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Sampson: I Failed to Organize "Political Response"
Boy, has Kyle Sampson learned his lesson, or what? He hasn't resigned because of his role in a scheme to fire prosecutors for political reasons, oh no: he resigned because he didn't succeed in organizing "a more effective political response" to the charges of impropriety. No wonder people thought he'd be the next Karl Rove.
His lawyer, Bradford Berenson put out the following statement last night:
"Kyle did not resign because he had misled anyone at the Justice Department or withheld information concerning the replacement of the U.S. Attorneys. He resigned because, as Chief of Staff, he felt he had let the Attorney General down in failing to appreciate the need for and organize a more effective political response to the unfounded accusations of impropriety in the replacement process. The fact that the White House and Justice Department had been discussing this subject for several years was well-known to a number of other senior officials at the Department, including others who were involved in preparing the Department's testimony to Congress. If this background was not called to Mr. McNulty or Mr. Moschella's attention, it was not because any of these individuals deliberately withheld it from them but rather because no one focused on it or deemed it important at the time. The focus of preparation efforts was on why the U.S. Attorneys had been replaced, not how."
Alberto Gonzales has publicly blamed Sampson for his "mistake" of not sharing "information that he had" with those testifying before Congress.
But according to Sampson, everybody knew. The officials who were about to testify just didn't ask around -- because, he says, they were focused on the "why," not the "how." I think I'd need another statement from Sampson, though, before I could understand how the White House's involvement isn't part of the answer to the question: "Why did the Justice Department fire eight U.S. attorneys?"
Or maybe it's more that they just didn't "deem it important" at the time.
Funny thing, though. They didn't deem it important when preparing for testimony, but that didn't stop Justice Department official William Moschella from telling the House Judiciary subcommittee under oath that the White House was not consulted on the firings until the end of the process. I guess he just assumed?
Looks like Sampson doesn't like playing the fall guy.
Update: A revised statement drops the idea that DoJ officials didn't "deem" the White House role "important," and whereas before Sampson was regretting his inability to concoct an "effective politcal response" to the charges of impropriety, the word "political" has disappeared. After all, it's politics that got the DoJ into this mess.
As TPM Reader HR puts it: "Did someone go over his original release with a sharp blue pencil?"
Comments (53)
r€nato wrote on March 17, 2007 9:20 AM:he even looks like Rove. Creepy.
The world already has one too many Karl Roves.
Pity the Fool wrote on March 17, 2007 9:23 AM:I'd like to learn a little bit more about the tax lien filed by the US Government against Kyle. Is he one of those Bush Appointees not paying his/her taxes that Muckraker covered a few months back?
The public record/document is available through the DC Registrar of Deeds -- www.taxpayerservicecenter.com
JohnW wrote on March 17, 2007 9:51 AM:As each part of the Bush gang's onion keeps getting peeled away this looks more and more like its Watergate deja vu....
....it may also be a version of the Domino Theory.
Wiredboy wrote on March 17, 2007 10:01 AM:Why do I keep thinking that he's going to become the Monica Lewinsky for this decade?
Patience wrote on March 17, 2007 10:14 AM:The focus of preparation efforts was on why the U.S. Attorneys had been replaced, not how.
This seems to me like a distinction without a difference.
Slippery Slope wrote on March 17, 2007 11:02 AM:"this looks more and more like its Watergate deja vu....
....it may also be a version of the Domino Theory."
Fortitude wrote on March 17, 2007 11:07 AM:Hmmm... How about "DoJ-mino Gate"
Patience, the distinction between 'why' and 'how' is paramount. It is the difference between (illegally) perverting justice for partisan ends and merely mishandling a routine personel reshuffling. The White House would like all of us to focus on the 'how'. I am amazed at how the majors continually refer to this affair by the thumbnail phrase 'controversy over the mishandling of US Attorney firings' (front page of yesterday's NYT for example, but you see it in every story). Shame on Kyle for mentioning the darned 'why' again!
lyle wrote on March 17, 2007 11:11 AM:gee, being the voluntary fall guy like libby seems a little bit less appealing when you're 20 months from the presidential election (where a good chance exists a party switch happens in the white house) and suddenly you start to think 'gee, if i get indicted, this is gonna stretch into the next administration and a pardon isn't gonna happen'
Apple Canyon 2 wrote on March 17, 2007 11:20 AM:I would love to see Congressmen Waxman and Conyers invite Sampson to come before their committee hearing to "correct the record" regarding his role in the firings and that of those Sr. White House officials.
