Why is Senator Chuck Schumer using taxpayer money to promote Democrats?

This scandal will not get near the coverage the bogus fired US attorneys non-scandal has (emphasis added):

On the one hand, Schumer is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee investigating the firing of 8 US Attorneys. Schumer suspects the firings were political. At a hearing on Wednesday, he questioned former New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias about phone calls he received from Domenici and another New Mexico Republican, Rep. Heather Wilson about possible inditments of Democrats in a corruption investigation ahead of last November’s midterm election.

Schumer followed up on his hearing today, when he issued a written statement that said, “Now that it’s clear that there was a concerted effort to purge an impressive crop of U.S. Attorneys, the next step is to identify and question those responsible for hatching this scheme to use U.S. Attorneys as pawns in a political chess game.”

On the other hand, Schumer is chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC), which is responsible for getting more Democrats elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008. The DSCC Chuck Schumer is benefitting from the Judiciary Committee Chuck Schumer continuing his investigation.

The DSCC, under the name of spokesman Matthew Miller, issued two separate press releases on Thursday attacking Domenici with regard to the Iglesias matter. The first release, entitled “Changing tunes again, Domenici says he can’t recall violating Senate ethics rules,” points journalists toward apparently contradictory statements by Domenici.

While the Senate Ethics committee, after receiving a complaint about Domenici from an outside watchdog group, has presumably opened a preliminary inquiry into the matter, there has been no ruling that Domenici violated any rules. A second draws attention to the hiring by Domenici of Lee Blalack, a Washington attorney who also represented disgraced former Republican Congressman Duke Cunningham. Cunningham is serving time in federal prison for taking bribes. It is notable that the prosecutor who oversaw the prosecution of Cunningham, former San Diego U.S. Attorney Caol Lam, was one of the eight prosecutors that Senator Schumer says was fired for political reasons.

Paul Kane at the WaPo’s Capitol Briefing blog has more:

This dual role was on display last week, when Schumer led a Tuesday hearing at which fired U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias charged that veteran Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) pressured him to bring indictments against local Albuquerque Democrats just before the midterm elections. Schumer slowly walked Iglesias through the phone call he received from Domenici, asking him how he felt afterward. That prompted Iglesias to say he felt “sickened” by it. “I felt leaned on, I felt pressured,” he told Schumer.

Those allegations have prompted a Senate Ethics Committee inquiry.

One day after the Schumer-led hearing, his top aide at the DSCC sent out an attack e-mail to financial supporters questioning the ethics of Domenici – who is up for reelection in 2008 and is considered likely to cruise to a seventh term unless he retires or some scandal tarnishes his reputation.

In harsh tones, Schumer’s aide said that Domenici has given various accounts explaining the call: “He has been less than forthcoming and has given his constituents every reason to question his honesty and his fitness to be a United States Senator.”

The aide, J.B. Poersch, executive director of the DSCC, added a “P.S.” note in which he advised supporters that he asked the DSCC research department “to go deep inside the Domenici case.”

Schumer defends his dual role, saying that he started looking into the dismissals of the prosecutors long before Iglesias lobbed his charges against Domenici, as well as Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.), whom he accused of also pressuring him.

“We’re taking it where it leads,” Schumer told Capitol Briefing of his probe. “We had no idea it involved anyone from the House or Senate. Instead of complaining, [Republicans] ought to help us get to the bottom of it.”

In other words, “Shut up and ignore that I’m playing politics with this issue in order to benefit my party while using taxpayer money.”

Do these people have any shame?

stackja says:

March 15, 2007 at 8:36 pm

Do these people have any shame? No!
Dems lost the ability for shame since the 1960 election they “won”. Dead voters vote for Dems, early and often. Schemer continues the 1960 tradition of Dem politics.

Great White Rat says:

March 15, 2007 at 11:55 pm

That’s a rhetorical question, right, ST??

This is actually small potatoes for Schumer. Let’s not forget his role last year as head of the DSCC when his staffers hacked into Michael Steele’s credit report after stealing his Social Security number. To compound the offense, Schumer knew about this for two months and failed to notify the proper authorities about it. That, my friends, is called identity theft, and it’s a federal crime.

I’d love to see one of the witnesses at these show trials Schumer’s running – AG Gonzalez, preferably – casually remark that they’re opening a thorough investigation of that incident. The look on Schumer’s face would be priceless.

March 15, 2007 at 11:57 pm

Link to the details about illegally obtaining Steele’s credit report is here.

Baklava says:

March 16, 2007 at 12:30 am

I am breathless and taken aback at Rove’s ROLE in attorney’s being fired.

This is now the evidence that Rove should be removed and Clinton’s presidency should be ROLLED back. We should ALL set our clock’s back to 1993 and have a DO OVER. No attorney’s should get fired. They all have the power to stay on their jobs no matter what the president wants.

2007-1993 = a Baklava that is much younger !!! WOOHOOO….