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FBI Director: Bush Officials Tried 'to Goad a Sick, Medicated Ashcroft' to Approve Warrantless Wiretapping

Posted by Faiz Shakir at 6:11 AM on August 17, 2007.


Faiz Shakir: FBI director Mueller's notes indicate Ashcroft "was in no condition" to see visitors, much less decide whether to authorize the program.
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This post, written by Faiz Shakir, originally appeared on Think Progress

In a July hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, FBI Director Robert Mueller revealed that he took notes of the infamous White House visit to Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital room because the events were so "out of the ordinary."

Chairman John Conyers wrote to Mueller after the hearing to request access to his notes. Today, Conyers' office put out a statement explaining that the Judiciary Committee has taken a look at Mueller's notes, which were "heavily-redacted." Yet, even from the amount the Committee was able to read, Conyers reported that it is clear there was a craven effort to take advantage of "a sick and heavily-medicated Ashcroft":

"Director Mueller's notes and recollections concerning the White House visit to the Attorney General's hospital bed confirm an attempt to goad a sick and heavily medicated Ashcroft to approve the warrantless surveillance program," said Conyers. "Particularly disconcerting is the new revelation that the White House sought Mr. Ashcroft's authorization for the surveillance program, yet refused to let him seek the advice he needed on the program.

"Unfortunately, this heavily redacted document raises far more questions than it answers. We intend to fully investigate this incident and the underlying subject matter that evoked such widespread distress within the Department and the FBI. We will be seeking an unredacted copy of Director Mueller's notes covering meetings before and after the hospital visit and expect to receive information from several of the individuals mentioned in the document."

Former Chief of Staff Andrew Card and Alberto Gonzales rushed to Ashcroft's bedside to get his sign-off for the administration's NSA warrantless surveillance program because then-Acting Attorney General James Comey refused to authorize it.

Mueller's notes indicate Ashcroft was "feeble, barely articulate, clearly stressed." Moreover, Mueller's notes indicate Ashcroft "was in no condition" to see visitors, much less decide whether to authorize the program. Nevertheless, Ashcroft articulated the fact that he did not have the proper legal guidance he needed to make a determination on the program. See Mueller's redacted notes here. See a key snippet below, courtesy of The Gavel:

Click for larger version
(click for larger version)

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Tagged as: gonzales, conyers, ashcroft, comey, mueller, warrantless wiretapping

Faiz Shakir is the Research Director at the Center for American Progress and serves as Editor of ThinkProgress.org and The Progress Report.


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And Impeachment is Off the table WHY???
Posted by: rjgwood on Aug 17, 2007 6:59 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It is clear that this administration has been up to its eye balls one dirty trick after another. They made the Nixon Administration look ethical!!!

Why are the democrats so afraid of beginning impeachment hearings?

Why is the mainstream media not making a laundry list of all the foul ups of this administration???

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Poor Ashcroft!
Posted by: farhada on Aug 17, 2007 7:02 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
He was an innocent man who stood for law and order, unlike these guys :)

Come on, these are crooks all of them, they were probably playing good guy, bad guy to hide the actual responsibility of the crime, win some time until they manage to get what the needed from the congress.

Sadly, the media and most politicians can not see the evil in their acts and keep running around trying to figure it out.
/Farhad

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Oh Lord, has it come to this?
Posted by: fool-on-the-hill on Aug 17, 2007 11:28 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
When things have gotten so-o-o-o bad that we have to feel sorry for John Ashcroft (of "Ashcroft bunker" fame), then why the hell are we not in the midst of an uprising?!

I had thought the U.S. legal profession reached its nadir with Ashcroft as Attorney General. 'Course I had thought the U.S. presidency reached its nadir with Bush I. Never in my most cynical mood did I EVER anticipate the unmitigated disasters of Bush II and Alberto Gonzales!

There's so much to mourn right now, I can't spare tears for Ashcroft!

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Did they jiggle the plug to the life-support while 'asking' Ashcroft to approve
Posted by: albrechtkrausse on Aug 17, 2007 1:03 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
the illegal wire-taps. One could visualise Senor Gonzales or Bush fiddling with the wires to the life-support systems or playfully monkeying with the dials/switchs are they 'asked' Ashcroft to approve the spying.

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Oh, to fill in the blanks...
Posted by: zipper696 on Aug 19, 2007 2:26 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Those damn redacted sections, the meetings and phone calls with Bush, Gonzales and others - I suspect THEY could be the smoking gun to allow serious consideration of impeachment.
Let's hope the request for an unexpurgated version bears fruit.
Mueller is one smart cookie, the full text is his retirement fund.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

The crude attempt to goad Ashcroft didn't work...so...
Posted by: jimidee on Aug 22, 2007 12:11 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Bush goaded a sick and heavily medicated Congress to approve the warrantless surveillance program instead. Case closed.

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