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{{short description|American political consultant and policy advisor (born 1950)}} | |||
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{{Infobox |
{{Infobox officeholder | ||
| name = Karl Rove | |||
| image = Karl Rove.jpg | |||
| alt = Rove looking to the camera | |||
| image_size = 170px | |||
| office = ] | |||
| caption = An official portrait of Karl Rove | |||
| president = ] | |||
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|12|25}} | |||
| term_start = February 8, 2005 | |||
| birth_place = {{flagicon|USA}}{{flagicon|Colorado}}], ] | |||
| term_end = August 31, 2007 | |||
| death_date = | |||
| predecessor = ] | |||
| death_place = | |||
| successor = ] | |||
| occupation = former ] | |||
| office1 = ] | |||
| spouse = Darby Tara Hickson | |||
| president1 = ] | |||
| term_start1 = January 20, 2001 | |||
| religion = Episcopalian | |||
| term_end1 = August 31, 2007 | |||
| networth = $1.5-6.3 million (]) <ref>http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2005/N99999989_2005.pdf</ref> | |||
| predecessor1 = {{ubl|]|]|]}} | |||
| Web site = | |||
| successor1 = ] | |||
| footnotes = | |||
| office2 = ] | |||
| term_start2 = 1973 | |||
| term_end2 = 1977 | |||
| predecessor2 = Joe Abate | |||
| successor2 = John Brady | |||
| birth_name = Karl Christian Rove | |||
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|12|25}} | |||
| birth_place = ], ], U.S. | |||
| death_date = | |||
| death_place = | |||
| party = ] | |||
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Valerie Mather Wainwright|July 10, 1976|1980|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Darby Tara Hickson|January 1986|December 2009|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Karen Johnson|June 2012}}}} | |||
| children = 1 | |||
| website = {{URL|rove.com|Official website}} | |||
| education = ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''Karl Christian Rove''' (born |
'''Karl Christian Rove''' (born December 25, 1950) is an American ] ], policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was ] and ] during the ] administration until his resignation on August 31, 2007. He has also headed the Office of Political Affairs, the ], and the ]. Rove was one of the architects of the ]. | ||
Prior to his White House appointments, he is credited with the 1994 and 1998 ] gubernatorial victories of ], as well as Bush's ] and 2004 successful presidential campaigns. In his 2004 victory speech, Bush referred to Rove as "the Architect". Rove has also been credited for the successful campaigns of ] (1994 U.S. Senate election), ] (1986 Texas gubernatorial election), Senator ] (2002 U.S. Senate election), ] ] (1990 Texas Agriculture Commission election), and ] (1982 ] and 1984 U.S. Senate elections). Since leaving the White House, Rove has worked as a political analyst and contributor for ], '']'', and '']''. | |||
== |
==Early life and education== | ||
Rove was born on Christmas Day in ], the second of five children, and was raised in ]. His parents separated when he was 19 years old<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/us/politics/11BAKER.html?pagewanted=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208011546/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/us/politics/11BAKER.html?pagewanted=3|archive-date=2014-12-08|title=Rove on Rove: A Conversation with the Former Bush Senior Adviser|newspaper=]|date=10 March 2010|last1=Baker|first1=Peter}}</ref> and the man whom Rove knew as his father was a ].<ref name=bookref1>{{Cite book|last=Alexander|first=Paul|title=Machiavelli's Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Karl Rove|publisher=Rodale|year=2008|page=17|isbn=978-1-59486-825-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zbk_Ml57M10C&pg=17}}</ref> | |||
===Family, upbringing, and early politicking=== | |||
Rove was born the second of three children in ], and later raised in ]. His biological father was not married to his mother. His mother's husband, Louis Claude Rove Jr., whom Rove knew as his father, was a ], and his mother, Reba Wood, was a gift shop manager. His older brother is Eric P. Rove, and his younger sister is Reba A. Rove-Hammond. | |||
In 1965, his family moved to ], where Rove entered high school, becoming a skilled debater.<ref>{{cite web | |||
In 1960, at the age of nine, Rove decided to support ], got into a physical fight about it with a politically-motivated girl, and lost.<ref name="underdog">{{cite news | url=<!--dead link http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,450019080,00.html-->http://www.capitolhillblue.com/cont/node/3140?page=1 | title=Triumph of the underdog | author=Lee Davidson | publisher=Deseret News | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
|first1=Brendan | |||
|last1=Banaszak | |||
|first2=Ron | |||
|last2=Elving | |||
|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5481603 | |||
|title=Karl Rove, the President's 'Boy Genius' | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|date=June 13, 2006 | |||
|access-date=September 1, 2012 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5481603 | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> Encouraged by a teacher to run for class senate, Rove won the election. As part of his campaign strategy he rode in the back of a convertible inside the school gymnasium sitting between two attractive girls before his election speech.<ref>{{cite news | |||
|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/interviews/slater.html | |||
|title=Frontline interview with author William Slater: NPR published PBS Frontline interview | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|date=April 12, 2005 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/interviews/slater.html | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> While at ],<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.deseret.com/2005/7/20/19903055/about-utah-newsmakers-go-forth-from-utah-olympus|title=Newsmakers go forth from Utah Olympus|author=Lee Benson|newspaper=]|date=July 20, 2005}}</ref> he was elected student council president his junior and senior years. Rove was also a ] and served as Chairman of the Utah Federation of Teenage Republicans. During this time, his father got a job in Los Angeles and visited the family during holidays.<ref name="Rove">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aw4tOs-x85YC&q=suicide|title=Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight|last=Rove|first=Karl|date=2010-04-03|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781439199268|language=en}}</ref> | |||
Rove's mother suffered from depression and had contemplated suicide more than once in her life.<ref name="Rove"/> Rove has stated that although he loved his mother, she was seriously flawed, undependable and, at times, unstable.<ref name="Rove"/> In December 1969, after a heated fight with his wife, the man Rove had known as his father left the family and ]d Rove's mother soon afterwards.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Book Reveals Rove's Father Was Gay...|work=]|url= https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/09/05/new-book-reveals-roves-f_n_28738.html|date= September 5, 2006|access-date=October 26, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Sam Stein |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20253121/site/newsweek/ |title=Inside Karl Rove's Brain |magazine=Newsweek |date=August 13, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820214335/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20253121/site/newsweek/ |archive-date=August 20, 2007 }}</ref> It was at this juncture that Rove was finally told that he and his older brother had a different birth father, his mother's prior husband.<ref name="Rove" /> Rove's relationship with his adoptive father was briefly strained for a few months following the divorce, but they maintained a relationship afterward.<ref name="books.google.com">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aw4tOs-x85YC&q=divorce|title=Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight|last=Rove|first=Karl|date=2010-04-03|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781439199268|language=en}}</ref> | |||
