Iglesias: Why I Was Fired

Bush and the Republicans have systematically undermined rule of law to benefit themselves and to further a fascistic agenda to roll back our civil rights under the guise of "never ending war." This in and of itself undermines the Constitution and American values and is in my mind an impeachable offense.
We see just how far our system has been undermined when a President who can't keep his pants zipped is impeached where as a President who would be king is still supported by a major political party.
There are so many impeachable offenses, yet none so far appears to be sticking. Hopefully, the latest will.
New York Times

WITH this week’s release of more than 3,000 Justice Department e-mail messages about the dismissal of eight federal prosecutors, it seems clear that politics played a role in the ousters.


Of course, as one of the eight, I’ve felt this way for some time. But now that the record is out there in black and white for the rest of the country to see, the argument that we were fired for “performance related” reasons (in the words of Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty) is starting to look more than a little wobbly. MORE

washingtonpost.com

Mr. Iglesias, it turns out, was a late addition to the target list. He was a "diverse up-and-comer" considered for promotion and, in a March 2005 assessment, was placed in the category of "recommend retaining; strong U.S. attorneys who have produced well, managed well and exhibited loyalty to the president and attorney general." Indeed, Mr. Iglesias's name didn't turn up on the list of those to be terminated until Nov. 7, 2006. How and why? The answers, though still incomplete, do not paint the Bush administration in an attractive light.


It was already known, before testimony last month by D. Kyle Sampson, former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, that two New Mexico Republicans -- Sen. Pete V. Domenici and Rep. Heather A. Wilson -- had called Mr. Iglesias before the election to inquire about a criminal investigation involving a Democratic politician. Mr. Domenici, having reached Mr. Iglesias at his home, hung up when the prosecutor informed him that no indictment would be forthcoming before the election; he also placed repeated calls to the attorney general and deputy attorney general complaining about Mr. Iglesias.


In addition, New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Allen Weh complained to White House adviser Karl Rove about Mr. Iglesias. And, last but not least, President Bush himself passed on to the attorney general complaints about U.S. attorneys, including Mr. Iglesias, who were allegedly failing to aggressively pursue voter fraud cases.


Mr. Sampson's testimony showed that Mr. Iglesias was added to the list after Mr. Rove also complained to the attorney general about Mr. Iglesias's supposedly poor performance on voter fraud. This revelation not only adds to the evidence undercutting the attorney general's professions of ignorance about the whole episode; it deepens the sense that the judgment about whom to fire was influenced, if not dictated, by political considerations.