Residual Forces

Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to quit.

WASHINGTON, March 11 — A leading Senate Democrat demanded on Sunday that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales step down, saying he had politicized his office at the expense of the nation’s laws.

The call by Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, came as the Justice Department faced growing criticism over the ouster of eight United States attorneys and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s use of expanded surveillance powers to improperly obtain personal records of citizens.

But what is laughably ironic is that under Chuck Schumer’s watch the privavcy of an American citizen was violated, if not many more.

SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER had just finished his last sputtering of outrage at the nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court when news broke that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which he chairs, had a small problem. Newsday and the New York Post both reported that the DSCC was in illegal possession of the credit report for Maryland’s Republican Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele. Two of Schumer’s staffers, Katie Barge and Lauren Weiner, used Steele’s Social Security number to fraudulently get his credit history.

Schumer’s staffers!

Making this even more scandalous, it turns out that the DSCC had known about Barge and Weiner’s pilfering for over two months, having placed both on a paid suspension since early July, according to the Post. And yet no one gave any indication that the DSCC notified Michael Steele about the invasion of his privacy until this week. Given that federal statutes make the acquisition, distribution, acceptance, and even reading of this data without specific written authorization a federal crime, the theft should have resulted in no small amount of media attention.

So the irony of this all is pretty funny. We also know that the Democrats have done vast research on any and all political opponents. But I suppose all is fare in love and politics.

I think the Dems should really consider who they send out to carry their water on certain issues.