His family moved to ] in 1965 when Rove was entering high school. While at ],<ref> by Lee Benson, Deseret Morning News, July 20, 2005</ref> he was elected student council president his junior and senior years. He became skilled in debate.<ref></ref> He says "I was the complete nerd. I had the briefcase. I had the ]. I wore ] when they were not cool. I was the thin, scrawny little guy. I was definitely uncool." | |||
Rove had only infrequent contact with his mother in the 1970s. She frequently withheld child support checks and spent them for herself. She and her second husband lost most of their money due to poor financial decisions on her part and his gambling and overspending.<ref name="auto">{{Cite journal|last1=Thanapirom|first1=Kessarin|last2=Gonlachanvit|first2=Sutep|date=May 2013|title=Mo1115 Differences in Symptom Profiles Quality of Life Anxiety and Depression Scores Between Patients WHO Suffered From Gastrointestinal Symptom More and Less Than 6 Months|journal=Gastroenterology|volume=144|issue=5|pages=S–582|doi=10.1016/s0016-5085(13)62149-6|issn=0016-5085|doi-access=free}}</ref> On September 11, 1981, Rove's mother died by ] north of ], shortly after she decided to divorce her third and final husband, to whom she had been unhappily married for only three months.<ref name="books.google.com" /><ref name="situation_room_transcripts">'']'' Transcripts: , ''CNN: The Situation Room'', Aired March 5, 2010.</ref> | |||
Rove began his involvement in American politics in 1968. In a 2002 '']'' interview, Rove explained, "I was the Olympus High chairman for (former ]) ]'s re-election campaign, where he was opposed by the dynamic, young, aggressive political science professor at the ], J.D. Williams."<ref name="underdog">{{cite news | url=http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,450019080,00.html | title=Triumph of the underdog | author=Lee Davidson | publisher=Deseret News | date=] ]}}</ref> Bennett was reelected to a third six-year term. Through Rove's campaign involvement, Bennett's son, ] — a future United States Senator from ] — would become a friend. Williams would later become a mentor to Rove. | |||
== Early political career == | |||
In December 1969, the man Rove had known as his father left the family, and divorced Rove's mother soon afterward; it later became known he was homosexual.<ref>{{cite web | |||
Rove began his involvement in American politics in 1968. In a 2002 '']'' interview, Rove explained, "I was the Olympus High chairman for (former U.S. Sen.) ]'s re-election campaign, where he was opposed by the dynamic, young, aggressive political science professor at the ], J.D. Williams."<ref name=underdog>{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/952840/Triumph-of-the-underdog.html |title=Triumph of the Underdog |first=Lee |last=Davidson |work=Deseret News |date=December 8, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/952840/Triumph-of-the-underdog.html |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 19, 2018}}</ref> Bennett was reelected to a third six-year term in November 1968. Through Rove's campaign involvement, Bennett's son, ]—a future United States Senator from ]—would become a friend. Williams would later become a mentor to Rove. | |||
| author = | |||
| title = New Book Reveals Rove's Father Was Gay... | |||
| publisher = The Huffington Post | |||
| url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/09/05/new-book-reveals-roves-f_n_28738.html | |||
| date = ], ] | |||
| accessdate = 2007-10-26 }}</ref> <ref>Sam Stein, , ''Newsweek'', August 13, 2007</ref> After his parents' separation, Rove learned from his aunt and uncle that the man who had raised him was not his biological father; both he and his older brother Eric were the children of another man. Rove has expressed great love and admiration for his adoptive father and for "how selfless" his love had been.<ref name="new-yorker-profile-2003">'']'' profile: by Nicholas Lemann "Profiles", The New Yorker Magazine ] ]. .</ref> In ] Rove's mother committed ] in ].<ref name="new-yorker-profile-2003"/> | |||
===College |
===College and the Dixon campaign sabotage incident=== | ||
In the fall of |
In the fall of 1969, Rove entered the ], on a $1,000 scholarship,<ref>{{cite news|title=Rove: Ex-Utahn in crisis; Unethical revenge would not surprise his U. poli-sci prof; Rove known as a fierce competitor|newspaper=]|author=Matt Canham and Thomas Burr|date=November 6, 2005}}</ref> as a ] major and joined the ] fraternity. Through the university's ], he got an ]ship with the ]. That position, and contacts from the 1968 Bennett campaign, helped him secure a job in 1970 on ]'s unsuccessful re-election campaign for ] from ] against ] ]. | ||
In the fall of 1970, Rove used a false identity to enter the campaign office of Democrat ], who was running for ]. He stole 1000 sheets of paper with campaign letterhead, printed fake campaign rally fliers promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing", and distributed them at rock concerts and ] shelters, with the effect of disrupting Dixon's rally. (Dixon eventually won the election.) Rove's role would not become publicly known until August 1973 when Rove told ''The Dallas Morning News''. In 1999 he said, "It was a youthful prank at the age of 19 and I regret it."<ref name="balz-2003-strategist">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/rove072399.htm|title=Karl Rove – The Strategist|newspaper=]|author=Dan Balz|date=July 23, 1999}}</ref> In his memoir, Rove wrote that when he was later nominated to the Board for International Broadcasting by President George H.W. Bush, Senator Dixon did not kill his nomination. In Rove's account, "Dixon displayed more grace than I had shown and kindly excused this youthful prank."{{sfn|Rove 2010|p=24}} | |||
In December 1969, the ] held its first lottery drawing. Those born on December 25, like Rove, received number 84. That number placed him in the middle of those (with numbers 1 through 195) who would eventually be drafted. On ] ], Rove was reclassified as 2-S, a deferment from the ] because of his enrollment at the ] in the fall of 1969. He maintained this deferment until ] ], despite being only a part-time student in the autumn and spring quarters of 1971 (registered for between six and 12 credit hours) and dropping out of the university in June 1971. Rove was a student at the ] in the fall of 1971; as such, he would have been eligible for 2-S status, but registrar's records show that he withdrew from classes during the first half of the semester. In December 1971 he was reclassified as 1-A. On ] ], he was reclassified as 1-H, or "not currently subject to processing for induction". The draft ended on ] ]. | |||
