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http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0704/S00350.htm
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Michael Collins: Did Bush Commit Election Fraud?
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By Michael Collins
“Scoop” Independent News
Washington, DC
Part 1 of a 2 part series
There is sufficient evidence in
the public domain to strongly suspect that Bush committed election fraud in the
handling of the U.S. Attorney firings.
Before examining the evidence,
it’s important to know the difference between the contrived construct of voter
fraud and election fraud, a very real phenomenon.
A Critical Distinction: Voter
versus Election Fraud
Lorraine C. Minnite, PhD of
Barnard College, Columbia University makes the distinction in the introduction
to her comprehensive study:
Voter
fraud is the “intentional corruption of the electoral process by the voter.”
…willingly giving false information to establish voter eligibility, and
knowingly and willingly voting illegally or participating in a conspiracy to
encourage illegal voting by others. All other forms of corruption of
the electoral process … (by) elected or election officials, candidates, party
organizations, advocacy groups or campaign workers (is)… election fraud.
Minnite points out there were
only 24 convictions or guilty pleas
(page 9) for voter fraud at the federal level between 2002 and 2005. That’s of
real interest since the White House has an orchestrated campaign to promote the notion that this is a
national epidemic.
While zero occurrences of voter
fraud would be admirable, 24 hardly constitute an epidemic. The contrived voter
fraud epidemic is used as justification for voter
identification laws in at least 22 states which keep minority and
poor voters away from the polls. The voter identification requirements,
just one example of Department of Justice voter suppression, create a barrier to voting because the
many minority voters lack the required identifications. Even the former head of the Department of Justice Voting
Rights division agrees with the political use of voting laws since 2001.
Enough on voter fraud, whether
real or contrived. Election fraud is the subject right now, the ultimate corruption
of the electoral process.
New Mexico Meltdown
New Mexico U.S. Attorney David
Iglesias is at the center of what may become a constitutional crisis.
Cong. Heather Wilson (R-NM)
trailed her Democratic opponent in the first congressional district. She needed
help. It appears that she requested a boost from
U.S. Attorney Iglesias in the form of a timely pre election scandal involving a
prominent Democrat. That’s how Iglesias read
her phone call concerning a pre election indictment.
Sen. Pete Domenici, (R-NM) called Iglesias as well. According to Iglesias, there
was a clearly implied request for a pre
midterm Democratic sacrifice at the altar of election injustice. Iglesias
reports that when he refused on the grounds that he lacked evidence (one of
those minor details that tends to annoy those in power), Domenici simply stayed
on the phone … silent.
Iglesias was gone in a heartbeat
for not cooperating with a prosecution that would influence the 2006 midterm
elections in his state. But who made the decision? Fingers were pointed but
nothing stuck until last week. The Albuquerque
Journal reports that during talks with Sen. Domenici, Attorney
General Alberto Gonzales refused to fire Iglesias unless the president
gave the OK.
Well, Iglesias was fired wasn’t
he? Gonzales denied culpability, inferring his DOJ subordinate Kyle Sampson
made those decisions. Sampson fired that charge
back at Gonzales. But the Albuquerque Journal article provides
the missing piece. Gonzales wouldn’t move on Iglesias without a Bush sanction.
How do these pieces fit together?
It’s simple. Wilson needed help.
Both Wilson and Domenici called Iglesias. No deal Iglesias said. Then
Domenici made the call to Gonzales who said, no way without a nod from Bush.
Iglesias was fired. Therefore, Bush is tagged for giving the order, Get rid
of him. Gonzales passed the word and the deed was done.
That sequence of events points
directly to Bush as the final decider. He’s told us “I’m the decider” in
public. Gonzales said as much to Domenici, no way unless the boss says so.
The problem is not only political
but legal. Pressuring a U.S. Attorney into a bogus indictment is a federal
crime. Domenici lawyered up after Iglesias described his conversation
with the senator. Gonzales and Sampson both denied initiating the call on the
firing. So it’s Bush, and only Bush, as the author of a punishment delivered to
a U.S. Attorney who failed to indict a citizen for purely political purposes.
Now that’s what you call a high
crime. Actually, it’s called election fraud, which is defined as
“corruption of the electoral process … (by) elected or election officials,
candidates, party organizations, advocacy groups or campaign workers.” Here we
have politicians actively planning improper and illegal acts to influence an
election through a contrived prosecution. It’s not that complicated.
High Crimes
The New Mexico affair is critical
to determining if and how election fraud was committed in the White House. We
have a lot of people talking, some getting lawyers, and a critical conversation
reported in the Albuquerque Journal,
15 April 2007:
In the
spring of 2006, Domenici told Gonzales he wanted Iglesias out.
Gonzales refused. He told Domenici he would fire
Iglesias only on orders from the president.
That’s the smoking gun. It’s the
vital link to Bush committing election fraud. He’s a politician, the senior
politician, corrupting the election process by replacing an honest
prosecutor with someone who will cooperate the next time the Senator and the
Congresswoman call with their requests that some prominent Democrat be indicted
to give a hand to a campaign.
There is enough testimony, from a
U.S. Attorney no less, to make a prima facie case that Bush
committed election fraud. Ironically, the probable election fraud took place
while the White House was promoting the Republican myth of voter fraud.
Let the impeachment process
begin.
Previous “Scoop” coverage
of the voter fraud scandal and the U.S. Attorneys:
END
Permission to reprint granted with an attribution to the author and a link
to this article in “Scoop” Independent News.