Daily Kos

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  •  Ciongoli son's link to Ashcroft and Alito (4.00 / 28)

    From a DOJ press release dated 02-26-01
    ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT APPOINTS TWO SENIOR APPOINTMENTS AT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT:

    Ciongoli, 32, as Counselor to the Attorney General, will serve as the principal legal advisor in the Office of the Attorney General.  Prior to his current position, Ciongoli served as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, which he joined in April 1999.

    From 1996 to 1999, Ciongoli practiced appellate law in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Kirkland and Ellis, where he focused on class action, product liability and telecommunications issues. He also served as a law clerk to United States Circuit Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1995 to 1996.

    Ciongoli graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, magna cum laude, and holds a B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania.

    "Adam's expertise and work in the field of law have proven him to be a trusted advisor to me while I served in the U.S. Senate.  I welcome the opportunity to have him at the Justice Department where I believe his knowledge and skills will continue to benefit this great institution and all the people it serves," said Ashcroft.

    Bingo!

    Colorado Independent and Unbossed -- pursuing truth over balance.

    by em dash on Mon Oct 31, 2005 at 09:15:08 PM PDT

    •  Excellent! (none / 0)

      Everybody dies alone.

      by Armando on Mon Oct 31, 2005 at 09:15:54 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Proud member of the Lucky Sperm Club (3.85 / 7)

      You can go far in this administration if you choose the right parents. Ask Michael Powell.

      John McCain's Straight Talk Express runs on fossil fuels.

      by Dump Terry McAuliffe on Mon Oct 31, 2005 at 09:22:34 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Or Eugene Scalia (4.00 / 4)

        Or Liz Cheney

        Or, um, what's Jeb's Brother's name...you know, the guy who plays President so Cheney can ruin the country without distractions?

        The revolution will not be televised, but we'll analyze it to death at The Next Hurrah.

        by DHinMI on Mon Oct 31, 2005 at 09:39:03 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  or John Kerry (none / 0)

          or Jack Kennedy
          or Teddy Kennedy
          or John Quincy Adams
          or Franklin Roosevelt-cousin of Teddy R.
          seriously the list goes on and on....do you think politics doesn't run in the family?  It certainly isn't limited to any one party.
          •  Service vs. public payroll hack (none / 0)

            Competence and interest in public policy and the wider world led the people on your list to seek election to public office.  They were successful and have done a great job to preserve and expand the rights of Americans.  We're lucky that each one of them decided to go into public service.

            The crony kid hacks on DHinMI's list?  Not so much.

            My mama named me Helena Hussein Handbag. What about it?

            by Helena Handbag on Tue Nov 01, 2005 at 02:03:14 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

    •  father son relationship confirmed (4.00 / 2)

      Ciongoli was vying to be the ambassador to Italy in 2001.  His son assisted with the lobbying.  His son was on with Wolf Blitzer earlier today shilling for Alito.  
    •  While at the Justice Dep't (4.00 / 6)

      From WSJ White House Hurdles Delay 9/11 Commission Investigation, the son made himself useful up until the very end.
      July 8, 2003

      The administration also decided that the commission would have to channel its requests to obtain documents and interview personnel from the executive branch through the Justice Department. Adam G. Ciongoli, counselor to the attorney general who was assigned to take on this role, says he has merely acted as a "facilitator."

      But Commissioner Max Cleland, a former Democratic senator from Georgia, says that Mr. Ciongoli is acting as a political gatekeeper, "cherry picking" the documents the White House wants to withhold. "It's obvious that they're sifting the information to the 9/11 commission now," he says. "We're way, way late here. The picture is not encouraging."

      I'm sure he's only do what his buddies need him to do. Then as well as now.

      Federalist Society
      National Convention
      Thursday, November 10
      Telecommunications: Expansion of Indecency Regulation
      Mr. Adam G. Ciongoli, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Time Warner Europe, Time Warner Inc.

      Better start downloading now all those racy materials you might need or want during the next 2 decades.

      The Place of Dead Roads
      "The City of Louisiana has dodged the bullet with Hurricane Corrina."

      by Dr Benway on Mon Oct 31, 2005 at 10:47:50 PM PDT

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      •  It's actually possible that the interests (none / 0)

        he represents are against "decency" regulations.  Either that, or they're FOR regulation of the broadcast networks so the cable outfits can have a monopoly of smut.

        Bruce Eberle, the kind of direct mail and fundraising lists represents both the Perents Television Council and First Ammendment Groups that protect porn on cable.

        It's sort of like opposing gambling in one state, so the Native American clients in another have less competition.

        How do you tell a predator from a protector? The predator will eat you sooner rather than later.

        by hannah on Tue Nov 01, 2005 at 08:56:19 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  more Adam Ciongoli NeoCon links (4.00 / 2)

      From Source Watch:

      Former Kirkland lawyers and Ciongoli's contemporaries in the Bush Admin:

      Stephen Bradbury -- clerked for Clarence Thomas; wrote the memo disputing GAO ruling that Bush Admin engaged in covert propaganda for anti-drug VNRs which were broadcast as independent media reports.

      Paul Clement -- clerked for Scalia; defended Cheney against GAO demand to reveal Energy executives tht secretly met with the vice president to develop policy.

      Ken Starr -- Former Kirland lawyer; instrumental in conservative rightward tilt of the firm.

      Thomas Yannucci -- chairman of Kirkland's board and a former official in the Carter Justice Department.  

      "'We try to recruit from everywhere. We invite all the Supreme Court clerks to come to Kirkland, but obviously there's a stronger pipeline to Scalia and Thomas,' Yannucci says. 'People want to come and work with people they met through clerkships and law school.'"

      Colorado Independent and Unbossed -- pursuing truth over balance.

      by em dash on Mon Oct 31, 2005 at 11:06:25 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Adam Ciongoli Also Worked For Ken Starr (none / 0)

      Evidently Adam Ciongoli wasn't merely an Ashcroft aide. "The attorney general rarely makes a decision without first turning to Adam Ciongoli" according to this 2002 article from Legal Times. Ciongoli was Ashcroft's "go-to" guy for years.

      Additionally the article also includes this interesting paragraph.

      "After graduating law school in 1995, Ciongoli began building his conservative Republican résumé -- first clerking for Judge Samuel Alito Jr. on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and then joining the appellate practice, headed by Kenneth Starr, in the D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis."

       

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