The Spooky Invisible Hand Of Karl Rove

Least shocking political news headline of 2009 is breaking here from the WaPo's Carrie Johnson: "Rove Had Heavier Hand in Prosecutor Firings Than Previously Known"(emphasis mine):

Political adviser Karl Rove and other high-ranking figures in the Bush White House played a greater role than previously understood in the firing of federal prosecutors almost three years ago, according to newly obtained e-mails that shed light on a scandal that led to mass Justice Department resignations and an ongoing criminal probe.

The e-mails and new interviews with key participants reflect contacts among Rove, aides in the Bush political affairs office and White House lawyers about the dismissal of three of the nine U.S. attorneys fired in 2006: New Mexico's David C. Iglesias, the focus of ire from GOP lawmakers; Missouri's Todd Graves, who had clashed with one of Rove's former clients; and Arkansas's Bud Cummins, who was pushed out to make way for a Rove protege.

The documents and interviews provide new information about efforts by political aides in the Bush White House, for example, to push a former colleague as a favored candidate for one of the U.S. attorney posts. They also reflect the intensity of efforts by lawmakers and party officials in New Mexico to unseat the top prosecutor there. Rove described himself as merely passing along complaints by senators and state party officials to White House lawyers.

The e-mails emerged as Rove finished his second day of closed-door-testimony Thursday about the firings to the House Judiciary Committee. For years, Rove and former White House counsel Harriet Miers had rejected efforts by lawmakers to obtain their testimony and their correspondence about the issue, citing executive privilege. The House of Representatives sued, igniting a court fight that was resolved this year after discussions among lawyers for former president George W. Bush and President Obama.

Robert D. Luskin, Rove's attorney, said, "I certainly can confirm that Karl answered all of the committee's questions fully and truthfully. His answers should put to rest any suspicion that he acted improperly."

Rove and Miers, as well as other Bush administration figures, still could be called to testify at a public hearing on Capitol Hill. Transcripts of their behind-closed-doors accounts could be released by the House Judiciary panel as early as August under the terms of the court settlement.

At the same time, assistant U.S. attorney Nora R. Dannehy continues to investigate whether the firings of the prosecutors and the political firestorm that followed could form the basis of possible false statements, obstruction of justice or other criminal charges. Rove and Miers each met with Dannehy this year.

This looks like it has the potential to meet 3 or 4 of the 5 requirements of Nate Silver's EMPSCAT test, (Is it sound bite worthy, is it against the core element of the person, does it prove a negative perception about the person, and can the opposition use the scandal without looking foolish, with #5 being "Is the media bored?")

Certainly during the August recess, the Village won't have wall-to-wall Washington news, and should those potentially juicy transcripts be released in the August news dead zone, it could be a clean EMPSCAT sweep. Granted, Karl Rove isn't a political candidate, but he does represent a large chunk of the Bush/GOP brand, and it certainly won't help the GOP to remind voters why they dumped the Republicans in 2008 should this become the big news story in a hot, boring recess month.

Then again, this could become the bext Scooter Libby flameout, too. I don't know. But I seriously doubt that this story is going away, and I'm thinking the White House isn't going to be terribly upset if the Village lays off the race issue and healthcare for a bit.

We'll see where it goes. Zachary Roth at the Muck has more.