Ben Rosengart wrote on March 17, 2007 11:34 AM:Except that Bush can erase that indictment with a pardon.
Doesn't mean he will, I'm just saying that a case doesn't have to complete before the Pres can pardon it.
I Adore Al Gore! wrote on March 17, 2007 12:00 PM:Is Karl Rove Jr. a tax cheat or what? You have to go some before the IRS slaps a tax lien on your property. Maybe Kyle Sampson is counting on GWB to forgive all back taxes due from Republicans before he leaves office.
Sampson is a weasel:
"He resigned because, as Chief of Staff, he felt he had let the Attorney General down in failing to appreciate the need for and organize a more effective political response to the unfounded accusations of impropriety in the replacement process."
No, he resigned because he got bagged lying about why the USAs were fired.
"The focus of preparation efforts was on why the U.S. Attorneys had been replaced, not how."
We now know that the preparation efforts focused on putting together a pack of lies for Congress about why the USAs were fired.
I wonder if the delayed document dump has anything to do with the question of whether emails from gwb43.com, georgewbush.com and other RNC domains are part of official WH records.
Jim Hamilton wrote on March 17, 2007 12:16 PM:This is so in character for the administration: they don't care about what's best for the country, they only care about what's best for themselves...
I Adore Al Gore! wrote on March 17, 2007 12:26 PM:Oops! Here is the link to the TPM MR item about the 71 employees of the Executive Office of the President owing more than $660,000 in back taxes:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002359.php
God of the God of God wrote on March 17, 2007 12:26 PM:Kyle Sampson = Karl Rove's Mini-me...
I wish I had and used Photoshop...
I Adore Al Gore! wrote on March 17, 2007 1:27 PM:Has anyone checked out the bio of Sampson's attorney, Bradford A. Berenson?
http://www.sidley.com/lawyers/bio.asp?ID=9406
Berenson is a lowlife piece of crud who made a handsome living as a consultant on the ten-year, $21 million "independent" investigation of Henry Cisneros.
Berenson also was Associate Counsel to the President from January 2001 to January 2003. I wonder if Berenson rendered a legal opinion on the legality of using the RNC email servers for official WH business.
lyle wrote on March 17, 2007 3:48 PM:"Kyle Sampson = Karl Rove's Mini-me..."
literally.
was it TPM or another site that had quoted a senior republican staffer in the white house as saying something along the lines of 'everybody knows sampson is the one person everyone knew was going to take over for rove if he was indicted. he knew all the dirty tricks karl knew, and could basically make it an almost seamless transition'.
foggylady wrote on March 17, 2007 4:19 PM:and i'm sure if sampson heard that comparison, he probably blushed.
Oh..I get it.
Steve wrote on March 17, 2007 4:31 PM:It's one of those contests.
" Collect all 10 of Sampson's resignation letters and win the Grand Prize....an original copy of Gonzales's first resignation letter".
Guess the 3rd one is coming Monday, right?
When will this end? They will not take responsibility or will hold anyone within the W clique accountable. Impeachment is the only solution.
Diana W wrote on March 17, 2007 6:11 PM:TPM has done a great job on this issue, but it's got to move on now to the larger implications of what's happened at DOJ, since it was destroyed by Ashcroft and Gonzales. It's not about the 8 anymore. They are history. What about the remaining 85?? What have they been doing? Today's Pittsburgh story is probably only the tip of the iceberg. I recall some major, major investigations of the DNC in the first years (2000-2001) of Bush. They all went away after 9/11, but there were a lot of them. Then there's the FBI snafu, the tax investigation of NAACP Legal Fund, etc. etc. Keep it up TPM!!!
freepatriot wrote on March 17, 2007 6:25 PM:yo, mr sampson:
DIG UP STUPID
Austin Cooper wrote on March 17, 2007 7:18 PM:If this were part of the Star Wars saga, they'd put Sampson in as the apprentice -- Darth Maul or Count Duku -- to Rove's Sith Lord.
