Hearne Raises More Questions Than He Answers

Jo Mannies has a piece up on the PD blog in which she tosses softballs to Thor Hearne, underhanded, about his role in the fee office, U.S. Attorney purge, EAC manipulation, etc.

In the post, Hearne denies having sought Cummins' ouster, and claims he didn't talk to the White House about it.

However, he does acknowledge playing a role in the EAC's decision to manipulate the findings of a research study that found that GOP claims of voter fraud are a form of fraud themselves.

And, Hearne acknowledges facilitating the hiring of a former Chief of Staff to a Senior Justice Department official to weigh in on behalf of Governor Blunt in the fee office investigation.

Hearne says:

What Hearne did do, he said, was "have a role in confirming'" that Gov. Matt Blunt was not a target of the fee-office investigation.

"I was involved in making sure, in evaluating those rumors,'" Hearne said.

Hmmm.  Here's a question.  If you find out that your client is not the target of a federal investigation, why not ask for a letter confirming that fact, which you would be entitled to, and release it publicly?

Keep in mind that while Blunt had an army of lawyers working to defend him in the investigation, his administration was claiming that there was no investigation.

And furthermore, if you call a U.S. Attorney and they confirm for you that you aren't the target of an investigation, why do you need to call back four times? 

Assuming that the Blunt claim that he was never the target of the investigation is true, which I don't, it makes you wonder exactly who was the target and why Lathrop and Gage had such an intense interest in that matter.