Holder Announces Criminal Investigation of Wall Street

I know it won't amount to much of anything (how can you seriously investigate your 'employers'?), but it's a good sign, on a symbolic level, if nothing else.

No Problems at ACORN

Now that THAT monumental problem has been cleared up, can we investigate Halliburton, and KBR, and Blackwater, and Goldman, and Halliburton (so nice, it's needs it twice!)

Hang 'Em All?

Well, at least indict them. With the incoming Obama administration waffling on whether or not there should be investigations of the outgoing administration, Paul Krugman weighs in today and says, in no uncertain terms, that we MUST investigate, and prosecute where required.

Now, it's true that a serious investigation of Bush-era abuses would make Washington an uncomfortable place, both for those who abused power and those who acted as their enablers or apologists. And these people have a lot of friends. But the price of protecting their comfort would be high: If we whitewash the abuses of the past eight years, we'll guarantee that they will happen again.

'Special' Prosecutor for CIA Tapes Mess?

AG Mukasey has appointed an 'outside' prosecutor to investigate the destruction of the CIA torture tapes. Just how independent he'll be is open to debate, but given posts on TPM today, it sounds like he'll be somewhere between a Bu$hCo lapdog and Patrick Fitzgerald. Either way, it's a start.

Orville Redenbacher's Gonna Get Rich

Leahy was on Press the Meat today, and, well, as Josh points out, 'This could get ugly.'

More Popcorn

Before the election, I wanted the Dems to get at least one house of Congress so we could have us some fine ol' investigations. Well, I got my wish in spades: Gonzo, the entire DOJ, Libbygate, Abramoff and friends, and on and on. And now, a new, and potential truly entertaining(in the way that car wrecks and the Hindenburg are entertaining) one in the form of Halliburton. Time to pop that corn and line up the cold beverages!!

Another Fine Mess....

A really good wrap-up of the OTHER Monica Goodling mess at TPM......

The accusation focuses on Goodling's meddling in a particular group of hires: entry-level attorneys working for acting or interim U.S. attorneys -- in other words, U.S.A.s who had not been confirmed by the Senate. The New York Times explains:

...when an interim United States attorney is in place, one who has not been confirmed by the Senate, he or she must seek the approval of officials at department headquarters [to hire attorneys], a rule that perhaps allowed Ms. Goodling to investigate the political backgrounds of the applicants.

As the Justice Department has underlined, if Goodling was checking to see if these applicants were Republicans before hiring them, that would be against the law.

An interesting note at the end of the post:

Note: The Wall Street Journal adds some insight into what the Justice Department deems newsworthy:

In mid-March, The Wall Street Journal sought information from the Justice Department on Ms. Goodling's role in the selection of [entry-level assistant U.S. attorneys]. The department turned down a request for expedited handling of the Journal's query, citing that it "does not believe the specific topic of your request is the subject of widespread and exceptional media interest."

Then Put Her Ass in Jail

Or if the Bushies won't enforce a contempt citation, start impeachment procedings left and right. Unbelievable.... Condi "Exxon Valdez II" Rice says she's "not inclined" to honor the current Congressional subpoenas.