In the fall of 1970, Rove used a false identity to enter the campaign office of Democrat ], who was running for ]. He stole 1000 sheets of paper with campaign letterhead, printed fake campaign rally fliers promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing", and distributed them at rock concerts and ] shelters, with the effect of disrupting Dixon's rally. (Dixon eventually won the election). Rove's role would not become publicly known until ] ]. Rove told the ''Dallas Morning News'' in 1999, "It was a youthful prank at the age of 19 and I regret it."<ref name="balz-2003-strategist">{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/rove072399.htm | title=Karl Rove - The Strategist | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Dan Balz | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
===College Republicans, Watergate, and the Bushes=== | ===College Republicans, Watergate, and the Bushes=== | ||
In June 1971, Rove ] of |
In June 1971, after the end of the semester, Rove ] of the University of Utah to take a paid position as the executive director of the ].<ref>{{cite book|author1=James Moore|author2=Wayne Slater|title=Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ANSfwJOiDEC|year=2011|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-03982-3|page=}}</ref> Joe Abate, who was National Chairman of the College Republicans at the time, became his mentor.<ref name="new-yorker-profile-2003">'']'' profile: by Nicholas Lemann "Profiles", ''The New Yorker.'', May 12, 2003. .</ref> Rove then enrolled at the ] in the Fall of 1971, but withdrew from classes during the first half of the semester.<ref name="Draft">{{cite news | ||
|work=Salt Lake Tribune | |||
|date=September 18, 2004 | |||
Rove traveled extensively, participating as an instructor at weekend seminars for campus ]s across the country. He was an active participant in Richard Nixon's ]. As a protégé of ] (later convicted as a ] conspirator), Rove painted the Nixon opponent ] as a "] peacenik", in spite of McGovern's ] stint piloting a B-24.<ref> by James Ridgeway in the Village Voice. ] ].</ref> | |||
|title=Did Karl Rove dodge the draft? | |||
|url=http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2416757 | |||
Rove held the position of executive director of the College Republicans until early 1973. He left the job to spend five months, without pay, campaigning full time for the position of national chairman of the organization, for the 1973-1975 term in the same years he attended ].<ref name="new-yorker-profile-2003"/> ], the group's Southern regional coordinator, who was two months younger than Rove, managed Rove's campaign. The two spent the spring of 1973 crisscrossing the country in a ], lining up the support of Republican state chairs. | |||
|author=Rebecca Walsh | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2416757 | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> In July 1999 he told '']'' that he did not have a degree because "I lack at this point one math class, which I can take by exam, and my foreign language requirement."<ref name="balz-2003-strategist" /> | |||
Rove traveled extensively, participating as an instructor at weekend seminars for campus ]s across the country. He was an active participant in ]'s ]. A CBS report on the organization of the Nixon campaign from June 1972 includes an interview with a young Rove working for the College Republican National Committee.<ref>{{cite web|title=Daily Show|date=October 22, 2013|url= http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-october-22-2013/moment-of-zen---young-karl-rove|access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref> | |||
The College Republicans summer 1973 convention at the '''Lake of the Ozarks''' resort in ] was quite contentious. Rove's opponent was ] of ] (the other major candidate, ] of ], dropped out, supporting Edgeworth). A number of states had sent two competing delegates, because Rove and his supporters had made credentials challenges at state and regional conventions. For example, after the Midwest regional convention, Rove forces had produced a version of the Midwestern College Republicans constitution which differed significantly from the constitution that the Edgeworth forces were using, in order to justify the unseating of the Edgeworth delegates on procedural grounds.<ref name="new-yorker-profile-2003"/> including delegations, such as ] and Missouri, which had been certified earlier by Rove himself. In the end, there were two votes, conducted by two convention chairs, and two winners — Rove and Edgeworth, each of whom delivered an acceptance speech. After the convention, both Edgeworth and Rove appealed to ] Chairman ], each contending that he was the new College Republican chairman. | |||
Rove held the position of executive director of the College Republicans until early 1973. He left the job to spend five months, without pay, campaigning full-time for the position of National Chairman during the time he attended ].<ref name="new-yorker-profile-2003"/> ], the group's Southern regional coordinator, who was two months younger than Rove, assisted with Rove's campaign. His campaign was managed by Daniel Mintz, of the Maryland College Republicans.<ref>Karl Rove, personal interview, June 16, 2018, Washington, D.C.</ref> Karl spent the spring of 1973 crisscrossing the country in a ], lining up the support of Republican state chairs. | |||
While resolution was pending, Dolan went (anonymously) to the '']'' with recordings of several training seminars for young Republicans where Rove discussed campaign techniques that included rooting through opponents' garbage cans. On ] ], in the midst of the Watergate scandal, the ''Post'' broke the story in an article titled "Republican Party Probes Official as Teacher of Tricks." | |||
The College Republicans summer 1973 convention at the ] resort in ] was quite contentious. Rove's opponent was Robert Edgeworth of ]. The other major candidate, ] of ], dropped out, supporting Edgeworth. A number of states had sent two competing delegates, because Rove and his supporters had made credential challenges at state and regional conventions. For example, after the Midwest regional convention, Rove forces had produced a version of the Midwestern College Republicans constitution which differed significantly from the constitution that the Edgeworth forces were using, in order to justify the unseating of the Edgeworth delegates on procedural grounds,<ref name="new-yorker-profile-2003"/> including delegations, such as ] and Missouri, which had been certified earlier by Rove himself. In the end, there were two votes, conducted by two convention chairs, and two winners—Rove and Edgeworth, each of whom delivered an acceptance speech. After the convention, both Edgeworth and Rove appealed to ] Chairman ], each contending that he was the new College Republican chairman. | |||
At Nixon's request, a ] agent questioned Rove. As part of the investigation, Atwater signed an ], dated ] ], stating that he had heard a "20 minute anecdote similar to the one described in the ''Washington Post''" in July 1972, but that "it was a funny story during a coffee break."<ref>]'': Karl Rove - the Architect: Mastermind: Chronology - Karl Rove's life and political career] at PBS.org</ref> Former Nixon White House Counsel ], who was implicated in the Watergate break-in and became the star witness for the prosecution, has been quoted as saying that "Based on my review of the files, it appears the Watergate prosecutors were interested in Rove's activities in 1972, but because they had bigger fish to fry they did not aggressively investigate him."<ref> by David Talbot on Salon.com. ] ]</ref> | |||
