Blitzer interviewed Domenici, but failed to ask about attorney firings

Written by Kathleen Henehan

Published


On the July 11 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer hosted Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) to discuss the Senate debate on the Iraq war. But during the interview, Blitzer failed to ask Domenici about his role in the Bush administration's controversial firings of nine U.S. attorneys despite the fact that, minutes earlier, Blitzer had reported on the Senate Judiciary Committee's well-publicized hearing on the issue that day. During interviews with other prominent Republicans -- including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (TX) -- Blitzer similarly failed to ask them about relevant issues -- in Bloomberg's case, about allegations that the New York Police Department engaged in surveillance of protestors at the 2004 Republican National Convention, and in DeLay's case, his indictment on money laundering and conspiracy charges.

Prior to the November 2006 elections, Domenici phoned then-U.S. attorney for New Mexico David Iglesias to discuss the speed with which Iglesias was investigating a corruption case involving a local Democrat. Iglesias, who was fired in December 2006, alleged that Domenici tried to pressure him into filing indictments against the New Mexico Democrat. A March 5 Washington Post article reported that "[l]egal experts say it violates congressional ethics rules for a senator or House member to communicate with a federal prosecutor regarding an ongoing criminal investigation." Indeed, the Post reported on March 8 that Domenici is the subject of a preliminary Senate ethics investigation of his actions regarding Iglesias. Further, on June 21, former Deputy Attorney General Patrick McNulty said that Domenici's complaints about Iglesias played a part in Iglesias' dismissal. On July 11-- the same day Domenici appeared on The Situation Room -- former White House political director Sara Taylor testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about political influence in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys last year.

During the same hour that Blitzer aired his interview with Domenici, he reported on Taylor's testimony before the Senate, aired a clip of an exchange between Taylor and Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and went on to say, “The controversy will continue.” But when interviewing Domenici, Blitzer made no mention of the senator's own alleged role in the controversy.

The interview with Domenici was at least the third time recently that Blitzer neglected to challenge a guest on a relevant topic:

  • During an interview of Bloomberg on the May 22 edition of The Situation Room, Blitzer did not ask him about the New York Police Department's surveillance of non-violent anti-Bush activists and protesters prior to the 2004 Republican National Convention -- despite CNN's having reported the story less than a week before. (While Bloomberg was a Republican at the time of the Situation Room interview, he left the party on June 19 and switched to “unaffiliated.”)

From the 4 p.m. ET hour of the July 11 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:

BLITZER: Just a little while ago, I spoke with Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico. I asked him if he will now back legislation to implement the Iraq Study Group recommendations, even though the Bush White House rejected most of them.

DOMENICI: I would very much so, and now that I know more about them, I acknowledge that. You know, they were out some time ago. But we just look at them, or look at a few pages, get some advice. But now because somebody has told me that they really have a -- have a chance of working, that it says if they were drawn for the problem we've got, I have gotten serious, and [Sen.] Lamar Alexander [R-TN] is joined by -- is joining a Democrat, Senator [Kenneth] Salazar from Colorado, and we now have 13 senators -- seven Democrats and six Republicans.

BLITZER: One of the most contentious parts of that Iraq Study Group recommendation was that by next March or so, the U.S. should really start thinking about pulling out of Iraq.

DOMENICI: Yeah.

BLITZER: And the president has rejected that, as you know. Why do you think it -- it should go forward?

DOMENICI: Well, now we -- we -- know -- that's a good point that you raise. That -- that rec -- that report never recommends a specific date.

BLITZER: It does say by March, but it does -- within the context of security.

DOMENICI: No -- yes. But it -- but it in the sense, it is saying, that looks like a good time, but it is not firmly fixed. It is a good suggested time. I wouldn't join it if we had a fixed time because it's too early to fix a time. And the perfection of this bill is that it's -- it is going to allow both Democrats and Republicans to join. And when it passes -- and I don't know when it would be offered, I'm not predicting it will be offered now because, you know, you might want to wait -- we might want to wait until the next time we get a chance to vote, or the Democratic leader might not want to vote on it now, but it will get voted on.

BLITZER: All right.

DOMENICI: When we chose the time, it will have a chance of getting the -- the requisite votes to become law.

BLITZER: Here's what the commanding general of the U.S. forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said today. He said, “We do have the sense that the surge is working. There is progress on the ground.” How concerned are you that all the political infighting here in Washington, especially on the Senate floor this week and next week, could undermine what General Petraeus is trying to achieve?

DOMENICI: I don't think it will undermine it at all. Petraeus knows all of us. He knows what we're doing. He and his people, if they ask, they get -- they get answers from us as to what we're doing.

There's been plenty of other things that have interfered with the general -- this general and other generals' ability to fight that war. A lot of newsmen have interfered in ways that have not been helpful. And I don't think what we're planning and what we're working on will in any way impede him. Look, the ideal would be to have something from Petraeus, and then offer this resolution right after it. That's a winner.

BLITZER: Here's what you said the other day. Let me read it to you and make sure it's an accurate quote. “There's nothing to wait for. Almost everybody that has any knowledge of the reports would indicate that they're not going to show any degree of a big change that we needed --

DOMENICI: That's correct.

BLITZER: -- And so we're just wasting time.” What do you mean, we're just wasting time?

DOMENICI: Well, this was put to me in -- in light of, “Why are you making this announcement today?” when I made it. “Why can't you wait a while to make it?”

And I said, there's no -- nothing to be gained by -- from -- from me, Senator Pete Domenici, announcing my frustration and my willingness to change directions in this war. I'm not going to vote for any of the Democratic proposals that say we're getting out tomorrow or we're getting out next week. I'm -- I'm waiting, but I am ready. And -- and essentially that's what I said to -- to the person asking that question.

BLITZER: Senator McCain on the floor yesterday said this:

McCAIN [video clip]: And I maintain that we, as elected leaders, with a duty to our people and the security of their nation, cannot let fatigue dictate our policies.

BLITZER: Is he referring to you?

DOMENICI: No. I don't know why he would be.

BLITZER: Are you tired of this war?

DOMENICI: Look, fatigue may -- may -- may very well mean that you're tired, but I have never said I'm tired of this war. When I said I'm tired of it, I'm tired of the fact that we don't seem to have any solutions. That instead of solutions, we seem to be getting worse and worse, and the fraction -- fractionalization in the country is getting worse and worse, not better.

So he might have been referring to me, but I doubt it. At lunch we were together, and he mentioned me in passing, saying that there's some of us like Pete Domenici who are looking for new approaches. And he didn't say it derogatorily like he has years ago when he spoke of me in front of the senators. He spoke of it in a very sensible way.

BLITZER: Senator Domenici, thanks very much for coming in.

DOMENICI: You're welcome. Thank you very much.