Conyers Requests Palast's "Vote Caging" Evidence

By Brad Friedman
t r u t h o u t | Guest Contributor

Monday 04 June 2007

House Judiciary chair tells Palast in interview: "We're not through with Griffin by any means."

Indicates caging operation could not have been done without knowledge of Rove, according to Palast team.

As reported previously [1], investigative journalist Greg Palast was scheduled to meet with Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) this evening for an on-camera interview for the BBC. His team, just out from the interview, sends this dispatch to The BRAD BLOG [2]:

Rove Pick for US Attorney Resigns After Conyers Seeks Evidence From BBC

Tim Griffin, formerly right-hand man to Karl Rove, resigned Thursday as US attorney for Arkansas hours after BBC Television "Newsnight" reported that Congressman John Conyers [had] requested the network's evidence on Griffin's involvement in "caging voters." Greg Palast, reporting for both BBC "Newsnight" and "Democracy Now," obtained a series of confidential emails dating from the 2004 presidential election, in which the GOP operative transmitted so-called "caging lists" of voters to state party leaders.

Experts have concluded the caging lists were designed for a mass challenge of voters' right to cast ballots. The caging lists were heavily weighted with minority voters, including African-American homeless men, students and soldiers sent overseas.

Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee investigating the firing of US attorneys, met Thursday evening in New York with Palast. After reviewing key documents, Conyers stated that, despite Griffin's resignation, "We're not through with him by any means."

Conyers indicated that he thought it unlikely that Griffin could carry out this massive caging operation without the knowledge of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Rove.

Griffin, who was chosen as US attorney at Rove's request, has not responded to requests by BBC to explain the caging memos.

For more on the caging lists, see Palast's BRAD BLOG Exclusive from last week[3], just after Monica Goodling's stunning admissions concerning vote caging [4] allegations about Griffin in her House Judiciary Committee testimony.

Also, see our coverage of Slate's article[5] late this afternoon as it became the first MSM-ish outlet to give a serious look at Goodling's overlooked-by-the-MSM, yet bombshell, statement.

Palast first reported on the emails from Griffin containing vote caging lists for BBC's "Newsnight," prior to the 2004 presidential election [6].