by James Oliphant
Sen. Dick Durbin has cleared the way for Chicago federal judge Mark Filip to receive an up-or-down floor vote in the Senate, and he is expected to be confirmed as the deputy attorney general perhaps as early as Monday.
Durbin, the Senate's majority whip, lifted his hold on Filip's nomination after Atty. Gen. Michael Mukasey responded to Durbin's concerns about the Justice Department's refusal to declare the practice of waterboarding illegal.
Mukasey didn't give Durbin the answers he was looking for; instead, the attorney general declined to open a criminal investigation into whether the department violated the law years ago in authorizing the Central Intelligence Agency to employ waterboarding.
Still, Durbin wrote to Mukasey, that because he had pledged to release his hold on Filip once Mukasey responded, he went ahead and did so.
In writing to Mukasey, Durbin also indicated that he would ask the Justice Department's inspector general, Glenn Fine, to investigate whether department officials who green-lighted waterboarding broke U.S. law in doing so. Durbin told Mukasey:
I agree with you that our intelligence professionals should be able to rely in good faith on the Justice Department’s legal advice. However, CIA agents have been put in jeopardy by misguided counsel from the Justice Department, including legal opinions that the Administration has been forced to repudiate. Your refusal to review these opinions, much less investigate those who authorized waterboarding, places CIA agents at risk of receiving similarly flawed advice in the future. Moreover, your continued refusal to repudiate waterboarding does tremendous damage to America’s values and image in the world and places Americans at risk of being subjected to waterboarding by enemy forces.
Filip was invited to Washington to attend a breakfast Thursday that President Bush held for his blocked nominees, but couldn't attend because of a family matter.
The deputy attorney general is the No. 2 post at Justice and largely oversees the day-to-day operations of the sprawling agency. Filip was Mukasey's hand-picked choice for the post.
Today, the Senate continues to debate and vote on amendments to the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act. The 15-day extension negotiated in the House and Senate for renewing the Protect America Act, which expands the president's wiretapping powers under FISA, expires next week.
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Comments
What the heck is going on with the Democrats?
Mukasey still refuses to say whether waterboarding is legal, or not (although this administration still keeps vacillating on the legality).
Mukasey TELLS Congress that he refuses to investigate any of this because the previous AG wrote an opinion saying that it was legal.
Mukasey has essentially told Congress that the administration doesn't need them. AND he has told the Supreme Court that they can leave because the AG will either not prosecute people AND that they have immunity.
So because this administration has again thumbed their noses at the Constitution again, Durbin decides to remove the hold on the deputy AG.
Is there anyone in Washington that is willing to stand up for what is right?
Posted by: dogjudge | February 8, 2008 12:06 PM
Durbin's doing the right thing. The question is whether Filip is. He's giving up a lifetime appointment as an "unelected" Federal Judge in exchange for less than a year at DOJ under the lamest of lame duck presidents and an AG who has debased his otherwise distinguished career by working for the clown.
Posted by: a blinkin | February 8, 2008 12:09 PM
Let's do what the dems do...philabuster..Turn about is fair play. Sen. Durbin how do you like those apples?
Posted by: Paul Jaeger | February 8, 2008 12:39 PM
Does this make sense to anyone?
1) "Durbin, the Senate's majority whip, lifted his hold on Filip's nomination after Atty. Gen. Michael Mukasey responded..."
2)"Mukasey didn't give Durbin the answers he was looking for..."
Posted by: Jan | February 8, 2008 1:06 PM
Paul:
It's filibuster - if you are going to use the word, at least know how to spell it.
Posted by: BobinATL | February 8, 2008 2:23 PM
Typical. Durbin is all talk and no action. Always.
Posted by: Cyril Blair | February 8, 2008 2:39 PM
Paul:
It's filibuster - if you are going to use the word, at least know how to spell it.
Posted by: BobinATL | February 8, 2008 2:23 PM
The spelling error would be excusable if Meister had even the slightest clue what he was talking about. He doesn't know what a filibuster is, and he doesn't know that the Sen. Repukes have been doing it ever since the Dems captured a slim majority there.
Posted by: a blinkin | February 8, 2008 2:47 PM
Finally, Dickie Durbin got the message the American people don't want this tyrannical Illinois Senator obfuscating everything. He hates Bush and he must take anger mangement classes- Justice Mark Filip was eminently qualified. Durbin is so deep into Cook County running everything he will never get it. He gets elected because of the Daley machine. It's pork, pork, pork--stop it Dickie you are living your last days in power. Jerry White, Springfield, IL
Posted by: Jerry White | February 8, 2008 6:01 PM
Filip is a Political hack of the GOP and has manipulated the corupt UNITED AIR LINE BANKRUPTSY that ILLEGALLY destroyed the lives of thousands of United retirees. ALL HIDDEN and SUPRESSED to this day by the corupt courts of the 7th cir.
Cockroaches dont like flashlights!!!!
Posted by: E Reeves | February 15, 2008 12:32 PM