Conyers and Nadler want answers from Gonzales.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales today, asking him to answer questions raised by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey’s extraordinary testimony on Tuesday. Some of their key inquiries:

— Was the classified program referred to by Mr. Comey the Terrorist Surveillance Program, as it existed prior to the changes made according to the Justice Department’s recommendations and, if not, what was the classified program that Mr. Comey was referring to?

– Who was involved in deciding to seek approval from Attorney General Ashcroft from his hospital bed and who made the telephone call to arrange your visit to his bedside;

– What was the basis for the Administration’s decision on March 10-11 to continue with the program despite the Department’s objections, how long did it so continue?

– What was the basis for the Department’s objections to the program? What changes were made to the program to resolve the Department’s objections?

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/17/conyers-and-nadler-want-answers-from-gonzales/

I don't remember.

I don't recall.

I don't know.

I have no idea and I was not involved.

On the heels of the Senate Judiciary committee letter to Gonzales about Comey's testimony, House Judiciary Chairman Conyers and Rep. Nadler send one, too with the following questions:

1. Is Mr. Comey’s testimony about the events of March, 2004 as provided this week to the Senate Judiciary Committee (a copy of which is enclosed with this letter) accurate and, if not, please explain your version of what happened?

2. Was the classified program referred to by Mr. Comey the Terrorist Surveillance Program, as it existed prior to the changes made according to the Justice Department’s recommendations and, if not, what was the classified program that Mr. Comey was referring to?

3. Who was involved in deciding to seek approval from Attorney General Ashcroft from his hospital bed and who made the telephone call to arrange your visit to his bedside?

4. What was the basis for the Administration’s decision on March 10-11 to continue with the program despite the Department’s objections, how long did it so continue? Please provide copies of any legal or other memoranda on the subject.

5. What was the basis for the Department’s objections to the program. Please provide copies of any Office of Legal Counsel or other documents relating to those objections?

6. What changes were made to the program to resolve the Department’s objections?

These are critical questions, and I hope that Chairman Conyers is going to follow up on this letter with a series of hearings to explore them. While the Prosecutor Purge story continues to reveal the grossly political machinations of Karl Rove and Gonzales's slathering obedience to his political masters, this is the real story of criminality in the White House.

This point, as expressed by Greenwald, cannot be made more strongly:

The overarching point here, as always, is that it is simply crystal clear that the President consciously and deliberately violated the law and committed multiple felonies by eavesdropping on Americans in violation of the law.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/17/162919/393