2/10/09: VR Opposes any nomination of Mark Gitenstein to the DOJ Office of Legal Policy
Obama's potential nominee to head the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy, Mark Gitenstein, worked as a lobbyist for the Chamber of Commerce between 2000 and 2008, helping his law firm earn more than $6 million in fees, according to federal lobbying records. Obama has set forth strict rules against lobbyists working for him and so Mr. Gitenstein will have to get a waiver. VR is vehemently opposed to this appointment because of the obvious conflict of interest under which Mr. Gitenstein will labor and because of his work for the Chamber, an organization that has been engaged in pervasive illegal and corrupt activity regarding elections nationwide at the behest of big business and Karl Rove. Gitenstein, a partner at the Mayer Brown law firm in Washington, was a longtime senior aide to Vice President Joe Biden. And he has a good civil rights record. In recent years, however, he also has served as counsel to the Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform, which pushed for changes in federal litigation rules and adding business-friendly judges to state courts. <http://www.tortdeform.com/archives/2009/02> http://www.tortdeform.com/archives/2009/02 is_obamas_office_of_legal_poli.html#trackbacks Many of the same front groups which joined the Chamber ILR legal reform 'coalition' were involved in the organization's turn to full-blown rightwing partisanship and were responsible for putting George Bush into office and keeping him there. The litigation by Ohio Attorney Cliff Arnebeck regarding the manipulation of the 2004 election in Ohio uncovered evidence that long time Bush IT expert Mike Connell created front groups for the Chamber (on behalf of Karl Rove?) in an ongoing pattern of corrupt activity to defraud elections. <http://thejournal.epluribusmedia.net/index.php/state-news/ohio-news/121-ohio-attorneys-to-assert-rico-claim-against-karl-rove-for-orchestrating-theft-of-2004-election?q=connell>http://thejournal.epluribusmedia.net/index.php/state-news/ohio-news/121-ohio-attorneys-to-assert-rico-claim-against-karl-rove-for-orchestrating-theft-of-2004-election?q=connell. Mr. Arnebeck was able to tie the Chamber to Connell's activities because Arnebeck had sued the Chamber earlier for creating front groups that illegally funneled and laundered money to attack Ohio Supreme Court Justice Alice Resnick. <http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=3781>http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=3781 Mississippi Judge Oliver Diaz wrote to us recently to complain about being targeted by the Bush DOJ in a political prosecution directed by Karl Rove. He wrote, "election fraud is a major concern to me.... In my last election, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce funneled about $1 million to defeat me. This is part of a strategy to stack out courts with conservative shills for big business. They have refused to disclose their donor list." So now Obama wants to have Mark Gitenstein, who lobbied for the one of the most partisan, corrupt and opaque organizations in the country, decide what judges are to be put on the federal bench. This is the same Chamber that coordinated attacks on Democrats nationwide--such as Don Siegelman--for suing Big Tobacco. What kind of ethics and integrity can Mr. Gitenstein have, lobbying for such an organization? We urge everyone to contact their Senators to express disapproval of this nomination. Note: Mr. Gitenstein also lobbied for AT&T, collaborator of FISA. <http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/02/tell-me-about-that-pledge-again-mr-president-former-chamber-of-commerce-lobbyist-to-head-dojs-opd/>http://firedoglake.com/2009/02/02/tell-me-about-that-pledge-again-mr-president-former-chamber-of-commerce-lobbyist-to-head-dojs-opd/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [email protected] OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the "Unsubscribe or change membership" link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the "Unsubscribe" button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
