This facts are just too coincedental to be by chance. Jane Cherry. Jane until last week was an Associate Director in Karl Rove's White House Office of Political Affairs. Jane was involved in the US Attorney removal scandal, and is on the record (page 31) as such. And Jane had one of those infamous gwb43.com secret e-mail addresses. Jane and Monica Goodling discussed Goodling's "research" on people. Here's what you need to know about Jane, in headline form:
Rove staffer directly involved in Bud Cummins' and other US Attorney removals.
Oh, and that same staffer's dead mother happened to be Bud Cummins' trusted deputy in the Arkansas US Attorney's Office.
Got your attention?
crossposted at epluribus media
Karl Rove's "Cherry Connection"
Part One - Sandra W. Cherry, First Assistant US Attorney, ED-Arkansas (2002-2006)
Meet former First US Attorney of the Eastern District of Arkansas, Sandra Cherry.
(photo credit: Ruebel Funeral Home)
Cherry had over thirty years experience as an AUSA in Little Rock. Out of school in 1975, she was the first woman hired into one of those slots in Arkansas. She hit a career zenith when Bud Cummins selected her to be his First AUSA (#2 in command of the office, - his deputy or chief of staff) in March 2002. The full article on her appointment appears in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (subscription only) but here are some relevant grafs:
"U.S. Attorney Shifts Personnel In Office - Veteran Prosecutor Cherry Named To Serve As Cummins' Chief Deputy"
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
BY: LINDA SATTER
March 20, 2002, Wednesday
U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins has shuffled several key staff positions in his Little Rock office, resulting in the appointment of veteran prosecutor Sandra Cherry as his top deputy.
Cherry, 60, has been an assistant U.S. attorney in the office since 1975, except for a two-year break beginning in 1981 to serve an appointed term as a public service commissioner.
Cherry is president of the Arkansas Bar Association and has won numerous awards, including a 1999 commendation from U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno for helping develop a successful health-care fraud task force in Arkansas.
(snip)
Like Cummins, Cherry is a Republican. Asked if that played a role in her promotion, Cummins said, "No, not really. It's just based on her experience. She's well-respected at the courthouse. She's not only successful in the courtroom but in her dealings with people. I picked her because she's the best one for the job."
Cherry remained First AUSA until just before her death (either of cancer or kidney failure) in February 2006.
Her obituary tells us about her family -- most importantly about her daughter, Jane Wilson Cherry, of Washington, DC.
Part Two - Daughter Jane W. Cherry of Rove's Office (2005-2007)
Meet Jane W. Cherry, AUSA Cherry's daughter.
(NO PHOTO AVAILABLE)
Jane appears to be the the typical Bush-friendly parents' kid success story. Her parents were big fish in the Arkansas GOP pond. (Coddy Johnson [son of Bush's Yale roommate], Steve Atkiss [son of the ExxonMobil public relations guy], Blake Gottesman [Jenna's former boyfriend] and others, many kids have found their way into the Bush White House thanks to their parents).
Anyway, Jane first shows up on the RNC payroll (from a home address in Arkansas) receiving two payments in August 2003. From September 2003 to her June 2004 we can assume Jane was at school at Wake Forest University (at least according to this article on page 11-12 which references her graduation). RNC salary payments start flowing again from June-September 2004 to her at an Arkansas address and then from September to November 2004 at a Washington, DC address. After a break (mabe she worked for the Inaugural Committee?), two final salary payments are made in April 2005 and in June 2005. (A full search can be conducted here). It's not clear what she was doing for the RNC during this time - maybe she was working in research with Tim Griffin?
Jane then shows up on the White House payroll in 2005 as a staff assistant. She progresses to become a Rove Associate Director of Political Affairs sometime between July 2005 and July 2006. She served Associate Director until just days ago (more at the end of this article).
During her time in Political Affairs from 2005-2007, she racked up an interesting record, including having:
-Sent 10,789 emails from her clandestine gwb43.com account
-Received 16,693 emails from that account
-Tried to get loyal Bushies into top jobs through classified ads
-Got involved in the US Attorney scandal
-Conspired with GSA appointees over e-mail to use the GSA-managed New York "African Burial Ground" historic site for political purposes
Now, given her Arkansas roots and upbringing and employment in Rove's office, should it be a surprise that Tim Griffin kept her 'in the loop'...? Griffin even went so far to copy her (along with Rove, Sara Taylor, Scott Jennings and the WH Legal counsel) in gloating over his editorial criticism of Senator Mark Pryor.