While resolution was pending, Dolan went (anonymously) to '']'' with recordings of several training seminars for young Republicans where a co-presenter of Rove's, Bernie Robinson, cautioned against doing the same thing he had done: rooting through opponents' garbage cans. The tape with this story on it, as well as Rove's admonition not to copy similar tricks as Rove's against Dixon, was secretly recorded and edited by Rich Evans, who had hoped to receive an appointment from Rove's competitor in the CRNC chairmanship race.{{sfn|Rove 2010|p=37}} On August 10, 1973, in the midst of the ], the ''Post'' broke the story in an article titled "GOP Party Probes Official as Teacher of Tricks".<ref name=guardbrains/> | |||
On ] ], three weeks after announcing his intent to investigate the allegations against Rove, Bush chose Rove to be chairman of the College Republicans. Bush then wrote Edgeworth a letter saying that he had concluded that Rove had fairly won the vote at the convention. Edgeworth wrote back, asking about the basis of that conclusion. Not long after that, Edgeworth has said, "Bush sent me back the angriest letter I have ever received in my life. I had leaked to the ''Washington Post'', and now I was out of the Party forever." | |||
In response, then RNC Chairman George H.W. Bush, had an ] agent question Rove. As part of the investigation, Atwater signed an ], dated August 13, 1973, stating that he had heard a "20 minute anecdote similar to the one described in ''The Washington Post''" in July 1972, but that "it was a funny story during a coffee break".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/rove/cron.html |title=Mastermind – Chronology – Karl Rove's Life And Political Career |publisher=] |work=] |date=April 12, 2005 |access-date=January 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/rove/cron.html |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Former ] Counsel ], has been quoted as saying "based on my review of the files, it appears the Watergate prosecutors were interested in Rove's activities in 1972, but because they had bigger fish to fry they did not aggressively investigate him."<ref>{{cite news | |||
As National Chairman, Rove introduced Bush to Atwater, who had taken Rove's job as the College Republican's executive director, and who would become Bush's main campaign strategist in future years. Bush hired Rove as a special assistant in the Republican National Committee, a job Rove left in 1974 to become executive assistant to the co-chair of the RNC, ]. | |||
|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/03/31/dean/index1.html | |||
|title=Creepier Than Nixon | |||
|author=David Talbot | |||
|work=] | |||
|date=March 31, 2004 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/03/31/dean/index1.html | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
On September 6, 1973, three weeks after announcing his intent to investigate the allegations against Rove, ] chose him to be chairman of the College Republicans. Bush then wrote Edgeworth a letter saying that he had concluded that Rove had fairly won the vote at the convention. Edgeworth wrote back, asking about the basis of that conclusion. Not long after that, Edgeworth stated "Bush sent me back the angriest letter I have ever received in my life. I had leaked to '']'', and now I was out of the Party forever." | |||
As special assistant, Rove also performed small personal tasks for Bush. In November 1973, Bush asked Rove to take a set of car keys to his son George W. Bush, who was visiting home during a break from ]. It was the first time the two met. | |||
"Huge amounts of charisma, swagger, cowboy boots, flight jacket, wonderful smile, just charisma - you know, wow", Rove recalled years later.<ref> The Guardian, ] ]</ref> | |||
As National Chairman, Rove introduced Bush to Atwater, who had taken Rove's job as the College Republican's executive director, and who would become Bush's main campaign strategist in future years. Bush hired Rove as a Special Assistant in the Republican National Committee, a job Rove left in 1974 to become Executive Assistant to the co-chair of the RNC, ]. | |||
===Residences and voting registration=== | |||
In 1976, Rove became the Finance Director for the ], which did not have a single fundraising event on its schedule at the time. He moved to ]. Within a year, he had pulled in more than $400,000 through direct mail fundraising. | |||
As Special Assistant, Rove performed small personal tasks for Bush. In November 1973, he asked Rove to take a set of car keys to his son ], who was visiting home during a break from ]. It was the first time the two met. "Huge amounts of charisma, swagger, cowboy boots, flight jacket, wonderful smile, just charisma – you know, wow", Rove recalled years later.<ref name="guardbrains">{{cite news | |||
Rove married ] socialite Valerie Mather Wainwright, on ] ]. He moved to ] on the first month of next year. His sister and father still remembered "the wedding was so extravagant that ... still recall it with awe. But the marriage of the society daughter and the hardworking political hack didn't last long."<ref>{{cite news | title=From Bad to Worse | publisher=The OC Weekly, Stern Publishing, Inc. | author=James Ridgeway | date=] ]}}</ref> Wainwright divorced Rove in early ]; she was 26 and he 29.<ref>{{cite news | title=The Man Who Would Be Kingmaker | publisher=Houston Press, New Times Inc. | author=Miriam Rozen | date=] ]}}</ref> He attended the ] in 1977; he still lacked a degree. In July 1999 he told the ''Washington Post'' that he did not have a degree because "I lack at this point one math class, which I can take by exam, and my foreign language requirement." In January 1986, the now divorced Rove married Darby Tara Hickson. She was a ] survivor, a graphic designer, and former employee of Karl Rove & Co. Their son, Andrew Madison Rove, born in 1989,<ref name="new-yorker-profile-2003"/> is an undergraduate at ] in ]. Rove left Texas after Bush was elected President in late 2000. | |||
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/09/uselections2004.usa1 | |||
|title=Who is Karl Rove? The Brains | |||
|work=] | |||
|location=London | |||
|first=Julian | |||
|last=Borger | |||
|date=March 9, 2004 | |||
|access-date=May 7, 2010 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/mar/09/uselections2004.usa1 | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
===Virginia=== | |||
