Uhulumeni kaBush ushaqekile, ushaqekile, ukuthi ukudutshulwa kwabameli abambalwa base-US kubangele ukuxokozela okungaka eWashington. Phela iHhovisi le-Oval lithi, uMongameli angakhetha noma ubani afuna ukushushisa amacala e-federal. Kodwa iNkantolo Ephakeme yamemezela ecaleni likaBerger v. United States ukuthi umsebenzi womshushisi uwukubona ukuthi ubulungisa buyenziwa, hhayi ukwenza ubulungisa kwezombusazwe. Ukukhishwa kwenqwaba yabashushisi abaphezulu kwakuhlobene kakhulu nokubamba amandla - ngokuxhaphaza amalungelo okuvota - kunokwenza ubulungisa. Futhi njengehlazo le-Watergate, ubufakazi bukhomba ukumboza.
Lokhu kufihlwa kumayelana nemizamo yabaphathi bakaBush yokuxosha abavoti base-Afrika-baseMelika emiphakathini lapho ivoti lingase libe seduze. UGeorge W. Bush waqala ukubusa ngo-2000 ngenani elincanyana elinikezwe iNkantolo Ephakeme. Ngesikhathi sokhetho lwango-2004, kwaba nezinsolo zemizamo yokuxosha abavoti base-Afrika naseMelika, ikakhulukazi e-Ohio. Nokho awekho amacala okubandlulula ngokuvota alethwa egameni labavoti base-Afrika-baseMelika noma aboMdabu baseMelika kusukela ngo-2001 kuya ku-2006.
Esikhundleni salokho, abaphathi bagqugquzele imizamo eyayizophinde ikhiphe laba bavoti. Abameli baseMelika bayalwe ukuthi bashushise amacala โokukhwabanisa kwabavotiโ. โUkukhwabanisa kwabavotiโ โkucishe kufane nokuthi 'ukuvota umnyama,'โ kuphawula i-New York Times' uPaul Krugman. Futhi, abenzi bomthetho baseRiphabhulikhi bashaye imithetho ye-ID yabavoti eyasungula izithiyo ezintsha zokuthi abavoti bagxume.
Ababengabasebenzi ophikweni lwamalungelo omphakathi eMnyangweni Wezobulungiswa bathi "bahlukunyezwa ngokuphindaphindiwe lapho bephikisana nesenzo seRiphabhulikhi, kusukela kumthetho we-ID yabavoti baseGeorgia kuya ekwakhiweni kabusha kukaTom DeLay's Texas, abakholelwa ukuthi kuzokhipha abavoti base-Afrika-America," kwengeza uKrugman.
Imizamo yabaphathi yokushushisa ukukhwabanisa kwabavoti iyinkohliso. I-New York Times ibika ukuthi ochwepheshe babavoti baye bathola โisivumelwano esibanzi kodwa esingavumelani sokuthi kunokukhwabanisa okuncane ezindaweni zokuvota.โ Nokho, i-Election Assistance Commission, ithimba likahulumeni elithweswe icala lokucwaninga ngokhetho, lahlanekezela okutholwe ngochwepheshe babavoti.
Uhulumeni kaBush ubelokhu ekhwabanisa abavoti kusukela okhethweni olwedlule; UKarl Rove ukubize ngokuthi inkinga โenkulu futhi ekhulayoโ. Abameli ababili baseMelika abaxoshiwe, uDavid Iglesias wase-Albuquerque noJohn McKay waseSeattle, bachithiwe ngoba benqabile ukuvulela abavoti amacala okukhwabanisa ngemuva kokuxwayiswa ukuthi benze kanjalo ngamaRepublicans abekwe kahle. Abanye baxoshwe ngenxa yokuqhuba uphenyo lwamaRepublicans.
UKyle Sampson, owayesesandleni sokudla sika-Alberto Gonzales, ubhale nge-imeyili ukuthi iziqu zokuba ngummeli waseMelika kwakuzoba โuBushie othembekile.โ
Ngokushesha ngemva kokugqekezwa kwe-Watergate, uMongameli u-Richard Nixon kanye nesikhulu sakhe sabasebenzi esithembekile u-HR Haldeman bakhuluma esakhiweni esidala se-Executive Office Building. Ingxoxo yabo yaqoshwa, kodwa imizuzu engu-18.5 yasulwa. Leli gebe lafaka uNixon icala ekufihleni okwagcina kuholele ekutheni abekwe icala futhi asule.
