White House Exodus

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May 2009
- Fleischer: Subpoena Me —I Dare You
  
  Vanity Fair | May 1, 09 12:07 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer doesn’t think there should be an investigation of his boss’s torture program. But “I’ll be proud to testify if I get a subpoena,” he said during a panel discussion yesterday. “I’m proud of what we did to protect this country.” When a fellow panelist suggested a special prosecutor, Vanity Fair reports, Fleischer shot back, “That assumes a crime has been committed.” More »
March 2009
- Bushies Work to Salvage Boss' Rep
  
  Politico | Mar 11, 09 1:25 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Two months out of office, President Bush rarely warrants mention these days, but his old aides quietly work at rebuilding his reputation, reports Politico. “We’re invited to comment on the events of the day and along the way, we remind people that there was, indeed, good news under President Bush,” says former flack Ari Fleischer. “We believe that history will get it right in the end,” adds Dana Perino. More »
January 2009
- Bush White House Empties Out Today
  
  Politico | Jan 16, 09 12:06 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - By the close of business today, the White House will be almost empty of staff, reports Politico. By Monday, there will be no physical trace of the Bush administration left in the building, as if 8 years of history could be unwritten by the crew of cleaners and painters. Says Dan Bartlett, a former presidential counselor, “In many respects it’s pretty identical to the early days, but there’s no exhilaration, just exhaustion.” More »
November 2008
- Race Is on for Laura's Memoirs; Dubya Not So Much
  
  New York Post | Nov 11, 08 11:29 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Laura Bush is likely to net millions from publishers bidding on her memoirs, the New York Post reports—not exactly the case for her lame-duck husband. “The wives of presidents generally write books that have a greater public interest,” one insider says. “Husbands usually try to rewrite history.” Adds another: “Dubya is going to have to wait about 5 years.” More »
June 2008
- Rove Canned in Church: Book
  
  Examiner | Jun 10, 08 1:44 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - After riding to prominence on prophesies of a permanent Republican majority, Karl Rove ultimately learned of his White House excommunication in church, a new book reveals. President Bush gave his longtime adviser his pink slip in the pews, telling Rove last summer, “there’s too much heat on you. It’s time for you to go.” More »
- Dems' Prints All Over McClellan's 'Bitter Retort'
  
  Chicago Sun-Times | Jun 2, 08 1:51 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Scott McClellan's treatment of the Valerie Plame leak case has a key player wondering who really guided the former press secretary’s pen. "His robotic performances from the White House podium seemed only to disgorge what he had been told, and What Happened has the similar feel of someone else's hand," Robert Novak, to whom Plame's CIA role was leaked, writes in the Chicago Sun-Times . More »
May 2008
- Shoot at the Facts, Not at the Messenger
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 30, 08 5:21 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Scott McClellan isn't someone Peggy Noonan found herself admiring, she writes in the Wall Street Journal , but she did end up “believing him" after finishing his memoir. He didn’t pen his story to make friends or salvage his image, but rather to set the record straight as he saw it. And first-person accounts are exactly what’s needed: “Feed history,” Noonan demands. More »
- Furious Dole Calls McClellan 'Miserable Creature'
  
  Politico | May 30, 08 12:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Bush turncoat Scott McClellan may have taken his hardest hit yesterday in a personal message from Bob Dole, who called the ex-press secretary a “miserable creature.” “Your type soaks up the benefits of power, revels in the limelight for years, then quits, and spurred on by greed, cashes in with a scathing critique,” the 1996 Republican presidential nominee wrote in an email leaked to Politico. More »
- Rove Brushes Off McClellan Claims on Plame Deception
  
  Chicago Tribune | May 28, 08 11:29 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With the political world abuzz over the harsh tone of Scott McClellan’s new memoir about the "culture of deception'' in the Bush White House, Karl Rove is defending himself against one of the former spokesman’s most damning claims—that Rove and Scooter Libby colluded in a Valerie Plame cover-up and misled McClellan on the matter. Rove says, contrary to the McClellan account, he and Libby spoke regularly—and never discussed the CIA outing. More »
- Bush Reaches Historic Low
  
