Fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias embraces the media in his quest for vindication
David Iglesias stands against the fence at the edge of his backyard worrying about the "ambience" - a rock that's supposed to bubble forth water at the flip of a switch.
It's not bubbling forth.
"I just got it fixed, too," he says, fetching a hose.
But just then, happily, comes the water. When his wife, Cyndy, calls some minutes later, he'll recount the scene in their shared language of Scripture.
"We had some problems with the water feature," he says, "but then it came springing forth like Moses smiting the rock."
Iglesias, wearing jeans and a black pullover as the water gurgles outside his Northeast Heights home, had already eased into his now-familiar role of interviewee - discussing his five-year tenure as New Mexico's U.S. attorney and his controversial firing in December.
Both before then and since, Iglesias has faced criticism - especially from fellow Republicans - that he was too aloof and too often absent. Neither can be said anymore. He seems to be everywhere, honing his message in national newspapers and cable TV news shows.
"My job now is to seek full vindication," he says. "What happened to me and my colleagues was wrong."
After years of cautiousness and understatement in his dealings with the media, Iglesias, the private citizen, seems happy to unburden himself. He says President Bush's top adviser, Karl Rove, should face obstruction of justice charges if certain things Iglesias assumes to be true can be proven. Specifically: Bush's political architect directed Iglesias' firing because he refused to rush the indictment of a former state Democratic powerhouse, Manny Aragon, ahead of last year's elections.
He calls the Bush administration a "major disappointment" and compares it with an airliner in a culture where no one dares question the pilot, who is flying straight into a mountain.
And while he says it's not his place to call for the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, he says Gonzales failed to protect the eight fired U.S. attorneys from political fallout. Things would have been different, Iglesias says, under Gonzales' predecessor, John Ashcroft.
"He was a tough old bird."
Read More in the Albuquerque Tribune
David Iglesias stands against the fence at the edge of his backyard worrying about the "ambience" - a rock that's supposed to bubble forth water at the flip of a switch.
It's not bubbling forth.
"I just got it fixed, too," he says, fetching a hose.
But just then, happily, comes the water. When his wife, Cyndy, calls some minutes later, he'll recount the scene in their shared language of Scripture.
"We had some problems with the water feature," he says, "but then it came springing forth like Moses smiting the rock."
Iglesias, wearing jeans and a black pullover as the water gurgles outside his Northeast Heights home, had already eased into his now-familiar role of interviewee - discussing his five-year tenure as New Mexico's U.S. attorney and his controversial firing in December.
Both before then and since, Iglesias has faced criticism - especially from fellow Republicans - that he was too aloof and too often absent. Neither can be said anymore. He seems to be everywhere, honing his message in national newspapers and cable TV news shows.
"My job now is to seek full vindication," he says. "What happened to me and my colleagues was wrong."
After years of cautiousness and understatement in his dealings with the media, Iglesias, the private citizen, seems happy to unburden himself. He says President Bush's top adviser, Karl Rove, should face obstruction of justice charges if certain things Iglesias assumes to be true can be proven. Specifically: Bush's political architect directed Iglesias' firing because he refused to rush the indictment of a former state Democratic powerhouse, Manny Aragon, ahead of last year's elections.
He calls the Bush administration a "major disappointment" and compares it with an airliner in a culture where no one dares question the pilot, who is flying straight into a mountain.
And while he says it's not his place to call for the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, he says Gonzales failed to protect the eight fired U.S. attorneys from political fallout. Things would have been different, Iglesias says, under Gonzales' predecessor, John Ashcroft.
"He was a tough old bird."
Read More in the Albuquerque Tribune
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