This Hearing is a Prelude to Gonzales Hearings;Bring Schumer’s Letter Up There, You

RUSH: I’ve gotta say something. These Plame hearings are a prelude to what will be happening soon. There’s no date set, but the Senate is going to subpoena a bunch of White House people, justice department people to come up and talk about these US attorneys being fired. Last night, PMSNBC was irresponsibly acting like a former US attorney, this Cummins in Little Rock, had been wronged and shafted. PMSNBC completely ignored the article about his saying himself he was planning on leaving. They all completely ignored the qualifications of his replacement. They are not talking about that. In fact, they’re trying to herald the qualifications of the people that have been fired! So what’s going to happen next week or whenever this happens, whenever the Senate hearings on the firing of these eight attorneys begins — for what it’s worth, I’m going to pass along my advice to any of the administration people or justice department people who get subpoenaed or who appear for testimony.

The witnesses at any show trial — and that’s what this is, just like this Plame thing today is a show trial — must be prepared to fight back. They must bring documents of efforts of senatorial influence on investigations, the selection of US attorneys. They have to take a stand. They cannot be polite and civil. They cannot sit up there and be doormats. They cannot let the Democrats run roughshod over them on this. This Schumer letter is a great example. I’m sure that members of the justice department and others can produce letters from all kinds of senators over the years demanding to know what’s going on with investigation X, and asking, ‘Is this being done properly?’ and, ‘You keep me posted on this.’ The very thing that they’re accusing this administration of doing happens all the time. It’s executive power, separation of powers doctrine here. Be prepared to bring these exhibits like Ollie North did. Ollie North is the sitting example of how to do this during the Iran-Contra hearings. These witnesses have to go over the heads of the senators and the media and talk straight to the people.

If you are going to show up at a show trial, you make your case to the camera and the people who are behind the camera, the people who are watching it. Do not assume you have done anything wrong, and don’t act like it. The people being brought up to testify in a show trial are actually the political victims here — and if they act out of fear, it’s not going to be pretty. The Democrats have the same arrogance and assumptions of guilt that the Senate committee did with Oliver North, and that’s why he was able to run rings around them. They gave North immunity without knowing what he was going to say. That’s the biggest no no, in the legal profession that you can imagine. Fitzgerald did the same thing with Ari Fleischer. The biggest mistake a lawyer can make is to grant immunity to somebody without first learning what they’re going to say. They thought North was going to give ’em Reagan. North ran rings around them. These guys are up there shuffling their papers, “Well, where is his testimony? Oh, we granted him immunity and we didn’t know what he was going to say?”

Ollie is up there talking about all the shredding of documents he did, and they said, “Well, you missed one,” and he acted offended, “I missed one? Damn it.” You gotta come loaded up with past examples of Democrat administrations, senators, trying to decide who should and should not be US attorneys. Get letters from senators trying to influence investigations. They exist. We just shared one with you from Chuck Schumer. Read that letter. Hold that letter up if you are one of these witnesses going to this show trial over these fired eight US attorneys. Expose these people for the hypocrites they are! They have nothing to lose. They’re already trying to destroy any and all witnesses that are going to be called up there. In fact, if I were one of these people I would call the Senate and I would demand to appear. I would demand to appear because my reputation has been sullied by Senator Schumer and others and I’d insist on an opportunity to confront him and the others. Go on offense. Don’t sit here and act docile because you haven’t done anything wrong and there is no criminal offense here.

This is a pure show trial. It’s not hard to stand up and you will have the people of this country applauding for you. Show up! You don’t need a subpoena! Show up without the subpoena. You have nothing to excuse. You have nothing to apologize for. This is normal behavior in the justice department, normal behavior in the White House. There’s nothing to apologize for. If these witnesses go up there and act any other way and take it lying down, then it’s going to be bloody. It’s going to be bad. I don’t know when this is going to start. They’re still working out witness issues right now, but I’m going to just tell you: the Democrats are on weak ground here. I would take that letter that Schumer wrote to James Comey demanding information about an ongoing investigation, I would read from that letter, and I would say, “This was wholly inappropriate. So why are you dragging me up here? Senator Schumer? How about you take a seat at the witness table and explain your own actions.”

That letter, by the way, was not just a letter. That letter I just read to you from Schumer, that letter was not a letter seeking information about the investigation. That was a letter purposely attempting to influence the investigation into the Plame leak with wholly inappropriate questions. An assistant or associate attorney general doesn’t have to answer those questions from a senator. But it was Schumer who set this up. It was Schumer who got the whole independent counsel and justice department investigation of the Plame leak going — and it wasn’t happening fast enough. He’s Chuck Schumer. He’s commissioner of the world, and so he was going to find out what the hell was going on, but his purpose was not simply information gathering. There was an attempt to influence that investigation. I’d hold that letter up if I’m one of the witnesses in that show trial on these fired eight US attorneys. I’d hold that letter up. I would read from that letter until the gavel silenced me — which it will, by the way.