  CNN | May 1, 08 6:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - George Bush is the most unpopular president in modern history with a 71% disapproval rating, a new CNN poll says. It's the first time any president has cracked the 70% mark in any CNN or Gallup poll—even Nixon remained in the mid-60s on the eve of his resignation in 1974. The previous record belonged to Harry Truman at 67%. More »
March 2008
- Bush Housing Secretary Steps Down
  
  Wall Street Journal | Mar 31, 08 9:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson resigned this morning, after a series of accusations of political favoritism. The departure marks a setback to the Bush administration's efforts to stem the housing crisis, the Wall Street Journal reports, as Jackson has been a central player on key initiatives. He cited family reasons in his brief announcement. More »
- Dems Slam Ashcroft for 'Backroom' $52M Contract
  
  St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Mar 11, 08 4:22 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - John Ashcroft angrily denied congressional Democrats' allegations today that a lucrative no-bid contract the Justice Department awarded him represents a conflict of interest, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Democrats characterized the contract as a “backroom sweetheart deal” because Ashcroft's ex-subordinates selected his firm to monitor a medical supply company under investigation for providing kickbacks. The deal could be worth up to $52 million. More »
November 2007
- Homeland Security Adviser Joins White House Exodus
  
  Washington Post | Nov 19, 07 2:23 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The president's homeland security adviser resigned today, extending the string of high-profile White House departures. Frances Frago Townsend was in charge of the president’s counterterrorism program for 4½ years, the Washington Post reports, managing the response to the London bombing and upgrading air transportation security. No reason was given for her departure. More »
- Bushies Break Records in Rush to K Street
  
  Politico | Nov 14, 07 3:06 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Departing staffers of lame duck presidents have long filled the ranks of lobbying firms, but the Bush White House is providing K Street operatives in particularly high numbers, the Politico reports—raising a series of ethics questions about the revolving-door phenomenon. The key industries hiring outgoing Bushies are homeland security—seeking know-how on scoring a chunk of the new agency’s massive budget—and alternative energy. More »
October 2007
- Bush Loses Another From Inner Circle
  
  Associated Press | Oct 31, 07 11:26 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Karen Hughes—one of President Bush's few remaining advisers from his Texas days—plans to leave her job as undersecretary of state at year's end. The former television reporter and media adviser spent the past two years leading efforts to improve the US' image abroad. Hughes will return to Texas, where she first began working with Bush in the 1990s. More »
- Departing Bushies Worry About Legacy
  
  Washington Post | Oct 7, 07 10:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The droves of White House aides who have left in recent months are a largely weary, angry bunch troubled by the administration's legacy, especially in Iraq, the Washington Post reports. "It constantly looms," said one former staffer of the war. Relentless criticism of the administration has taken its toll, others say, making already difficult jobs that much harder. More »
August 2007
- Snow Sets Departure Date
  
  CNN | Aug 31, 07 2:01 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - After weeks of rumors about his departure, White House press secretary Tony Snow gave his two weeks' notice today. Snow, who has battled colon cancer since 2005, made it clear he was leaving for financial and not health reasons, CNN reports. "I love you," President Bush told Snow, "and I wish you all the best." More »
- Chertoff Eyed as AG Nominee
  
  CNN | Aug 27, 07 10:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Michael Chertoff is the top candidate to replace resigning AG Alberto Gonzales, White House sources tell CNN. The Department of Homeland Security chief served as an assistant AG early in the Bush years. Speculation about Chertoff's promotion began as early as Friday, as a US News & World Report blog said there was "buzz" that Gonzales was out. More »
- Alberto Gonzales Resigns
  
  CNN | Aug 27, 07 7:42 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Alberto Gonzales has resigned, the White House told CNN today, after months of calls for his replacement—and even impeachment—from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle worried that the Justice Department was becoming overly politicized. The AG told President Bush of his intention to step down Friday, following strategist Karl Rove out by just a few weeks. More »
- Rumsfeld Resigned Before Midterm Elections
  
  Reuters | Aug 15, 07 5:23 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Donald Rumsfeld's resignation letter, obtained by Reuters, shows he told President Bush of his departure as defense secretary one day before the 2006 congressional elections; though Bush saw the letter on Election Day, the White House didn't announce the decision until the day after polls closed. Republicans warned the delay was likely costly in an election in which the public voted its discontent over the Iraq war. More »