Jane is clearly an overlooked player in the MSM's US Attorneys' story thusfar.
Part Three - Bud Cummins - Where It All Comes Together (2001-2007)
The Cherrys put Cummins in an odd position. Maybe he realized it at the time. Maybe he still hasn't.
Bud's trusted deputy has a daughter in a position of power and influence in a White House Office -- a White House Office headed by Karl Rove that is determined to see Cummins removed from office. And replaced with Tim Griffin.
If you were Bud, what would you do?
US Attorneys are politicals and they serve at the "pleasure of the President." Therefore it's reasonable to assume they can read the political tea leaves -- and know how to network. If Cummins didn't want to go, wouldn't have have used his "inside" resource at the White House? Or at least go through her mom? Surely the circling Tim Griffin wanting his job was a himt...
So what did Cummins do? Did he plead for his job through Jane? Did he get tipped off early as to his pending ouster?
What did Jane do? Did she lobby Rove to keep Cummins in Arkansas (at the expense of Griffin)? Did she actively push for Cummins to be removed? Did she even take Bud's calls?
What did Sandra do? Did she provide intel to Karl Rove's office to get Cummins out? Is that how Sara Taylor knew but was "lazy?"
So, the Overall Questions... are... many
-- What role did Jane Cherry play in the US Attorney removals? Did Rove use his staffer's connection to the ED-AR to get Bud out for Tim Griffin?
-- What role did Sandra Cherry play?
-- Is Bud Cummins as innocent as he claims?
DOES ANYONE ELSE FIND THIS SUSPICIOUS? REALLY SUSPICIOUS? AND REALLY OVERLOOKED?
And, just to prove that every "Good Bushie" gets his or her reward, back to Jane, circa last week
(h/t Nasawatch.com)
07/28/2007
The vacant White House Liaison position at NASA HQ has been filled with - surprise - a Bush Administration political appointee - Jane Cherry. Cherry is listed on NASA's internal phonebook as being detailed to "Office ID: AA000 - Office of the Administrator". She recently worked in the White House for Karl Rove as an Associate Director in the Office of Political Affairs
According to the 2004 Plum Book, pay for the politically appointed NASA White House Liaision is a GS-15 position. So Jane, graduating with a BA in June 2004, will make between $110,363 and $143,471 annually according to the DC pay scales.
If you were a career employee, here are the skills it would take to get to a GS-15 level job at NASA. But for a political appointee, one only needs Karl's okay.
Mr. Waxman, PLEASE, have a look at Jane Cherry. Find out if Karl's fingerprints are on this. And find out too if Jane's still on the gwb43.com network while at NASA.
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Appendix (Timeline)
2001 - Cummins appointed US Attorney - ED Arkansas
2002 - AUSA Sandra Cherry becomes Bud's Deputy
2003/2004 - Tim Griffin sniffing around AR wanting to become Bud's replacement
2004 - Jane Cherry doing unspecified work at the RNC
12/2004 - Arkansas Times article notes that Cummins may depart (college costs) [this is a fact parroted by Sara Taylor in her June 2007 testimony]
3/2005 - Bud Cummins' name appears on a DOJ suggested replacement list sent by Kyle Sampson to Harriet Miers (p45)
2005 - Bud Cummins tells Griffin he's thinking about leaving
7/2005 - Jane Cherry in the White House
12/2005 - Jane Cherry probably in Karl Rove's Office
2/2006 - AUSA Sandra Cherry dies
4/2006 - DOJ still recommends Cummins be replaced
8/2006 - Bud Cummins corresponding with the White House, Monica Goodling (p16), and Tim Griffin directly regarding Griffin's anticipated interim appointment in the fall (and what to do with him prior to that time)
12/2006 - Kyle Sampson's infamous e-mail stating that getting Tim Griffin appointed as USA-EDR was Important to Harriet, Karl, etc.
12/2006 - Cummins' last day (p17)
2/2007 - Cummins sends e-mail to "USA Eight" detailing how Mike Elston threatened him
2/2007 - Sara Taylor calls Cummins lazy in an e-mail to Kyle Sampson