Now owning a house in the ] that is valued at $1.1 million,{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Rove sold his longtime home in ] in 2003. The ''Washington Post'' reported that Rove had agreed to reimburse the District for an estimated $3,400 in back taxes in September 2005. The taxes were owed because since 2002, when the law changed, Rove was not entitled to a homestead exemption for his DC house because he was voting elsewhere (in Texas).<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090202397.html | title= Rove Not Entitled to D.C. Homestead Deduction | publisher=The Washington Post | date=] ] | author=Lori Montgomery | page= A02}}</ref> Rove was registered to vote in ], located about 80 miles west of Austin in the Texas Hill Country, on ] ]. The residence that Rove claims on Texas voter registration rolls consists of two small rental cottages, the largest of which is 814 square feet. The cottages were part of the that Rove and his wife, Darby, once owned on the Guadalupe River near ]. The Roves sold the lodge in 2003, after renovating it,<ref name="balz-2003-strategist"/> but kept the two cottages, which the lodge rents to guests. (Darby T. Rove is listed as a director of the new owner of the lodge, Estadio Partners, LLC.) In early October 2005, a resident of Kerr County filed a complaint with the District Attorney of the county to request an investigation into whether Rove and his wife violated Texas state law by illegally registering as voters in Kerr County, since neither had ever lived there.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/newsrelease.php?view=85|title=New Complaint Filed Against Karl ROVE With Kerr County, TX District Attorney to Investigate Illegal Voter Registration |publisher=citizensforethics.org|date=] ]}}</ref> Texas law defines a residence, for voting purposes, as "one's home and fixed place of habitation to which one intends to return after any temporary absence."<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA091005.1B.rove_residence.cdb6c0f.html | title= Rove story costs S.A. lawyer her state job | publisher=San Antonio Express-News | date=] ] | author=Zeke MacCormack}}</ref> On ] ], Rex Emerson, the District Attorney, announced that he had determined there was insufficient evidence to prosecute either Rove or his wife, and that his office would close the case without further action.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://web.dailytimes.com/story.lasso?wcd=17821 | title=Rove OK to vote here | publisher=The Daily Times | date=] ] | author=Gerard MacCrossan}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR2005110302591.html | title= Rove Is Ruled Legal Voter in Texas | publisher=The Washington Post | date=] ] | page=A12}}</ref> | |||
In 1976, Rove left D.C. to work in Virginian politics. Initially, Rove served as the Finance Director for the Republican Party of Virginia. Rove describes this as the role in which he discovered his love for direct mail campaigns.<ref name="books.google.com"/> | |||
In addition to the $1.1 million home he owned in the District in 2005, Rove and his wife built a home in ] worth more than $1 million, according to Rove's 2005 financial disclosure form.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/6/15/204859.shtml | title= | |||
Bush Top Aides Have Investment Wealth | publisher=The Associated Press | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
==The Texas years and notable political campaigns== | ==The Texas years and notable political campaigns== | ||
===1977–1991=== | ===1977–1991=== | ||
Rove's initial job in Texas was in 1977 as a legislative aide for ], a Texas Republican ] from ].<ref>{{cite web | |||
Rove's initial job in Texas was as a legislative aide for Fred Agnich, a Texas state representative, in Agnich's Dallas office. Later in 1977, Rove got a job as executive director of the Fund for Limited Government, a political action committee (PAC) in Houston headed by ], a Houston lawyer (later President George H.W. Bush's Secretary of State). The PAC eventually became the genesis of the Bush-for-President campaign of 1979–1980. | |||
|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/interviews/gwynne.html | |||
|title=Karl Rove – The Architect | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|access-date=September 20, 2013 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/architect/interviews/gwynne.html | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> Later that same year, Rove got a job as executive director of the Fund for Limited Government, a political action committee (PAC) in Houston headed by ], a Houston lawyer (later President George H. W. Bush's Secretary of State). The PAC eventually became the genesis of the Bush-for-President campaign of 1979–1980. | |||
His work for Bill Clements during the Texas ] election of 1978 helped Clements become the first Republican Governor of Texas in over 100 years. Clements was elected to a four-year term, succeeding |
His work for ] during the Texas ] election of 1978 helped Clements become the first Republican Governor of Texas in over 100 years. Clements was elected to a four-year term, succeeding Democrat ]. Rove was deputy director of the Governor William P. Clements Junior Committee in 1979 and 1980, and deputy executive assistant to the governor of Texas (roughly, Deputy Chief of Staff) in 1980 and 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marquiswhoswho.com/ |title=Marquis Who's Who |publisher=Marquiswhoswho.com |access-date=2015-06-21}}</ref> | ||
In 1981, Rove founded a ] consulting firm, '''Karl Rove & Co.''', in Austin. The firm's first clients included Texas Governor Bill Clements and ] congressman ], who later became a Republican congressman and ]. Rove operated his consulting business until 1999, when he sold the firm to take a full-time position in George W. Bush's presidential campaign. | In 1981, Rove founded a ] consulting firm, '''Karl Rove & Co.''', in Austin. The firm's first clients included Texas Governor Bill Clements and ] congressman ], who later became a Republican congressman and ]. Rove operated his consulting business until 1999, when he sold the firm to take a full-time position in George W. Bush's presidential campaign. | ||
Between 1981 and 1999, Rove worked on hundreds of races. Most were in a supporting role, doing direct mail fundraising. A November 2004 '']'' article |
Between 1981 and 1999, Rove worked on hundreds of races. Most were in a supporting role, doing direct mail fundraising. A November 2004 '']'' article estimated that he was the primary strategist for 41 statewide, congressional, and national races, and Rove's candidates won 34 races.<ref name="Karl Rove in a Corner">{{cite magazine | ||
|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200411/green/3 | |||
|title=Karl Rove in a Corner | |||
|author=Green, Joshua | |||
|magazine=] Monthly | |||
|date=November 2004 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200411/green/3 | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Rove also did work during those years for non-political clients. From 1991 to 1996, Rove advised tobacco giant ], and ultimately earned $3,000 a month via a consulting contract. In a deposition, Rove testified that he severed the tie in 1996 because he felt awkward "about balancing that responsibility with his role as Bush's top political advisor" while Bush was governor of Texas and Texas was suing the tobacco industry.<ref name="nerdbehind">{{cite news|url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/1999-05-13/news/feature_print.html|author=Rozen, Miriam| |
Rove also did work during those years for non-political clients. From 1991 to 1996, Rove advised tobacco giant ], and ultimately earned $3,000 a month via a consulting contract. In a ], Rove testified that he severed the tie in 1996 because he felt awkward "about balancing that responsibility with his role as Bush's top political advisor" while Bush was governor of Texas and Texas was suing the ].<ref name="nerdbehind">{{cite news|url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/1999-05-13/news/feature_print.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050110154803/http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/1999-05-13/news/feature_print.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 10, 2005 |author=Rozen, Miriam |newspaper=The Dallas Observer |date=May 13, 1999 |title=The Nerd Behind the Throne }}</ref>{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} | ||
