David Iglesias, Karl Rove, and the Fired U.S. Attorneys
Karl Rove, the political guru who gave us George W. Bush, is out of the White House now and free to circulate his opinions in a Newsweek column, on Fox TV, and in newspaper op-eds. But he refuses to talk to Congress about his role of firing eight U.S. attorneys after the 2006 elections.
Rove's attorney Robert Luskin says he will not appear to testify on the grounds of executive privilege. If the claim is made, contempt of Congress should be voted against him and let the current Justice Department stew or the courts decide it. With his silence, Rove is just confirming that he played a central role in the firings and probably feels he is safe with the still Republican-held Justice Department.
Republicans who challenge these words should read the question-answer interview with Republican David Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney in Albuquerque, N.M., who was fired by the Justice Department by then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Gonzales has left Justice, with a soiled record as his legacy.
According to the interview, published in the New York Times Sunday magazine of May 25, Iglesias was improperly telephoned by New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete Domenici. He was inquiring about information gathered against the Democratic opponent of Republican Rep. Heather Wilson, who eventually won that election and is now seeking Domenici's seat in the Senate. (Domenici is retiring.)
No charges were filed by Iglesias in the matter and that led to his downfall.
Iglesias says that it is his understanding that Rove is an agnostic. That comes as a shocker since Rove was the one who mobilized right wing evangelical Christians for Bush and fellow Republicans in the 2000 election and since.
Iglesias says he is now a "disillusioned Republican." He is Hispanic and an evangelical Christian, two pillars of the current GOP party of Karl Rove-ism.
In recent years, many in politics and the media have lamented the loss of civility in Washington.
You can pin some of that blame on Karl Rove, who continues to be a figure in this messy case.
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new person tied to white house involved in iglesias firing
Darren white, the sheriff of new mexico, bernalillo county.
Story here: www.pubrecord.org
Karl Rove and the Fired U.S. Attorneys
"Republican-held Justice Department" says it all. Justice has been pretty much a hostage for the last seven years.
Rove's faith a mystery?
Rove an agnostic? Wow. Whooda thunk that? Well, any person who understands that Christians generally favor being part of things that are honest.
But advancing the vagueries of Bushism as much as Rove did? Fits right in with the teachings of Jesus? Actually, not so much. But if you leave the Jesus part out of Karl's personal passions, then suddenly it would all make sense.
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John W. Mashek covered politics in Washington for four decades with U.S. News & World Report, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Boston Globe. His primary beats were Congress, the White House, and national politics. He covered every presidential election from 1960 to 1996. He was a panelist in three televised presidential debates in 1984, 1988, and 1992.