On Friday Josh Marshall released a video blog that investigates whether former Justice Dept Official Monica Goodling had been part of the Bush Opposition Research Team during the 2000 debates based on video and documents from that time.
Based on a year 2000 dcumentary on oppo-research head Tim Griffin (who was selected as one of the recent replacement U.S. Attorney's) TPM breaks down the scene frame-by-frame then compares the image of a blonde woman to various pictures of Monica Goodling with are still available from Pat Robertson's Regent University.
Tim can even be heard saying "Hey, Monica..."
Documentatation of Monica's employement during that period can be confirmed via Law.com
After graduating in 1999, Goodling landed a job at the D.C. headquarters of the Republican National Committee just as the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign was ramping up. Goodling's position put her inside the newly created war room for political opposition research. There, she worked alongside a crew of party faithful who would later shepherd her through the ranks at Justice.
Among Goodling's close associates were Barbara Comstock, head of opposition research for the RNC and later the chief spokeswoman for Ashcroft; Griffin, Comstock's deputy, whom Goodling would later help to win the interim appointment to replace one of the eight ousted U.S. Attorneys in Arkansas; and Mark Corallo, who in 2003 took the helm of the Justice Department's Public Affairs Office after Comstock.
Following Comstock into John Ashcroft's Justice Deptartment, Monica rose through the ranks quickly due to her hard work, and tendency to even toil through the night on issues such as the Patriot Act, ultimately becoming the primary point person on judicial nominees.
Later in 2005 after rotating through a stint of prosecutorial training she became the DOJ White House Liason, a senior member of Alberto Gonzales staff who performed...
as the gatekeeper for the White House for all 400-some political appointees in the Justice Department, from U.S. Attorneys and marshals to secretaries.
So what we have here is a hard-core card-carring Christo-Fascist Fundie (like her good friend Rachel "The Wicked Witch of the East" Paulose) , educated by Pat Robertson's Law school which has always been intended to produce hard-right wing Madison Society styled prosecutors and judges for eventually appointment to the Supreme Court and the destruction of Wade, becoming a high end RNC political operative and then moving on to become the point person on all political appointees in the Justice Department.
Gee, I don't know what ever might stink to high heaven in that situation.
All snark aside, If there's still a skeleton hiding in the closet of the prosecutor purge that hasn't already been revealed in the previous doco dumps of DOJ emails - in which Monica is featured prominently, even as an attendee of November 27th meeting with AG Gonzales just ten days before the firings - Monica knows where it's buried.
After announcing that she would plead the 5th Amendment to Congress, and on the same day as Josh's report was released, Monica resigned from the Justice Dept, without giving a full explaination.
I am hereby submitting my resignation to the Office of the Attorney General, effective April 7, 2007. It has been an honor to have served at the Department of Justice for the past five years. May God bless you richly as you continue your service to America.
But it's clear to me, particular after listening to Josh, that her resignation was most likely pre-emptive to avoid being fired if she refused to participate in the DOJ's own internal probe into possible Hatch Act Violations.
Updated
The Hatch Act restricts the political activity of executive branch employees of the federal government, District of Columbia government and some state and local employees who work in connection with federally funded programs. In 1993, Congress passed legislation that significantly amended the Hatch Act as it applies to federal and D.C. employees (5 U.S.C. §§ 7321-7326). (These amendments did not change the provisions that apply to state and local employees. 5 U.S.C. §§ 1501- 1508.) Under the amendments most federal and D.C. employees are now permitted to take an active part in political management and political campaigns. A small group of federal employees are subject to greater restrictions and continue to be prohibited from engaging in partisan political management and partisan political campaigns.
Those employees subject to increased restrictions on political activities include those working at:
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Criminal Division (Department of Justice)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Federal Election Commission
- Office of Special Counsel
- National Security Agency
- National Security Council
The situation has become so bad, that even Newt Gingrich has stated that Alberto Gonzales has to go.
"The public would be much better served to have another attorney general," said Newt Gingrich. "I cannot imagine how he’s going to be effective for the rest of his administration. They’re going to be involved in endless hearings."
Vyan
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