During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey dropped a bombshell. Briefly, Comey recounted an attempt, by Alberto Gonzales and Andy Card, to have Ashcroft sign an Executive Order when Ashcroft was clearly incapacitated. This lawless behavior occurred at then-Attorney General John Ashcroft’s hospital bedside, while the AG was in a critical care unit, one day post-op, for medical and surgical treatment of Pancreatitis.
The situation Comey described in sworn testimony was riveting, and has provided clear and convincing evidence of professional misconduct by Alberto Gonzales, a member of the State Bar of Texas.
More below the fold.....
As a member of the Texas Bar, Alberto Gonzales is required to adhere to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, which state:
A lawyer’s conduct should conform to the requirements of the law, both in professional service to clients and in the lawyers business and personal affairs. A lawyer should use the law’s procedures only for legitimate purposes and not to harass or intimidate others. A lawyer should demonstrate respect for the legal system and for those that serve it, including judges, other lawyers and public officials. (page 3 )
Further, the Texas Bar defines misconduct and states:
A lawyer shall not:
(1) violate these rules, knowingly assist or induce another to do so, or do so through the acts of another, whether or not such violation occurred in the course of a client-lawyer relationship;
(2) commit a serious crime or commit any other criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other respects;
(3) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;
(4) engage in conduct constituting obstruction of justice;
(5) state or imply an ability to influence improperly a government agency or official.
.....snip.....
(page 110-111)
It’s time to file a grievance with the Texas Bar Against Alberto Gonzales!
Although we, as American Citizens, may not technically be considered a "client" of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, this handy FAQ pamphlet indicates that anyone (with knowledge of suspected misconduct) may file a complaint:
Must I be the person who hired the lawyer in order to file a complaint?
No. Any person with knowledge of what they believe to be professional misconduct by a lawyer has the ability to file a complaint
If you are interested in filing a complaint against Alberto Gonzales, here is a PDF of the Grievance Form. Print it out and fill it out; the questions are fairly straight forward.
The form states that to "ensure prompt attention", one most mail (not email) the completed grievance form to the Texas Bar office closest to the lawyer’s "office" (In this case, that would be the Dallas office, if Gonzales’ office is considered to be in Washington DC). The address is:
Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel
One Lincoln Centre
5400 LBJ Freeway ste. 1280
Dallas, TX 75240
The grievance form also provides a fax number for the Dallas office- 972-383-2935,. I would encourage everyone to both mail and fax a completed grievance form today. Let's flood them with mail and faxes!
The Grievance form also asks for supporting documentation; the following news accounts and transcipts of Comey's sworn testimony should provide that information and can be attached to the complaint:
- Washington Post- Gonzales Hospital Episode detailed
- Think Progress- Comey breaks Silence (includes transcript)
- NYTimes- Gonzales Pressed Ailing Ashcroft on Spy Plan, Aide Says
Gonzales may not resign and Bush may never ask him to resign. But we do have the power, the authority and the responsibility to file a grievance against the Attorney General.
If they are honest and care about the rule of Law, the Texas Bar will pursue this complaint, and appropriately discipline Gonzales, our Attorney General....a man who believes he is above the law.
Please also consider phoning the White House comment line (202-456-1111) and contacting your Senators and Representatives in the House.