The Washington Stakeout

For recent background on this issue, see: Dave Lindorff’s “Huge Win for Impeachment in Vermont.”

Note that on March 25, Leahy avoided the question of impeachment from Washington Stakeout.

Also see “Democrats Take Cover from Impeachment by Focusing on Gonzales” at husseini.org.

Transcript

Sam Husseini: The Vermont State Senate just voted overwhelmingly for an impeachment resolution against Bush and Cheney. You put out a statement basically opposing that. Why are you in effect defending —

Senator Patrick Leahy: That’s not what I said.

SH: — why are you —

PL: Let me finish. That’s not what I said.

SH: Sure.

PL: Read that statement and the press have it if you have other questions.

SH: What was the statement?

PL: I think one of the things —

SH: — describe your position —

PL: — I think one of the things we’re gonna find with the Attorney General — he has lost the confidence of many in the Senate. Both Republicans and Democrats, as well as in the House. As well as the American people. But if he is to be replaced, he has to be replaced with somebody who says that they’ll be independent. The reason we have the problems we now have is that the White House was allowed, for the first time in the history of the Department of Justice, first time, they were allowed to go in and interfere with ongoing prosecutions, allowed to interfere with the justice system. And as a result, we have had people hurt in law enforcement, from the cop on the beat all the way up through. If there is another attorney general, it has to be somebody who is willing to swear that they will never allow the White House to do this. Now, I would hope whoever the next president is realizes that the criminal justice system in this country is something we all need, and need to have as independent with total integrity. We can never allow, never allow, this sort of interference with our prosecutors of the criminal justice system again.

SH: Senator, I’m not asking — I’m asking about the impeachment proceedings. Why are you defending the President from impeachment? Senator —

… [Leahy turns to field another question about gun control] …

PL: I was a prosecutor for eight years. I could never imagine having the governor of our state, for example, telling me who I could prosecute and who I can’t and how I should do it. Basically, they allowed in the federal system, for the president to do that and that’s wrong.

SH: Senator, why are you in effect shielding the President? You have an impeachment movement that got the State Senate in your own state and you’re in effect shielding —

PL: I think that anybody who looks at the investigations that I’ve had, what I’ve had done, nobody in their right mind would say I’m shielding the President.

[Leahy walks away]

SH: From the impeachment effort. You didn’t answer my que —

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On March 25 Sam Husseini spoke with Senator Orrin Hatch outside of CNN’s Washington studios. Hatch claimed that Saddam kicked out the UN weapons inspectors, contradicting the public record that the inspectors were withdrawn. Hatch also claimed that Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the IAEA, told him that the inspectors could not get any further than they did, although ElBaradei is also on the public record as having asked for more time and attesting to working inspections.

Continue reading for a transcript of the exchange.

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Samir Al Sumadaie, the Iraqi Ambassador to the United States, was questioned outside the studios of CNN in Washington, D.C. on March 25.Continue reading for a transcript of the exchange. (more…)

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Senator Hagel was questioned about recent reports of Kurdish militias receiving U.S. support and operating out of Iraq to launch attacks into Iran. The Senator said he had no knowledge of these reports. Sam Husseini also questioned Hagel about his vote to give the President the authorization to use force and the lead-up to the Iraq war. When Husseini pressed that some public information existed at the time that could cause one to doubt the President’s claims before the war, Hagel insisted that “the entire intelligence community of this government, all 16 agencies,” and our allies were all convinced of the existence of weapons of mass destruction, although Hagel also admitted regretting his vote.

Continue reading for a transcript of the exchange.

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Sam Husseini asked Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont about investigating the White House in regards to impeachment proceedings. The Senator spoke about other investigations under way, but did not address the issue of impeachment. This exchange took place on March 25, 2007.

Sam Husseini: Senator, townspeople all over your state of Vermont have recently voted for impeachment. Do you think that the facts and the constitution, not the politics, but the facts on the Constitution merit at least investigating Bush and Cheney for impeachment?

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT): We have a great deal of investigation going on and you’ll see Kyle Samp son, the Assistant to the Attorney General appear before my committee under oath on Thursday this week and I’ve already go the authority for subpoenas for many others. There’s not going to be a lack of asking questions. Thank you.

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On Sunday, March 18, Sam Husseini spoke with Senatory John Cornyn (R-TX), outside of the studios of ABC News. Cornyn, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee among his other assignments, expressed the opinion that Iran represents “a very real threat” but that he did not anticipate the US to attack Iran unless something “no one of us expects happens.” On whether Bush should seek another authorization of force, Cornyn said “I think that would be the proper order of things.” When later asked about Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons in the region and how that might play into the dynamic that may fuel Iran alleged pursuit of the same, Cornyn refused to acknowledge Israel’s weapons and stated that “no comparison” could be drawn between Israel and Iran in part because Israel is a US ally.

Sam Husseini also inquired about the Republicans threat of a filibuster on legislation regulating the funding of the Iraq war in contrast to the Republicans decrying the possibility of Democrats filibustering Bush administration nominees. The Senator said he saw a difference between filibustering legislation and, as he saw it, unconstitutionally hindering a President’s nominations.

Appended is a transcript of the exchange.

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Outside the Capitol Hill studios of Fox News, Sam Husseini asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about claims she made — as National Security Advisor with then Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2001 — that Saddam Hussein’s “military forces have not been rebuilt.” Claims made not too long before the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States in part on the asserted premise of Iraq being a military threat.

In February of 2001, Colin Powell said: “He has not developed any significant capabilities with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors.” In July of 2001, Condoleeza Rice is on the record as saying, “…we are able to keep arms from him [Saddam Hussein]. His military forces have not been rebuilt.”

Both of those statements are documented in a film by journalist John Pilger and a relevant clip from the film of these quotes is available on YouTube.

With no response to that line of questioning, Husseini queried Rice on a widely accepted fact that has not been officially acknowledged by the United States — Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons.

However, the Secretary of State stopped for no-one, and drove off into the morning snowstorm.

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