What Did Bush Tell Gonzales?

Atlantic Monthly by Murray Waas | Sep. 27, 2008 (Special Report)

Sources say Alberto Gonzales now claims that President Bush personally directed him to John Ashcroft's hospital room in the infamous wiretap renewal incident

Although this president is famously known for rarely becoming immersed in the details--even on the issues he cares the most about--Gonzales has painted a picture of Bush as being very much involved when it came to his administration's surveillance program. Full Story »

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by Jim Lang - Oct. 1, 2008

This report cites unnamed sources as stating that Gonzales has told federal investigators that Bush put him up to trying to obtain Ashcroft's approval of the Bush surveillance program while Ashcroft lay ill and medicated in a hospital. The report then goes on to speculate as to Gonzales' motives in this admission and to rehash what is known about the disagreement between Bush and the Justice Department concerning the legality of that surveillance program. While I believe that the topic of the report is important, I view the content as a little bit of unvalidated news surrounded by a lot of window dressing.