Ngokunjalo, kunegebe elisolisayo lezinsuku eziyi-16 kumarekhodi e-imeyili phakathi koMnyango Wezobulungiswa kanye ne-White House ngaphambi nje kokuba kuxoshwe abameli abayisikhombisa baseMelika ngoDisemba. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukuxhumana okuningi mayelana nalolu daba kwenziwa kusetshenziswa ama-akhawunti e-imeyili eKomidi Likazwelonke LeRiphabhulikhi esikhundleni sama-akhawunti kahulumeni, okungenzeka ukuthi kwephula uMthetho Wokurekhodiwe Kamongameli.
I-Los Angeles Times ibike ukuthi izikhulu eziphezulu zoMnyango Wezobulungiswa zilungiselele imibhalo yokuqinisekisa ukudutshulwa ngemuva kokuxoshwa. Esinye isikhulu soMnyango Wezobulungiswa sasabisa โngokuziphindiselelaโ kubameli baseMelika abayisishiyagalombili abaxoshwa uma beqhubeka nokukhuluma esidlangalaleni ngokuxoshwa kwabo.
Ummeli Jikelele u-Alberto Gonzales, ophethe uMnyango Wezobulungiswa, ukuphikile ukuthi wayebandakanyeka ezingxoxweni mayelana nokudutshulwa. Kodwa uSampson wafakaza wathi uGonzales kwaboniswana naye okungenani izikhathi ezinhlanu futhi wasayina ohlelweni lokuxosha abameli baseMelika. "Angicabangi ukuthi kunembile ngokuphelele akusho [uGonzales]," kusho uSampson etshela iKomidi Lezobulungiswa LeSenate.
Kubikwa ukuthi uGonzales ujuluka izitini ngenxa yobufakazi bakhe phambi kwalelo Komidi, elihlelelwe u-Ephreli 17. Ngenxa yokugwazwa kwamatshe kukaGonzales ekuphenduleni isicelo seKomidi Lezobulungiswa BeNdlu sokuthola imibhalo, usihlalo wekomidi u-Rep. John Conyers uye wabiza amarekhodi. Uma uMnyango Wezobulungiswa wenqaba ukubizelwa enkantolo, iKomidi Lezobulungiswa, kanye neCongress ephelele, bangacaphuna umnyango ngokudelela uKhongolose, futhi ijaji elikhulu lombuso lingakhipha amacala obugebengu ukuze kuvinjwe ubulungisa.
I-White House iveze ukuthi ngeke ivumele uKarl Rove kanye nalowo owayenguMeluleki weWhite House uHarriet Miers ukuthi bafakaze ngaphansi kwesifungo. Kungani bephikisana ngaphandle uma behlose ukuqamba amanga?
U-Alberto Gonzales kufanele axoshwe, hhayi nje ngenxa yokungalungi odabeni lommeli wase-US, kodwa futhi ngokweluleka uBush ukuthi ephule Izivumelwano ZaseGeneva ezaholela ekuhlukunyezweni nasekuhlukunyezweni kweziboshwa ezivalelwe e-US. Khumbula ukuthi uGonzales utshele uBush ukuthi Imihlangano yaseGeneva "yayiyinhle" futhi "ayisasebenzi." Lawo kwakungamagama afanayo abameli bamaNazi abawasebenzisa eNuremberg ukuchaza Izivumelwano ZaseGeneva.
Ukudubula uGonzales kungase kunqande okwesikhashana inqwaba yezinsolo mayelana nodaba lommeli wase-US. Kodwa inkohlakalo, ukwephulwa komthetho, kanye nokufihlakala kuyajula - kuze kufike eHhovisi Le-Oval. Ngethemba ukuthi uNancy Pelosi noJohn Conyers bazobuyisela ukubekelwa icala etafuleni.
UMarjorie Cohn unguprofesa eThomas Jefferson School of Law kanye nomongameli weNational Lawyers Guild. Incwadi yakhe ethi, "Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law," izoshicilelwa ngoJulayi. Bheka ku-http://www.marjoriecohn.com/.
I-ZNetwork ixhaswa kuphela ngokuphana kwabafundi bayo.
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