"Get us the numbers."

[Lanya]

Dems to AG: How Many Prosecutors Have You Pushed Out?
By Justin Rood - January 18, 2007, 11:41 AM

At an oversight hearing this morning, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) grilled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales over the sudden departure of several U.S. Attorneys at the administration's request.

"How many U.S. Attorneys have been asked to resign in the past year?" Feinstein asked Gonzales.

"You're asking me to get into a public discussion" of personnel issues, Gonzales replied.

"I'm asking you to give me a number."

"I don't know the answer to that question," said Gonzales.

"You didn't know the answer when we spoke on Tuesday, but you said you would find out," Feinstein pressed.

Gonzales referred to a letter his office had sent Feinstein earlier in the week on the issue.

"I read the letter," Feinstein shot back. Gonzales denied the administration had any tricks up its sleeve and was only trying to do what was best.

"Do you deny that your office has asked U.S. Attorneys to resign in the past year?" Feinstein asked.

"I don't deny that," Gonzales said. "But that happens in every administration, during different periods for different reasons. . . Some people should view that as a sign of good management."

Questions from the panel moved on to other subjects, and perhaps Gonzales thought he was off the hook. Then Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) spoke up.

"If we take a break for lunch," Leahy asked him, "would it be possible to get the number Sen. Feinstein asked for?"

Gonzales fished around for an answer, and finally answered, "I think so." But then he said he couldn't get into a public discussion of personnel matters.

"I don't care about the people," Leahy shot back. "Just get us the numbers."

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002367.php

[R.R.]

Give me a break. The Clinton administration fired career civil servants and installed their cronies. Look at what they did in the travel office of the White House. They destroyed some guy's life to put in their cronies.

[Lanya]

No.
No break for you.  You're a whiny crybaby.  You are a sore loser, and you were a sore winner. Grow the f- up. 

[R.R.]

hehehe, resorting to name calling means that you have lost the argument.

The 1993 Travelgate affair represents an early indication of the administration's seeming willingness to use the IRS for political purposes. The unjustifiable dismissal of White House Travel Office chief Billy Dale and his small staff as part of an apparent effort to move friends of the first family into a potentially lucrative office was attended by slanderous allegations of wrongdoing, by an FBI probe and finally by a criminal trial. (A jury acquitted the Travel Office team on all counts almost immediately; Congress subsequently voted to pay the group's legal fees with government funds.)

In addition, Dale himself, along with one aide, was subjected to an IRS audit. But no malfeasance on the part of the long-time government worker or his colleague was identified. The audit's impact consisted largely in heightening the disruption to Billy Dale's life.

If the Dems want numbers, they should look in the mirror. The Clinton administration dismissed countless civil servants whose only crime was that they were not a crony of the Clintons.

[Lanya]

Then I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for you to post some names and dates of indictments and verdicts and such regarding Travelgate.

 

[R.R.]

Travelgate represented cronyism of the worst kind. I'm surprised you're defending it.

[Lanya]

"Get us the numbers."

I'm surprised you don't have them at the ready.

[R.R.]

I'd be interested in those numbers. How many hard working, honest civil servants with families just like Billy Dale lost their jobs for "Friends of Bill"?

[Lanya]

Burden of proof is on you. No numbers? Rest my case. 

[R.R.]

It's up to the Clintons to supply those numbers. How many people did they can so their cronies could have jobs?

I already gave you the example of Billy Dale and his staff how they got fired on false bogus trumped up charges so friends of the Clintons could have their jobs in the travel office and make a lot of money.

And don't forget Web Hubbell. He was a crony of the Clintons who worked in the justice department even though he wasn't qualified. He was the third ranking member of the DOJ. He went to prison for the mishandling of Rose law firm billing records where he worked with Hillary.

The Clintons came into office and wanted to purge the "Bushies." This is no secret. Get us the numbers. How many Bushies?