====1978 George W. Bush congressional campaign==== | ====1978 George W. Bush congressional campaign==== | ||
Line 93: | Line 161: | ||
====1980 George H. W. Bush presidential campaign==== | ====1980 George H. W. Bush presidential campaign==== | ||
In 1977, Rove was the first person hired by ] for his unsuccessful ], which ended with Bush as vice-presidential nominee. |
In 1977, Rove was the first person hired by ] for his unsuccessful ], which ended with Bush as the vice-presidential nominee. | ||
<!-- Source? When was he fired? More difficult to find out, who fired him? --> | |||
<!-- Isn't this told in some other section of the article? --> | |||
====1982 William Clements, Jr. gubernatorial campaign==== | ====1982 William Clements, Jr. gubernatorial campaign==== | ||
In |
In 1982, Rove returned to assisting Governor Bill Clements in his run for reelection, but was defeated by Democrat ]. | ||
====1982 Phil Gramm congressional campaign==== | ====1982 Phil Gramm congressional campaign==== | ||
Line 104: | Line 170: | ||
====1984 Phil Gramm senatorial campaign==== | ====1984 Phil Gramm senatorial campaign==== | ||
In 1984, Rove helped Gramm, who had become a Republican in 1983, defeat Democrat ] in the race for U.S. Senate. | In 1984, Rove helped Gramm, who had become a Republican in 1983, defeat Republican ] in the primary and Democrat ] in the race for U.S. Senate. | ||
====1984 Ronald Reagan presidential campaign==== | ====1984 Ronald Reagan presidential campaign==== | ||
Rove handled direct-mail for the Reagan-Bush campaign. | Rove handled direct-mail for the ]-Bush campaign. | ||
====1986 William Clements, Jr. gubernatorial campaign==== | ====1986 William Clements, Jr. gubernatorial campaign==== | ||
In 1986, Rove helped Clements become governor a second time. In a strategy memo Rove wrote for his client prior to the race, now among Clements' |
In 1986, Rove helped Clements become governor a second time. In a strategy memo Rove wrote for his client prior to the race, now among Clements' papers in the ] library, Rove quoted ]: "The whole art of war consists in a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defensive, followed by rapid and audacious attack." | ||
In 1986, just before a crucial debate in campaign, Rove claimed that his office had been bugged by Democrats. The police and FBI investigated and discovered that the bug's battery was so small that it needed to be changed every few hours, and the investigation was dropped.<ref>{{ |
In 1986, just before a crucial debate in the campaign, Rove claimed that his office had been bugged by Democrats. The police and ] investigated and discovered that the bug's battery was so small that it needed to be changed every few hours, and the investigation was dropped.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/09/04/135514.php |title=Bush's Brain |date=September 4, 2004 |author=El Bicho |publisher=blogcritics.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051129193728/http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/09/04/135514.php |archive-date=November 29, 2005 }}</ref> Critics, including other Republican operatives, suspected Rove had bugged his own office to garner sympathy votes in the close governor's race.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/transcripts_060404_roving.html |title=Roving Reporters |date=June 4, 2004 |publisher=onthemedia.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050422052224/http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/transcripts_060404_roving.html |archive-date=April 22, 2005 }}</ref> | ||
====1988 Texas Supreme Court races==== | ====1988 Texas Supreme Court races==== | ||
In 1988, Rove helped ] become the first Republican elected as Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. Phillips had been appointed to the position in November 1987 by Clements. Phillips was re-elected in 1990, 1996 and 2002. | In 1988, Rove helped ] become the first Republican elected as Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. Phillips had been appointed to the position in November 1987 by Clements. Phillips was re-elected in 1990, 1996 and 2002.{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} | ||
Phillips' election in 1988 was part of an aggressive grassroots campaign called "Clean Slate '88", a conservative effort that was successful in getting five of its six candidates elected. (Ordinarily there were three justices on the ballot each year, on a nine-justice court, but, because of resignations, there were six races for the Supreme Court on the ballot in November 1988.) By 1998, Republicans held all nine seats on the Court. | Phillips' election in 1988 was part of an aggressive grassroots campaign called "Clean Slate '88", a conservative effort that was successful in getting five of its six candidates elected. (Ordinarily there were three justices on the ballot each year, on a nine-justice court, but, because of resignations, there were six races for the Supreme Court on the ballot in November 1988.) By 1998, Republicans held all nine seats on the Court. | ||
Line 123: | Line 189: | ||
====Other 1990 Texas statewide races==== | ====Other 1990 Texas statewide races==== | ||
In 1990, two other Rove candidates won: ], the future governor of the state, became agricultural commissioner, and ] became state treasurer |
In 1990, two other Rove candidates won: ], the future governor of the state, became agricultural commissioner, and ] became state treasurer. | ||
One notable aspect of the 1990 election was the charge that Rove had asked the ] (FBI) to investigate major Democratic officeholders in Texas. In his 2010 autobiography, Rove called the whole thing a "myth", saying: | |||
{{blockquote|The FBI did investigate Texas officials during that span, but I had nothing to do with it. The investigation was called "Brilab" and was part of a broad anti-] probe that looked at officials in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., as well as Texas{{nbsp}}... An official for the U.S. Department of Agriculture spotted expenses claimed by ]'s shop that raised red flags{{nbsp}}... enough to indict some of Hightower's top aides; they were later found guilty and sent to prison.{{nbsp}}... The myth that I had something to do both with spurring the investigation and with airing all of this has stuck around because it is convenient for some to blame me rather than those aides who ran afoul of the law.{{sfn|Rove 2010}}}} | |||
Rove was campaign manager for ]'s 1992 campaign for ] in the ], which included ] and counties in ]. Shapiro was the top vote-getter in the Republican primary against Don Kent and former Plano mayor Jack Harvard, then defeated Kent by 1 percentage point in a hotly-contested run-off election, during which vandals defaced her campaign signs with ]s due to Shapiro's Jewish faith.<ref name="D Magazine">{{cite news |last1=Sweany |first1=Brian |title=POLITICS: Robin Hood's Worst Nightmare |url=https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2005/january/politics-robin-hoods-worst-nightmare/ |access-date=14 June 2023 |publisher=] |date=2005-01-01}}</ref> | |||
====1991 Richard L. Thornburgh senatorial campaign and lawsuit==== | ====1991 Richard L. Thornburgh senatorial campaign and lawsuit==== | ||
In 1991, ] ] resigned to run for a Senate seat in ], one made vacant by ]'s |
