Jill Simpson Takes on National Review

Republican whistleblower Jill Simpson is demanding a retraction from National Review for false and misleading statements in an August 5 editorial.

Priscilla Duncan, Simpson's Montgomery-based attorney, says National Review made numerous false statements in its piece, "Unappealing Power Play." The article addresses efforts by Karl Rove and other Bush administration officials to avoid testifying before Congress.

Here are some of the statements with which Duncan takes issue:

NR: A House Judiciary Committee inquiry into the Don Siegelman prosecution is "based solely on the testimony of one Dana Jill Simpson, an Alabama GOP campaign volunteer."

PD: "She was one of several persons who have testified regarding the political aspects of (Siegelman's) prosecution. Included among them were law professor Scott Horton and former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones. Conyers inquiry was not solely based on her statement as you stated."

NR: Simpson testified to Conyers "in a private interview."

PD: "She did not testify to Conyers in a private interview--where do you people get this stuff? The hearing was in the form of a deposition to majority and minority counsel--three each. She was questioned for four hours, sworn to tell the truth and there were no restrictions on inquiry."

NR: Simpson's stories are "pure hearsay, they keep changing . . . "

PD: "Ms. Simpson's account has never changed, only the questions."

Duncan raises a potential motivation for Rove, one I had never thought of. She says Rove might intentionally be trying to get Simpson to bring a defamation action against him so he can find out what she knows in the civil discovery process and avoid a perjury trap before Congress. Pretty crafty on Turd Blossom's part.

Finally, Duncan tells National Review how "the hog ate the cabbage." (To use a good Southern term.)

As Ms. Simpson says, "Slander is the ultimate revenge of a coward." Rove has trampled through government like a wild boar in a turnip patch for too many years. Now that he's being hunted, he is hiding in the woods from the House Judiciary Committee. He needs to come out in the sunshine, tell the truth and stop being terrified of Ms. Simpson.

That it takes a small town lawyer in Alabama to do it, casts shame on all you puffed up big-city pundits. Barry Goldwater would be embarrassed by you and so would William F. Buckley.

I love it! In fact, I love it so much that I want to run the entire letter. Schnauzer readers ought to enjoy this:

A comprehensive statement of Karl Rove's use of the media to attack Jill Simpson--
Priscilla Duncan
helzphar@mindspring.com

Subject: RE: Unappealing Power Play

A Response To the Editors of The National Review
Dear Editors:

I am the legal counsel for Dana Jill Simpson, and we are demanding a retraction for the false and misleading statements in your August 5 editorial.

Ms. Simpson wrote an affidavit that was released just before Gov. Don Siegelman sentenced last year. She was only the first of several persons who have testified regarding the political aspects of his prosecution. Included among them were law professor Scott Horton and former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones. Conyers' inquiry was not solely based on her statement as you stated.

Ms. Simpson's sworn testimony to the Judiciary Committee was structured exactly as Conyers and Lamar Smith requested. That testimony was backed up with about four pounds of Ms. Simpson's documents, which you apparently haven't taken time to examine.

She did not testify to Conyers in a private interview -- where do you people get this stuff??-- The hearing was in the form of a deposition to majority and minority counsel -- three each. She was questioned four hours, sworn to tell the truth and there were no restrictions on inquiry. Ms. Simpson and I even offered to Republicans to answer questions over the telephone prior to the inquiry, but they evinced no interest.

During the time we were in Washington, we never met with Conyers or any member of the Committee or any member of Congress for that matter. Ms. Simpson has never met Conyers.

Ms. Simpson's account has never changed, only the questions. Many of the "stories" as you refer to them, were detailed earlier to journalists or lawyers, but were not released due to their selection of topic. Other issues simply were not explored. 60 Minutes interviewed Ms. Simpson in three cities for more than 6 hours and telephoned numerous times on fine points. The two minutes of Ms. Simpson's interview that 60 Minutes chose to use was not selected by Ms. Simpson. If there really were inconsistencies in her testimony, Karl would have something else to offer besides calling her "a lunatic," a word Google associates with Rove 99,800 times.

In her Congressional testimony Rove is mentioned 16 times. Obviously, no one on your staff has read it, and you are repeating false information vomited out by Mr. Rove and his henchmen. Rove attacks Ms. Simpson because he knows she knows more. Her information about such matters is vast. Rove can't afford to testify without knowing it all, and for this reason he has attempted to lure her into a defamation action against him for the scurrilous lies he has told about her in GQ, Weekly Standard , Powerline , News Busters and now The National Review.

I am sure Rove has steadily cursed the Republican counsel in the Judiciary Committee for not grilling Ms. Simpson with more gusto last fall -- but then, Rove ran out of Washington like a scalded dog two weeks before Ms. Simpson testified on Sept. 14. He resigned Aug. 31.

As Ms. Simpson says, "Slander is the ultimate revenge of a coward." Rove has trampled through government like a wild boar in a turnip patch for too many years. Now that he's being hunted, he is hiding in the woods from the House Judiciary Committee. He needs to come out in the sunshine, tell the truth and stop being terrified of Ms. Simpson.

That it takes a small town lawyer in Alabama to do it, casts shame on all you puffed up big-city pundits.Barry Goldwater would be embarrassed by you and so would William F. Buckley.

Priscilla Duncan

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NjczMDRhNWY3NDA0ZDMxNDViNDhmZGFlMzEzM2JkZmE