Fired U.S. attorney on Rove, Gonzales

MATTHEWS:  Do you have a general problem with Karl Rove? 

IGLESIAS: No.  But I’d like to find out whether he’s involved in violating the law.  Nobody is above the law, Chris, including Karl Rove. 

MATTHEWS:  What law do you believe he broke? 

IGLESIAS:  He could have violated the Hatch Act by putting undue pressure on the Justice Department to fire me and my colleagues. 

MATTHEWS:  Do you have any evidence that Karl Rove had a hand in your dumping, your firing? 

IGLESIAS: There are some emails—there is some evidence.  It is circumstantial now.  I believe if OSC digs in, they can get direct evidence establishing that link. 

MATTHEWS: If you were prosecuting the case against Karl Rove, the man who you believe had a hand in firing you, what evidence would you go for right now? 

IGLESIAS: Right now I’d go for memoranda.  I’d go for emails.  I’d go for meetings.  I want to find out what the link is. 

MATTHEWS: OK, suppose Karl Rove decided he didn’t like the cut of your jib, totally a matter of just hunch.  He didn’t think you were one of his people, so called.  Would that be a violation of the law? 

IGLESIAS:  No. 

MATTHEWS:  Or would he have to find that you weren’t doing some political act he wanted you to do? 

IGLESIAS: If he didn’t like the cut of my jib, didn’t like the cut of my suit, you know, he could put pressure to let me go.  But I don’t believe that’s what happened in this case. 

MATTHEWS:  Is it possible that they will get nailed here in this case, by the probe by the Office of Special Counsel for something to do with the Iraq war?  Under the law, if you’re a reserve officer, like you are, no one can punish you at the workplace, including a public workplace, like the U.S. attorney’s office, if you were called away to do your reserve duty.  Do you believe that that was one of the reasons that they cited for removing you as U.S. attorney, the fact that you were busy with your duty to the country? 

IGLESIAS: Yes, I do.  I was gone between 40 and 45 days per year on military duty, which is a lot. 

MATTHEWS:  Did they cite that as a reason for your removal? 

IGLESIAS: That’s one of the three bases for authorizing special counsel to look into this, yes. 

MATTHEWS:  Do you believe the investigation—have they talked to you at all?  Have the people in the office of—has Scott Bloch talked to you at all? 

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