Clipmarks | Mukasey Clips

ACLU: Justice Dept. Institutes 'Racial Profiling as a Matter of Policy'

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:36:59 GMT

clipped by: Wisco
clipper's remarks: The piece goes on:

“The attorney general today gave the FBI a blank check to open investigations of innocent Americans based on no meaningful suspicion of wrongdoing,” said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU. “The new guidelines provide no safeguards against the FBI’s improperly using race and religion as grounds for suspicion. They also fail to sufficiently prevent the government from infiltrating groups whose viewpoints it doesn’t like. The FBI has shown time and time again that is incapable of policing itself and there is good reason to believe that these guidelines will lead to more abuse.”

Clip Source: www.aclu.org

New FBI guidelines governing investigations were released today after being signed by Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

The guidelines replace existing bureau guidelines for five types of investigations: general criminal, national security, foreign intelligence, civil disorders and demonstrations. The ACLU has been vocal in its disapproval of the overly broad guidelines, citing both the FBI’s and DOJ’s documented records of internal abuse.

The new guidelines reduce standards for beginning “assessments” (precursors to investigations), conducting surveillance and gathering evidence, meaning the threshold to beginning investigations across the board will be lowered. More troubling still, the guidelines allow a person’s race or ethnic background to be used as a factor in opening an investigation, a move the ACLU believes may institute racial profiling as a matter of policy.

Tags: news

Justice Dept Appoints Special Prosecutor

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:56:03 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Response to Justice report citing lack of White House cooperation in investigation of the presence of political pressure in firing US Attorneys, "abdicating" of responsibility by former AG Gonzales. Astonishing - Bush Justice Dept goes after Bush White House, appointees.

Clip Source: www.democracynow.org

Justice Dept. Appoints Special Prosecutor After Report Faults Gonzales for US Attorney Firings

Attorney General Michael Mukasey has appointed a special prosecutor to continue the probe into whether political misconduct led to the firing of nine US attorneys. The move came after Justice Department investigation singled out Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for his conduct in the firings, accusing of him of “abdicating” his responsibility and questioning his faulty and evasive public statements

The report concludes political pressure was the key factor behind the firing of New Mexico US Attorney David Iglesias and says political pressure played a part in the dismissal of at least two others: Todd Graves of Missouri, Bud Cummins of Arkansas.

the report says that they couldn’t get to the bottom of a lot of what happened with the firing of the US attorneys, because there is a wholesale lack of cooperation by senior White House officials

Tags: prosecutor, justice

land of the free

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:55:58 GMT

clipped by: pascual
clipper's remarks: eco

Clip Source: www.economist.com

Civil-liberties defenders are trying hard to stop data-mining becoming a routine tool for the FBI to spy on ordinary Americans. They say that the administration is racing in its final months to formalise in law programmes that have run solely under authorisation from the White House that bypasses Congress. One pending change would authorise more intelligence sharing between federal and local officials. In a federal court filing made public on September 20th, America’s attorney-general, Michael Mukasey, sought legal immunity for telecoms firms which have provided details on international phone calls. What happens in practice, and what the law permits, is a hot and unresolved issue.

Tags: politics

Bush Pushes for More Police Power

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:25:27 GMT

clipped by: katsteevns
clipper's remarks: (cont.)Four Democratic senators - with the lamentable absence of their leader, Harry Reid - also have reminded the attorney general of his oath to protect the Constitution. Russ Feingold, Richard Durbin, Edward Kennedy and Sheldon Whitehouse warn not only Mukasey but also the rest of us that the new rules "might permit an innocent American to be subjected to such intrusive surveillance based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities."

As Lara Jakes Jordan of The Associated Press (Aug. 18) pointed out: "The new policy, law enforcement officials said, would let agents open preliminary terrorism investigations after mining public records and intelligence (including tips from informants) to build a profile of traits that, taken together, were deemed suspicious." There would be no evidence of criminal activity.

Clip Source: www.commondreams.org

Published on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 by The Canton Repository (Ohio)

Bush Pushes for More Police Power

by Nat Hentoff

In his last months, President Bush is working to ensure that his successor will have the greatly expanded power of the executive branch - unprecedented in American history - that Bush instituted after 9/11. His chief enabler in this ever-increasing surveillance of American citizens is Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and ranking minority member Arlen Specter are aware of Mukasey's plan for new FBI guidelines that could begin national security and criminal investigations of racial and ethnic groups without any evidence of wrongdoing. They have asked Mukasey to delay implementation until Congress can review the changes. Mukasey agreed but wants the expanded surveillance to begin Oct. 1.

Waterboarding Is Here To Stay

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:28:43 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: Mukasey sounds just like Alberto Gonzo. Wishy washy....

Clip Source: thinkprogress.org

Graham ‘Heartened’ By Mukasey’s Waterboarding Dodge: ‘He Did Himself Some Good’»

On CBS’ Face The Nation this past Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) commented on Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey’s refusal to classify waterboarding as torture, saying that he is “convinced” the technique “is clearly illegal under domestic and international law.”

