Tuesday Afternoon Roundup
A few midday bites:
New Mexico: Fired prosecutor David Iglesias testified today, noting feeling pressured by Pajamas Pete Domenici:
Colorado: The Hill reports on the close relationship between new CO-GOP Chair Dick Wadhams and potential Senate candidate Bob Schaffer (I'm sure much to the dismay of current Senate candidate Scott McInnis). (Hat tip: Colorado Pols) Hmmm, will this defuse or inflame the divided factions of the CO-GOP? I am so looking forward to a McInnis-Schaffer primary!
New Hampshire: New Hampshire Senate candidates Steve Marchand and Katrina Swett have their campaign websites up and running. Take a look and get involved!
A fired federal prosecutor told a Senate committee Tuesday that he felt "leaned on" and sickened as Republican Sen. Pete Domenici hung up on him in disgust last fall when told that indictments in a corruption case against Democrats would not be issued before the fall elections."Unprecedented" pressure from Domenici on Iglesias to expedite an ongoing investigation for political gain - more than a little dicey. It also doesn't help Domenici or Republicans in general that "the White House was 'aware of [Domenici's] concerns.'" The ball has only started to roll on this - and it will prolong the broader "corrupt Republicans under investigation" meme that is currently flagshipped by the Scooter Libby conviction.
"He said, 'Are these going to be filed before November?'" former federal prosecutor David Iglesias, one of eight U.S. attorneys summarily fired in recent months, told the panel. "I said I didn't think so. And to which he replied, 'I'm very sorry to hear that.' And then the line went dead." ...
Iglesias said he received the call from Dominici at home on Oct. 26 or 27 and that it lasted two minutes, "tops."
"I felt leaned on. I felt pressured to get these matters moving," Iglesias testified.
Asked by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., whether such a call was unusual in Iglesias' experience, the former prosecutor answered, "Unprecedented."
posted by Senate2008Guru | 3:58 PM
4 Comments:
I think that Dick Wadhams might be a problem for Sen. Schumer in CO for a few reasons.
1) He is not going to deal with the national press like in VA.
2) He knows CO in and out.
3) He is there to unite the party, and he is good at it.
the zoom - While Wadhams has been around, the CO-GOP is far more fractured than any state GOP he has dealt with before. If he had more control, stories like this about his close relationship with Schaffer wouldn't see the light of day. And if he had more control and discipline, he wouldn't have let George Allen give birth to the "macaca" incident. The divided CO-GOP could be too overwhelming to bring together - we'll see as events unfold.
Wadhams is working vary hard to avoid a primary, and I talked to a top strategist from CO and he told me, that there is a big chance that Schaffer won't run.
You might be happy to hear that in CO 5 where Dug Lamboren won after a thought primary fight with Jeff Crank. Crank is preparing to run again.
If the Democrats couldn't pick up CO-05 as an open seat during a strong national wave in '06, there's no chance they can pick it up in '08, regardless of any primary.
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