Scandalous Emails Suggest Karl Rove Knew of Federal Attorney Firings of Non-Bush Loyalists

MTB is currently working on obtaining the original emails, but a preliminary leak of the documents show the following: (UPDATE: VIEW PDF of "Karl Rove Email")

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales considered eliminating low-performing federal prosecuters but was told by a top aide that such a house-cleaning "would certainly send ripples through the U.S. attorney community if we told folks they got one term only."

The emails between Gonzales and his former chief aide, Kyle Sampson, indicate that at least 15 percent to 20 percent of federal prosecutors were slated to be eliminated.

An email between two White House staffers dated Jan. 6, 2005 is causing particular concern for the Bush administration.

The email, titled "Question from Karl Rove," "Karl Rove stopped by to ask you (roughly quoting), `How we planned to proceed regarding US Attorneys, whether we were going to allow all to stay, request resignations from all and accept only some of them, or selectively replace them, etc.,'" Colin Newman, legal aide to the White House counsel, wrote in the email to deputy counsel David Leitch.

The AP is reporting that Leitch forwarded the email to Sampson. Then, on Jan. 9th, Sampson replied:

"Judge and I discussed briefly a couple of weeks ago," Sampson wrote. The "judge" is actually Gonzales who was once a Texas state Supreme Court justice.

"The vast majority of U.S. Attorneys, 80-85 percent, I would guess, are doing a great job, are loyal Bushies, etc., etc.," he said.

About other attorneys who were 'dangling' Sampson wrote: "Although they serve at the pleasure of the President, it would be weird to ask them to leave before completing at least a 4-year term."

Sampson quit this week. The White House counsel has no comment at this time to the emails.

Politically, Sampson said the firings would upset home-state senators who recommended the prosecutors who lost their jobs. "That said, if Karl thinks there would be political will to do it, than so do I," Sampson wrote.