Attorney General Holder Needs to Resign

(11 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

So, we learn today that Attorney General Eric Holder will not prosecute Bradley Schlozman for perjuring himself before Congress:

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder has decided not to bring any criminal charges against a former Bush administration official who lawmakers said lied to them in sworn testimony.

If the Attorney General will not enforce the law, he needs to resign his office.

This decision is not the first time that the Attorney General has refused to enforce the law.  This is merely the most “in your face” lack of enforcement to date:

The investigation of Schlozman was among a number of probes that found senior Justice Department officials in the Bush administration had violated civil service laws under the tenure of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

The Justice Department controversies – in particular the firing of nine U.S. attorneys – led to Gonzales’ resignation in 2007.

The report on Schlozman said he politicized and mistreated his staff and tried to punish agency employees he believed were too liberal. The report cited a 2003 e-mail in which Schlozman noted it had been awhile since he had had to “scream with a bloodcurdling cry at some commie.”

The report was clear; Bradley Schlozman politicized his decisions.  The perjury was clear; he lied to Congress when he claimed he never politicized his decisions.  What we learned about Eric Holder is that he will not enforce the laws of our country regardless of how egregious the criminal activity, nor, how much evidence of criminal activity he is given.

It is time for us to call for his resignation.  Email the Department of Justice at [email protected] and let Attorney General Holder that it is time for him to step down.

Dear Attorney General,

Today, the citizens of the United States learned that your office has declined to prosecute Bradley Schlozman for perjuring himself before Congress.  This is not the first time your office has declined to uphold the rule of law in our country.  It is, however, the most “in your face, America” decision to date.

The report provided to your office concerning the politicization of the Department of Justice by the Bush administration was quite clear; Mr. Schlozman based decisions on political affiliation.  Congressional hearings confirmed, through Monica Goodling, that indeed federal laws had been violated.  Your office was provided with emails from Mr. Scholzman where he spoke about the politicization.  That laws were violated were not in question, nor, that there was not enough evidence to prosecute the individuals.  You have simply chosen to ignore the fact that laws were broken.

Over the years, more and more evidence has come to light that the Bush administration tortured prisoners in our custody.  You, however, have refused to prosecute those who instituted those policies, leaving that to the rest of the world.  Prosecutor’s in Spain are already going forward with their prosecution of the lawyers that gave George W. Bush the “cover” to use torture.  As you, and many, are aware, they would not have jurisdiction to do so if you had upheld the rule of law here in America.  It is your own inaction, your own lack of respect for the rule of law, that has given Spain the jurisdiction to proceed.  

Instead of restoring integrity to the office, you have further turned your office, and the Department of Justice, into a national embarrassment.  After Alberto Gonzales` incompetence, that is quite the accomplishment.  But, you have managed to succeed.  In appointing a special prosecutor with the instructions that only those individuals who tortured above and beyond the torture “authorized”, you have not only further damaged the tarnished reputation of the Departement into a total mockery of Justice.  Worse, you have ensured that future administrations will feel free to subject our nation to even more egregious criminal actions.

With each unprosecuted action, the crimes of administrations over the course of decades has grown worse.  With President Nixon, it was breaking and entering to gain political advantage.  With President Reagan, it was the illegal sale of arms to Iran in Iran-Contra.  With George W. Bush, it was illegal wiretapping, lying our nation into a war with Iraq, and torturing of prisoners.  What will our nation have to endure in the future because you have decided not to uphold your duty as Attorney General?  What even more egregious crimes will future generations be subjected to because you have no respect for the rule of law you swore to uphold?

As a veteran of our armed forces who has served in Iraq and a former law enforcement officer, I am appalled by the total disregard for the law that your office has shown to date.  President Obama told America that he would bring back the rule of law.  Your actions have put the lie to that promise; you will not stand up for the rule of law as Attorney General.  You have turned your back on criminal acts, on evidence, on your duty, on your nation and its citizens.

You, Sir, should resign your post and allow it to be filled by someone who truly understands the duties of the position.

Michael Gass

Our nation deserves an Attorney General that will return our nation to the rule of law.