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Gandalf Grey
Guest
RFK: Rove And Rove's Brain, 'Should be in jail,' Not In Office
By Greg Palast
Created May 8 2007 - 9:27am
Voting rights attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for prison time for
the new US Attorney for Arkansas, Timothy Griffin and investigation of
Griffin's former boss, Karl Rove, chief political advisor to President Bush.
"Timothy Griffin," said Kennedy,"who is the new US attorney in Arkansas, was
actually the mastermind behind the voter fraud efforts by the Bush
Administration to disenfranchise over a million voters through 'caging'
techniques - which are illegal."
[Hear Kennedy on Griffin, Rove and 'caging lists' at www.GregPalast.com [1]]
Kennedy based his demand on the revelations by BBC reporter Greg Palast in
the new edition of his book, "Armed Madhouse." On one page of the book,
Palast reproduces a copy of a confidential Bush-Cheney campaign email, dated
August 26, 2004, in which Griffin directs Republican operatives to use the
'caging' lists.
This is one of the emails subpoenaed by Congress but supposedly "lost" by
Rove's office. Palast obtained 500 of these, fifty with 'caging' lists
attached.
'Caging' lists are "absolutely illegal" under the Voting Rights Act, noted
Kennedy on his Air America program, Ring of Fire. The 1965 law makes it a
felony crime to challenge voters when race is a factor in the targeting.
African-American voters comprised the bulk of the 70,000 voters 'caged' in a
single state, Florida.
Palast wrote in his book, "Here's how the scheme worked. The Bush campaign
mailed out letters," particularly targeting African-American soldiers sent
overseas. When the letters sent to the home addresses of the soldiers came
back "undeliverable" because the servicemen were in Baghdad or elsewhere,
the Republican Party would, "challenge the voter's registration and thereby
prevent their absentee ballots being counted."
The Republicans successfully challenged "at least one million" votes of
minority voters in the 2004 election.
Kennedy, a voting rights attorney, fumed, "What he [Griffin] did was
absolutely illegal and he should be in jail. Instead [Griffin] was rewarded
with the US Attorney's office."
"They [Griffin, Rove and their confederates at the RNC] knew it was
illegal."
Kennedy has called on the Senate and House Judiciary Committees to expand
their investigations of the firing of US Attorneys to include a probe of
their replacements, especially Griffin, as well as Rove's knowledge of the
caging operation.
In preparation for just such an investigation, Kyle Sampson, former aide to
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, wrote a confidential email, dated
December 19, 2006 outlining a strategy to stall Congress' from questioning
the propriety of the Griffin appointment. "We should gum this to death,"
wrote Sampson, "Ask the senators to give Tim a chance . . . then we can tell
them we'll look for other candidates, ask them for recommendations, evaluate
the recommendations, interview their candidates, and otherwise run out the
clock. All of this should be done in 'good faith,' of course."
Sampson has since resigned.
Palast said, "Just as Rove is known as 'Bush's brain,' Griffin is 'Rove's
Brain.' I'm flattered by his 'review.'"
Palast first reported on the caging list operation for BBC Television's
premier current affairs show, Newsnight, in 2004. In a February 7, 2007
email obtained by subpoena from Rove's office, Griffin boasted that, "No
[US] national media picked up" the BBC story. Griffin attached an excerpt of
Armed Madhouse.
Griffin sent his remarks to Monica Goodling, Senior Counsel to Attorney
General Gonzales, who has since resigned and invoked the Fifth Amendment
rather than answer Congressional questions.
Griffin and Rove refused several requests from Palast and BBC to respond to
charges of illegal, racial 'caging' of voters. However, a Republican
spokeswoman, while admitting the lists could be used to challenge soldiers'
votes, said that was 'not the purpose' for gathering the lists.
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
By Greg Palast
Created May 8 2007 - 9:27am
Voting rights attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for prison time for
the new US Attorney for Arkansas, Timothy Griffin and investigation of
Griffin's former boss, Karl Rove, chief political advisor to President Bush.
"Timothy Griffin," said Kennedy,"who is the new US attorney in Arkansas, was
actually the mastermind behind the voter fraud efforts by the Bush
Administration to disenfranchise over a million voters through 'caging'
techniques - which are illegal."
[Hear Kennedy on Griffin, Rove and 'caging lists' at www.GregPalast.com [1]]
Kennedy based his demand on the revelations by BBC reporter Greg Palast in
the new edition of his book, "Armed Madhouse." On one page of the book,
Palast reproduces a copy of a confidential Bush-Cheney campaign email, dated
August 26, 2004, in which Griffin directs Republican operatives to use the
'caging' lists.
This is one of the emails subpoenaed by Congress but supposedly "lost" by
Rove's office. Palast obtained 500 of these, fifty with 'caging' lists
attached.
'Caging' lists are "absolutely illegal" under the Voting Rights Act, noted
Kennedy on his Air America program, Ring of Fire. The 1965 law makes it a
felony crime to challenge voters when race is a factor in the targeting.
African-American voters comprised the bulk of the 70,000 voters 'caged' in a
single state, Florida.
Palast wrote in his book, "Here's how the scheme worked. The Bush campaign
mailed out letters," particularly targeting African-American soldiers sent
overseas. When the letters sent to the home addresses of the soldiers came
back "undeliverable" because the servicemen were in Baghdad or elsewhere,
the Republican Party would, "challenge the voter's registration and thereby
prevent their absentee ballots being counted."
The Republicans successfully challenged "at least one million" votes of
minority voters in the 2004 election.
Kennedy, a voting rights attorney, fumed, "What he [Griffin] did was
absolutely illegal and he should be in jail. Instead [Griffin] was rewarded
with the US Attorney's office."
"They [Griffin, Rove and their confederates at the RNC] knew it was
illegal."
Kennedy has called on the Senate and House Judiciary Committees to expand
their investigations of the firing of US Attorneys to include a probe of
their replacements, especially Griffin, as well as Rove's knowledge of the
caging operation.
In preparation for just such an investigation, Kyle Sampson, former aide to
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, wrote a confidential email, dated
December 19, 2006 outlining a strategy to stall Congress' from questioning
the propriety of the Griffin appointment. "We should gum this to death,"
wrote Sampson, "Ask the senators to give Tim a chance . . . then we can tell
them we'll look for other candidates, ask them for recommendations, evaluate
the recommendations, interview their candidates, and otherwise run out the
clock. All of this should be done in 'good faith,' of course."
Sampson has since resigned.
Palast said, "Just as Rove is known as 'Bush's brain,' Griffin is 'Rove's
Brain.' I'm flattered by his 'review.'"
Palast first reported on the caging list operation for BBC Television's
premier current affairs show, Newsnight, in 2004. In a February 7, 2007
email obtained by subpoena from Rove's office, Griffin boasted that, "No
[US] national media picked up" the BBC story. Griffin attached an excerpt of
Armed Madhouse.
Griffin sent his remarks to Monica Goodling, Senior Counsel to Attorney
General Gonzales, who has since resigned and invoked the Fifth Amendment
rather than answer Congressional questions.
Griffin and Rove refused several requests from Palast and BBC to respond to
charges of illegal, racial 'caging' of voters. However, a Republican
spokeswoman, while admitting the lists could be used to challenge soldiers'
votes, said that was 'not the purpose' for gathering the lists.
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
