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December 14, 2005

Congressional Omerta Update

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The penultimate paragraph of the original "Congressional Omerta" article in AT made this prognostication concerning the Barrett Report:

The American public will hear of the published—but—restricted contents of Section V via anonymous leak and innuendo, and the redacted portions will be subject to surmise based upon political advantage. The order by the Court of Appeals is a compromise that will satisfy no one.

The current Evans—Novak Political Report gives a very clear example of what we can expect to see dribble out over the coming months:

The report contains shocking allegations of high—level corruption in the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department under Clinton, which Barrett found as Clinton aides monitored his investigation and sought to derail it in order to cover up the Cisneros matter. A regional IRS official had formulated a new rule enabling him to transfer an investigation of Cisneros to Washington to be buried by the Justice Department. Barrett's investigators found Lee Radek, head of Justice's public integrity division, determined to protect President Bill Clinton.

The article, "Information Of The People" explores the rationale of the importance of the citizens of the United States having the best available information at their disposal at all times. Actions by members of either party which seek to circumvent statutory authority either through clever manipulation of a seemingly compliant court system or through the legislative chicanery elucidated by Evans—Novak are worthy of the politburo of the former USSR. They have no place in American politics and the limp compliance of the Republican members of the oversight committee give rise to suspicions that their future political opponents may well voice. The quid is very visible and of some value, what was the quo?

Clarice Feldman explained the costs of this type of political tactic very well in "A Culture of Strife." The damaging leak from an "anonymous" source is nothing new — we can be reasonably certain that the Roman Senate was at least as careful as the American Senate in its use of quid pro quo for the untidy burial of unseemly conduct. The powerful have always found ways to try and sweep their abusive "indiscretions" under the carpet. There was a time when America had a press that delighted in uncovering those indiscretions but that was before reporters became journalists. Today it falls to the citizenry to demand that statutes be followed by those who presumed to pass them.

The Independent Counsel Statute calls for each counsel to send his report to the National Archives — presumably for perusal of the citizenry of the United States. It is incumbent upon that citizenry to demand that the statute be followed. The Barrett Report must published in full — IC Barrett has discharged his duties in an admirable manner under constant partisan sniping and the American public should see to it that the fruit of he and his team's effort is delivered into the hands for which it was intended.

The elected officials who have not abdicated their responsibility in this matter need encouragement to continue, their contact information follows:

Sen. Chuck Grassley
135 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510—1501
202.224.3744

Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr.
2449 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515—4905
Telephone: (202) 225—5101

Rick Ballard  12 14 05