired before her investigation could continue however– and now people are wondering if she was fired to stop her from investigating.

That would be the first sign of actual illegality in this scandal, Senators Feinstein, Leahy and Schumer say. Keep your eyes out for more on the Carol Lam front.

Also
Isikoff, Wollfe, and Thomas use the words “King George” in the next issue of Newsweek.

Senate
Senator Feinstein has a bill up for discussion which would stop political appointees (ahem, everyone is looking at you, Karl Rove) from getting involved with firing US Attorneys in the future.

House
In session, but nothing but yawns.

Iraq
3,218 (3,207 Friday). And 30% of us are somehow proud of the Iraq war so far. Which is kind of weird, I mean, they must have had some truly low expectations to be proud of the way things have worked out so far.

Filed under: Z-The Daily Brief, Z-TDB Blog