“I hope he will give a direct answer to that question” and “embrace” the view that it is torture, said Graham:

I am urging him that he needs to come forward. … I don’t think you have to have a lot of knowledge about the law to understand this technique violates Geneva Convention common article three, the War Crimes statutes, and many other statutes that are in place. So I do hope that he will embrace that.

'Justice' Dept. Wants to Erase 4th Amendment, FBI to Have Gestapo Power

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:31:07 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Attorney General Mukasey (neocon) wants to give broad powers to the FBI as if the 4th amendment is nothing at all instead of supreme law.

The Justice Department said Wednesday that in light of requests from members of Congress for more information, Mr. Mukasey would agree not to sign the new guidelines before a Sept. 17 Congressional hearing.

Can you believe this absolute corruption and blatant attempt to usurp power for federal policing? There will actually be a hearing in America's Congress to determine whether the 4th amendment will still stand--which forbids searches without probable cause! This right after the annual Sept. 11th propaganda campaign to justify ANY NEW POWERS the government wants, the Constitution notwithstanding.

Mukasey has no Constitutional authority to sign or authorize this (the Constitution is above Mukasey, as well as Bush and Congress), but he wants to, after a good propaganda campaign to justify it as "necessary".

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

New Guidelines Would Give F.B.I. Broader Powers

WASHINGTON — A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion, Democratic lawmakers briefed on the details said Wednesday.

The senators said the new guidelines would allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American, conduct surveillance, pry into private records and take other investigative steps “without any basis for suspicion.” The plan “might permit an innocent American to be subjected to such intrusive surveillance based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities,” the letter said.

As the end of the Bush administration nears, the White House has been seeking to formalize in law and regulation some of the aggressive counterterrorism steps it has already taken in practice since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Tags: mukasey, fbi, 4th amendment, constitution, surveillance, warrantless searches

Proposed FBI rules could allow spying on innocent

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:54:50 GMT

clipped by: A53GG4

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

Proposed FBI rules could allow spying on innocent

WASHINGTON (AP) — Proposed rules to help the FBI catch terrorists could lead to innocent Americans being spied upon by government agents or informants, "all without any basis for suspicion," a group of Democratic senators said Wednesday.

The rules, known as the attorney general guidelines, have not been approved or even released yet, but four Democrats joined a growing chorus of lawmakers raising objections after being briefed on what the guidelines will say.

Among their fears: Americans could be targeted in part based on their race, ethnicity or religion or free speech activities protected by the U.S. Constitution.

"As you know, attorney general guidelines were first implemented in the wake of the FBI abuses of the 1960's and 1970's, and serve as one of the most important bulwarks against future abuses," the senators said in a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

Tags: politics

In Case You Missed These Stories

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:11:16 GMT

clipped by: katsteevns

Clip Source: www.consortiumnews.com

Bushistas Trashing Our Government On Their Way Out

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:53:54 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: It'll take decades (if the Empire doesn't fall anyway) to fix the damage done by these pricks.

Clip Source: www.ourfuture.org

Yesterday, the Bush Justice Department announced there would be no prosecutions for the illegal political hiring that went on the Justice Department (link via Knitting Liberally). And, the Bush Interior Department announced new proposed rules that would eliminate independent scientific reviews of projects that could harm endangered species.

The two developments both speak to a disturbing but wholly predictable development. Conservatives want to finish the job of crippling the civil service and trashing our government on their way out the door.

The Bushies were busted in their politicization of the Justice Department, but Attorney General Michael Mukasey has now made it clear that accountability will be quite limited. Further, as noted here before, the politicization of the civil service is far from limited to the Justice Department.

To ensure the civil service stays crippled, conservatives want to "burrow" into the civil service, to hobble future White House administrations

Fitzmas Surprise - Coal in Their Stockings

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:13:45 GMT

clipped by: bmeuppls
clipper's remarks: All together now, AWWWW....

Clip Source: jammiewearingfool.blogspot.com

First, Michael Mukasey says there will be no prosecutions forthcoming in the Justice Department nonscandal, and now comes the delicious news that non-undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame has her bogus lawsuit against Vice President Cheney dismissed.

Mukasey: "Not Every Wrong, Or Even Every Violation Of The Law, Is A Crime"

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:35:23 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Wait? WHAT! WTF!!!!

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

NEW YORK — No criminal prosecutions are planned for former Justice Department officials accused of allowing politics to influence the hiring of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Tuesday.

Mukasey used his sharpest words yet to criticize the senior leaders who took part in or failed to stop illegal hiring practices during the tenure of his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales.

But, he told delegates to the American Bar Association annual meeting, "Not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime. In this instance, the two joint reports found only violations of the civil service laws."

