GANGSTER GOVERNMENT by Greg Palast

[Guest guest]

" Mike Hersh " <mikehersh

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 22:17:02 -0400

GANGSTER GOVERNMENT by Greg Palast

 

 

 

 

" Bush and Cheney withholding material information from the grand jury

is a felony. "

 

GANGSTER GOVERNMENT - A LEAKY PRESIDENT RUNS AFOUL OF 'LITTLE RICO'

by Greg Palast, Buzzflash - Sunday, April 9, 2006

 

It's a crime. No kidding. But the media has it all wrong. As usual.

 

'Scooter' Libby finally outed 'Mr. Big,' the perpetrator of the

heinous disclosure of the name of secret agent Valerie Plame. It was

the President of United States himself -- in conspiracy with his

Vice-President. Now the pundits are arguing over whether our

war-a-holic President had the legal right to leak this national

security information. But, that's a fake debate meant to distract you.

 

OK, let's accept the White House alibi that releasing Plame's identity

was no crime. But if that's true, they've committed a BIGGER crime:

Bush and Cheney knowingly withheld vital information from a grand jury

investigation, a multimillion dollar inquiry the perps themselves

authorized. That's akin to calling in a false fire alarm or calling

the cops for a burglary that never happened -- but far, far worse.

Let's not forget that in the hunt for the perpetrator of this

non-crime, reporter Judith Miller went to jail.

 

Think about that. While Miller sat in a prison cell, Bush and Cheney

were laughing their sick heads off, knowing the grand jury testimony,

the special prosecutor's subpoenas and the FBI's terrorizing newsrooms

were nothing but fake props in Bush's elaborate charade, Cheney's Big Con.

 

On February 10, 2004, our not-so-dumb-as-he-sounds President stated,

" Listen, I know of nobody -- I don't know of anybody in my

administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak

classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the

appropriate action. And this investigation is a good thing. ...And if

people have got solid information, please come forward with it. "

 

Notice Bush's cleverly crafted words. He says he can't name anyone who

leaked this " classified " info -- knowing full well he'd de-classified

it. Far from letting Bush off the hook, it worsens the crime. For

years, I worked as a government investigator and, let me tell you,

Bush and Cheney withholding material information from the grand jury

is a felony.

Several felonies, actually: abuse of legal process, fraud,

racketeering and, that old standby, obstruction of justice.

 

If you or I had manipulated the legal system this way, we'd be

breaking rocks on a chain gang. We wouldn't even get a trial -- most

judges would consider this a " fraud upon the court " and send us to the

slammer in minutes using the bench's power to administer instant

punishment for contempt of the judicial system.

 

Why'd they do it? The White House junta did the deed for the most evil

of motives: to hoodwink the public during the 2004 election campaign,

to pretend that evil anti-Bush elements were undermining the Republic,

when it was the Bush element itself at the center of the conspiracy.

(Notably, elections trickery also motivated Richard Nixon's " plumbers "

to break into the Watergate, then the Democratic Party campaign

headquarters.)

 

Let me draft the indictment for you as I would have were I still a

government gumshoe:

 

" Perpetrator Lewis Libby (alias, 'Scooter') contacted Miller; while

John Doe 1 contacted perpetrators' shill at the Washington Post, Bob

Woodward, in furtherance of a scheme directed by George Bush (alias

'The POTUS') and Dick Cheney (alias, 'The Veep') to release

intelligence information fraudulently proffered as 'classified,' and

thereinafter, knowingly withheld material evidence from a grand jury

empaneled to investigate said disclosure. Furthermore, perpetrator

'The POTUS' made material statements designed to deceive investigators

and knowingly misrepresent his state of knowledge of the facts. "

 

Statements aimed at misleading grand jury investigators are hard-time

offenses. It doesn't matter that Bush's too-clever little quip was

made to the press and not under oath. I've cited press releases and

comments in the New York Times in court as evidence of fraud. By not

swearing to his disingenuous statement, Bush gets off the perjury

hook, but he committed a crime nonetheless, " deliberate concealment. "

 

Here's how the law works (and hopefully, it will). The Bush gang's use

of the telephone in this con game constituted wire fraud. Furthermore,

while presidents may leak ( " declassify " ) intelligence information,

they may not obstruct justice; that is, send a grand jury on a wild

goose chase. Under the 'RICO' statute (named after the Edward G.

Robinson movie mobster, 'Little Rico'), the combination of these

crimes makes the Bush executive branch a " racketeering enterprise. "

 

So, book'm, Dan-o. Time to read The POTUS and The Veep their rights.

 

After setting their bail (following the impeachments and removals, of

course), a judge will have a more intriguing matter to address. The

RICO law requires the Feds to seize all " ill-gotten gains " of a

racketeering enterprise, even before trial. Usually we're talking fast

cars and diamond bling. But in this case, the conspirators' purloined

booty includes a stolen election and a fraudulently obtained

authorization for war. I see no reason why a judge could not impound

the 82d Airborne as " fruits of the fraud " -- lock, stock and gun

barrels -- and bring the boys home.

 

And if justice is to be done we will will also have to run yellow tape

across the gates at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue -- " CRIME SCENE - DO NOT

ENTER " -- and return the White House to its rightful owners, the

American people, the victims of this gangster government.

 

**********

Former racketeering investigator Greg Palast is author of " ARMED

MADHOUSE: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Class War, " to be

released in June. Subscribe to the new podcast of our columns at

http://www.GregPalast.com