In 1991, ] ] resigned to run for a Senate seat in ], one made vacant by ]'s death in a helicopter crash. Rove's company worked for the campaign, but it ended with an upset loss to Democrat ]. | ||
Rover had been hired by an intermediary Murray Dickman to work for Thornburgh's campaign. Subsequently, Rove sued Thornburgh directly, alleging non-payment for services rendered. The ], worried that the suit would make it hard to recruit good candidates, urged Rove to back off. When Rove refused, the RNC hired ] to write an ] on Thornburgh's behalf. ''Karl Rove & Co. v. Thornburgh'' was heard by U.S. Federal Judge ], who had been appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1991. After a trial in Austin, Rove prevailed.<ref name="new-yorker-profile-2003"/> | |||
===1992 George H. W. Bush presidential campaign=== | ===1992 George H. W. Bush presidential campaign=== | ||
Rove was fired from the 1992 Bush presidential campaign after he planted a negative story with columnist ] about dissatisfaction with campaign fundraising chief ] |
Rove was fired from the 1992 Bush presidential campaign after he planted a negative story with columnist ] about dissatisfaction with campaign fundraising chief ]<ref>'']'', January 2003</ref> Novak's column suggested a motive when it described the firing of Mosbacher by former Senator ]: "Also attending the session was political consultant Karl Rove, who had been shoved aside by Mosbacher." Novak and Rove denied that Rove leaked, but Mosbacher maintained that "Rove is the only one with a motive to leak this. We let him go. I still believe he did it."<ref>{{cite news | ||
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/06/politics/06novak.html | |||
|title=Rove and Novak, a 20-Year Friendship Born in Texas | |||
|date=August 6, 2005 | |||
|author=Bumiller, Elisabeth | |||
|work=] | |||
|page=A8 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425150155/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/06/politics/06novak.html | |||
During testimony before the ], Rove apparently confirmed his prior involvement with Novak in the 1992 campaign leak, according to '']'' reporter ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/0525nj1.htm|title=Rove-Novak Call Was Concern To Leak Investigators|date=] ]|author=Waas, Murray|publisher=National Journal}}</ref> | |||
|archive-date=April 25, 2009 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
During testimony before the ], Rove apparently confirmed his prior involvement with Novak in the 1992 campaign leak, according to '']'' reporter ].<ref>{{cite magazine | |||
|url=http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/0525nj1.htm | |||
|title=Rove-Novak Call Was Concern To Leak Investigators | |||
|date=May 25, 2006 | |||
|author=Waas, Murray | |||
|magazine=National Journal | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://news.nationaljournal.com/articles/0525nj1.htm | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
===1993–2000=== | ===1993–2000=== | ||
'''1993 Kay Bailey Hutchison senatorial campaign''' | '''1993 Kay Bailey Hutchison senatorial campaign''' | ||
Rove helped Hutchison win a special Senate election in June 1993. Hutchison defeated Democrat ] to fill the last two years of ]'s term. Bentsen resigned to become ] in the Clinton administration. | |||
Rove helped Hutchison win a special Senate election in June 1993. Hutchison defeated Democrat ] to fill the last two years of ]'s term. Bentsen had resigned to become ] in the Clinton administration. | |||
'''1994 Alabama Supreme Court races''' | '''1994 Alabama Supreme Court races''' | ||
In 1994, a group called the '''Business Council of Alabama''' hired Rove to help run a slate of Republican candidates for the state supreme court. No Republican had been elected to that court in more than a century. The campaign by the Republicans was unprecedented in the state, which had previously only seen low-key contests. After the election, a court battle over absentee and other ballots followed that lasted more than 11 months. It ended when a federal appeals court judge ruled that disputed absentee ballots could not be counted, and ordered the Alabama Secretary of State to certify the Republican candidate for Chief Justice, ], as the winner. An appeal to the Supreme Court by the Democratic candidate was turned down within a few days, making the ruling final. Hooper won by 262 votes. | |||
In 1994, a group called the Business Council of Alabama hired Rove to help run a slate of Republican candidates for the state supreme court. No Republican had been elected to that court in more than a century. The campaign by the Republicans was unprecedented in the state, which had previously only seen low-key contests. After the election, a court battle over absentee and other ballots followed that lasted more than 11 months. It ended when a federal appeals court judge ruled that disputed absentee ballots could not be counted, and ordered the ] to certify the Republican candidate for Chief Justice, ], as the winner. An appeal to the Supreme Court by the Democratic candidate was turned down within a few days, making the ruling final. Hooper won by 262 votes. | |||
Another candidate, ], ran against ], an incumbent Democratic justice and the son-in-law of ]. The race included charges that Kennedy was mingling campaign funds with those of a ] children's foundation he was involved with. A former Rove staffer reported that some within the See camp initiated a ] that Kennedy was a ].<ref name="Karl Rove in a Corner" /> Kennedy won by less than one percentage point. | |||
Another candidate, ], ran against Mark Kennedy, an incumbent Democratic justice and the son-in-law of ]. The race included charges that Kennedy was mingling campaign funds with those of a ] children's foundation he was involved with. A former Rove staffer reported that some within the See camp initiated a ] that Kennedy was a ].<ref name="Karl Rove in a Corner"/> Kennedy won by less than one percentage point. | |||
'''1994 John Ashcroft senatorial campaign''' | '''1994 John Ashcroft senatorial campaign''' | ||
In 1993, according to the '']'', Karl Rove & Company was paid $300,000 in consulting fees by Ashcroft's successful 1994 Senate campaign. Ashcroft paid Rove's company more than $700,000 over the course of three campaigns. | |||
In 1993, Karl Rove & Company was paid $300,000 in consulting fees by Ashcroft's successful 1994 Senate campaign.<ref>'']''</ref> Ashcroft paid Rove's company more than $700,000 over the course of three campaigns. | |||
'''1994 George W. Bush gubernatorial campaign''' | '''1994 George W. Bush gubernatorial campaign''' | ||
In 1993, Rove began advising George W. Bush in his successful campaign to become governor of Texas. Bush announced his candidacy in November 1993. By January 1994, Bush had spent more than $600,000 on the race against incumbent Democrat ], with $340,000 of that paid to Rove's firm. | In 1993, Rove began advising George W. Bush in his successful campaign to become governor of Texas. Bush announced his candidacy in November 1993. By January 1994, Bush had spent more than $600,000 on the race against incumbent Democrat ], with $340,000 of that paid to Rove's firm. | ||