Is tubby, bald and myopic the new face of evil?
labradog wrote on March 17, 2007 7:31 PM:Worse than Watergate, by far, by far.
SRK wrote on March 17, 2007 8:57 PM:From reading the above postings, I conclude I am the only one who has ever met Kyle Sampson. While our relationship has been casual, I have had numerous opportunities to hear him speak among friends, and can assure you that he is neither a "weasel" or anything like it.
Despite having one of the brightest legal minds of his generation, he is nothing but humble about his service in the highest places, and considers it an honor to have had such opportunities.
He is one of the most moral, honest people one could know. Period. To say otherwise simply shows that you quite literally don't know of whom it is you speak.
Malcolm wrote on March 17, 2007 10:26 PM:Uh, brightest legal mind of his generation? Was he law review at Chicago? Did he clerk for a Circuit Court judge? More basically, does one get to be one of the brightest legal minds of one's generation by disavowing the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Geneva Conventions to which the United States is a signatory? Not to mention lying. I guess lying is one of the hallmarks of hontest, moral people, if you're a loyal Bushie. SRK should have said Sampson is a loyal Bushie and left it at that. We could have taken the rest as read. Plus, he's really, really ugly, which also seems to be a hallmark of loyal bushies. Generally, you're supposed to get the face you deserve only after what, 40? Sampson has it at 30 whatever.
Barry Champlain wrote on March 17, 2007 10:29 PM:Despite having one of the brightest legal minds of his generation, he is nothing but humble about his service in the highest places, and considers it an honor to have had such opportunities.
He is one of the most moral, honest people one could know. Period. To say otherwise simply shows that you quite literally don't know of whom it is you speak.
Posted by: SRK
Yes, I am sure that is why he is lawyered-up to the gills, and has parsed and re-parsed the meaning of "is", and probably will again.
If your "casual" acquaintance is the high-minded American of which you speak ("... the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known"?)... perhaps it wouldn't be asking too much for him simply to tell the truth about these people, and cut the damned crap?
I Adore Al Gore! wrote on March 17, 2007 10:50 PM:Okay, SRK, I'll concede that Kyle Sampson is no Karl Rove. Rove would never have gotten caught with his pants down like Sampson.
Mind telling us why you concluded that Sampson has "one of the brightest legal minds of his generation"?
From the 3/13/07 NYT story, "Fast-Riser’s High Hopes and Sudden Fall", by Eric Lipton:
"Mr. Sampson was better known as a loyal workaholic, rather than for having outstanding legal skills, several people who have worked with him over the years said."
According to you, Sampson is "nothing but humble about his service in the highest places..."
Humble? Sampson thought he was such hot shit, he was entitled to be US Attorney - Utah in spite of the fact that he had never been a full time prosecutor.
melior wrote on March 17, 2007 11:46 PM:BTW, do you know anything about that IRS tax lien on Sampson's property?
You can always find someone so easily impressed by a con artist they think that the definition of "genius" is a willingness to break any rule.
Another word for that is "crook".
jimbo92107 wrote on March 18, 2007 3:55 AM:America's vast national enema has begun. Enjoy the show, but bring an umbrella!
jim wrote on March 18, 2007 5:34 PM:Kerry on Fox News Sunday made a lot of sense today, both on the Purge and Iraq.....
Made that point that just because USAs are political appointments doesn't mean that they can be controlled by politicians. It means they are appointed by politicians, who thereafter cannot intervene in a given case and exercise political clout.
And he observed that, under the Democratic withdrawal plan, it will be the beginning of the sixth year of the War before the troops are out.....
Al in Austex wrote on March 18, 2007 9:23 PM:The Nexus to every scandal is the MONEY. BushCO is all about making Money . The Money can then be used for very nefarious & disparate agenda items, black ops in Middle East, buying Congressman, funding your very own mercenary army re Blackwater.
cvyq eighm wrote on August 30, 2007 6:02 AM:Follow the MONEY . The MONEY allows the NeoThugs to subvert our Democracy, Carol Lam was getting way to close to the MONEY trail -Cunningham was just the beginning,
BushCo must be resisted by any & all means necessary
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