The political controversies prompted Gonzales' resignation last year.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said Mukasey "seems intent on insulating this administration from accountability."

Tags: law, order, justice, criminal, gop, republicans, corruption, wtf

Not Every Violation of the Law is a Crime: US Attorney General

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:02:08 GMT

clipped by: dulios

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Justice Staffers Won't Be Prosecuted For Illegal Hiring Practices

NEW YORK — Former Justice Department officials will not face prosecution for letting improper political considerations drive hirings of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Tuesday.

he told delegates to the American Bar Association annual meeting, "not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime. In this instance, the two joint reports found only violations of the civil service laws."

An internal investigation concluded last month that for nearly two years, top advisers to Gonzales discriminated against applicants for career jobs who weren't Republican or conservative loyalists.

The federal government makes a distinction between "career" and "political" appointees, and it's a violation of civil service laws and Justice Department policy to hire career employees on the basis of political affiliation or allegiance.

Tags: justice department, alberto gonzalez, michael mukasey, monica goodling, hiring practices, discrimination

No Reprieve For Texas Death-Row Inmate Medellín

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:47:50 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Mr. Medellín, a Mexican citizen, confessed to police within three hours of his arrest but contends he was never afforded his rights under the long-standing Vienna Convention. The treaty guarantees foreign citizens a right to receive legal aid from their consulates when they are detained in another country.

Clip Source: www.dallasnews.com

AUSTIN – The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously voted Monday against a reprieve for José Medellín, whose scheduled execution today has frayed relations with Mexico and the International Court of Justice.

Mr. Medellín's case has prompted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Attorney General Michael Mukasey to ask Gov. Rick Perry for Texas' help in the case, but thus far the governor's office said he is disinclined to give "additional protection" to the condemned inmate.

Mr. Medellín, 33, was convicted of the 1993 gang rape and murder of Elizabeth Pena, 16, of Houston. Jennifer Ertman, 14, was also killed when the two friends came upon a gang initiation on their way home.

Tags: josé medellín, convicted of gang rape and murder, elizabeth pena, l6, jennifer ertman, 14, teenage victims

Avoiding ‘CSI Kandahar’

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:26:41 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: they’ve just invalidated — decided the job is better done by politically unaccountable courts … the better to spare Nadler and his cohort from telling voters exactly what protections they’d lavish on the people trying to kill us.

The attorney general begs to differ. The justices ruled that detainees get judicial review, but, as he posits, they “stopped well short of detailing how the habeas corpus proceedings must be conducted.” Many significant questions remain open, and, Mukasey rightly insists, “it is well within the historic role and competence of Congress and the executive branch to attempt to resolve them.”

LAYING DOWN MARKERS
The Justice Department has to live with the chaos caused by Boumediene’s dumping of approximately 270 combatants on the district courts with no guidance about how the cases should be handled. Fans of Kennedy & Co. laughably point to this as a demonstration of the high Court’s restraint. In Justice Antonin Scalia’s apt dissenting phrase [...]

Clip Source: article.nationalreview.com

‘We don’t have to pass anything,” smirked Jerrold Nadler to Newsweek. “Let the courts deal with it.”

Democrats are forever saying they “support” — who need a helping hand. So here was Nadler, giving his usual thumbs-down to a Justice Department plea that Congress provide them, and the nation, with something other than the usual empty words.

The plea came on Monday. Attorney General Michael Mukasey gave a major speech at the American Enterprise Institute. It was a thoughtful request that our lawmakers do their job in the wake of last month’s catastrophic Supreme Court ruling that granted alien enemy combatants a constitutional right to habeas corpus

Justice Anthony Kennedy’s imperious majority opinion in Boumediene v. Bush ran roughshod over carefully crafted legislation by which Congress had balanced wartime security and due process. Such balancing, of course, is the legislature’s job. Yet, like Nadler, five of our esteemed justices — despite having asked Congress to pass the very laws

Tags: justice anthony kennedy, boumediene v. bush, attorney general michael mukasey,

4 Senate Dems urge EPA chief to resign

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:48:07 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: I've watched this foot-dragging, Bush's-ass-kissing hack testify on C-SPAN and he is one of the most frustratingly not-so-subtle stonewallers ever to grace a Congressional hearing.

Clip Source: www.sfgate.com

Four Senate Democrats called on EPA chief Stephen Johnson to resign Tuesday, alleging that he gave misleading testimony to Congress and repeatedly bowed to pressure from the White House to avoid regulating greenhouse gases.

California Sen. Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and three other Democrats on the panel - Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey - also announced they are urging Attorney General Michael Mukasey to investigate whether Johnson made false statements to Congress. Mukasey's office said it was still reviewing the request late Tuesday.

The pressure on Johnson is part of an escalating battle between Democrats in Congress and the White House over climate change policy. Democrats are seizing on new evidence that Johnson overrode the opinions of Environmental Protection Agency scientists and reversed two of his own decisions at the request of the White House.