Rove has been accused of using the ] technique to call voters to ask such things as whether people would be "more or less likely to vote for Governor Richards if knew her staff is dominated by ]s". Rove has denied having been involved in circulating these rumors about Richards during the campaign,<ref>Mark, David. ''Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning''. 2007, p. 204</ref> although many critics nonetheless identify this technique, particularly as used in this instance against Richards, as a hallmark of his career.<ref>Burbach, Roger and Tarbell, Jim. ''Imperial Overstretch: George W. Bush and the Hubris of Empire''. 2004, p. 118 | |||
{{Weasel}} | |||
</ref><ref>Hill, Frances. ''Such Men are Dangerous: The Fanatics of 1692 and 2004''. 2004, p. 121</ref><ref>Blumenthal, Sydney. ''How Bush Rules: Chronicles of a Radical Regime''. 2006, p. 400</ref> | |||
Rove has been accused of using supposed pollsters to call voters to ask such things as whether people would be "more or less likely to vote for Governor Richards if knew her staff is dominated by ]s." During the race, a regional chairman of the Bush campaign was quoted criticizing Richards for "appointing avowed ] activists" to state jobs. Only circumstantial evidence links Rove to the ].{{Fact|date=January 2008}} | |||
'''1996 Harold See's campaign for Associate Justice, Alabama Supreme Court''' | '''1996 Harold See's campaign for Associate Justice, Alabama Supreme Court''' | ||
A former campaign worker charged that, at Rove's behest, he distributed flyers that anonymously attacked ], their own candidate. This put the opponent's campaign in an awkward position; public denials of responsibility for the scurrilous flyers would be implausible. Professor See, the challenger and Rove's client, was elected.<ref name="Karl Rove in a Corner"/> | |||
A former campaign worker charged that, at Rove's behest, he distributed flyers that anonymously attacked ], their own client. This put the opponent's campaign in an awkward position; public denials of responsibility for the scurrilous flyers would be implausible. Rove's client was elected.{{citation needed|date=July 2009}} | |||
<!-- This is a great citation. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit this paragraph. | |||
<ref> | |||
{{cite news |work=] |accessdate=2008-01-17 |first=Nicholas |last=Lemann |date=2007-08-27 |title=Rovian Ways |location=] |authorlink=]}}</ref> | |||
--> | |||
'''1998 George W. Bush gubernatorial campaign''' | '''1998 George W. Bush gubernatorial campaign''' | ||
Rove was an adviser for Bush's 1998 reelection campaign. From July through December 1998, Bush’s reelection committee paid '''Rove & Co.''' nearly $2.5 million, and also paid the Rove-owned Praxis List Company $267,000 for use of mailing lists. Rove says his work for the Bush campaign included direct mail, voter contact, phone banks, computer services, and travel expenses. Of the $2.5 million, Rove said, "About 30 percent of that is postage". In all, Bush (primarily through Rove's efforts) raised $17.7 million, with $3.4 million unspent as of March 1999.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=942|date=] ]|publisher=The Texas Observer|title=Political Intelligence: Bush Goes A-Rove-ing}}</ref> | |||
Rove was an adviser for Bush's 1998 reelection campaign. From July through December 1998, Bush's reelection committee paid '''Rove & Co.''' nearly $2.5 million, and also paid the Rove-owned Praxis List Company $267,000 for use of mailing lists. Rove says his work for the Bush campaign included direct mail, voter contact, phone banks, computer services, and travel expenses. Of the $2.5 million, Rove said, ''"bout 30 percent of that is postage"''. In all, Bush (primarily through Rove's efforts) raised $17.7 million, with $3.4 million unspent as of March 1999.<ref>{{cite magazine | |||
|url=http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=942 | |||
|date=February 5, 1999 | |||
|magazine=The Texas Observer | |||
|title=Political Intelligence: Bush Goes A-Rove-ing | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/11/20041103-3.html | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> During the course of this campaign Rove's much-reported feud with Rick Perry began, with Perry's strategists believing Rove gave Perry bad advice in order to help Bush get a larger share of the Hispanic vote.<ref>{{cite web | |||
|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/59687.html | |||
|title=POLITICO: If Rick Perry gets in, will Karl Rove be out? | |||
|website=] | |||
|access-date=September 10, 2010 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/11/20041103-3.html | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
'''2000 Harold See campaign for Chief Justice''' | '''2000 Harold See campaign for Chief Justice''' | ||
For the race to succeed Perry Hooper, who was retiring as ]'s chief justice, Rove lined up support for See from a majority of the state's important Republicans. {{Fact|date=August 2007}} | |||
For the race to succeed Perry Hooper, who was retiring as ]'s chief justice, Rove lined up support for See from a majority of the state's important Republicans.<ref name="Karl Rove in a Corner"/> | |||
===2000 George W. Bush presidential campaign and the sale of Karl Rove & Co.=== | ===2000 George W. Bush presidential campaign and the sale of Karl Rove & Co.=== | ||
{{See also|George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign}} | |||
In early 1999, Rove sold his 20-year-old direct-mail business, '''Karl Rove & Co.''', which provided campaign services to candidates, along with '''Praxis List Company''' (in whole or part) to Ted Delisi and Todd Olsen, two young political operatives who had worked on campaigns of some other Rove candidates. Rove helped finance the sale of the company, which had 11 employees. Selling '''Karl Rove & Co.''' was a condition that ] had insisted on before Rove took the job of chief strategist for Bush's presidential bid.<ref name=nerdbehind/> | |||
During the Republican primary, Rove was accused of spreading false rumors that John McCain had fathered an illegitimate black child. Rove denies the accusation.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|title=Karl Rove 'In The Fight' Again With New Memoir|url=https://www.npr.org/2010/03/17/124597241/karl-rove-in-the-fight-again-with-new-memoir|website=NPR.org|language=en|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref> | |||
In early 1999, Rove sold his 20-year-old direct-mail business, | |||
'''Karl Rove & Co.''', which provided campaign services to candidates, along with '''Praxis List Company''' (in whole or part) to Ted Delisi and Todd Olsen, two young political operatives who had worked on campaigns of some other Rove candidates. Rove helped finance the sale of the company, which had 11 employees. Selling '''Karl Rove & Co.''' was a condition that ] had insisted on before Rove took the job of chief strategist for Bush's presidential bid.<ref name="nerdbehind"/> | |||
==George W. Bush administration== | |||
During the ], a ] ] used ] innuendo intended to undermine the support of Bush rival ]: "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?" | |||
] | |||
<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/03/21/the_anatomy_of_a_smear_campaign/|title=The Anatomy of a Smear Campaign| author=Richard H. Davis| date=2004-03-21|publisher=Boston Globe}}</ref> The authors of the 2003 book and subsequent film '']'', | |||
When George W. Bush was first inaugurated in January 2001, Rove accepted an appointment as Senior Advisor. He was later given the title Deputy Chief of Staff to the President after the successful 2004 presidential election. In a November 2004 speech, Bush publicly thanked Rove, calling him "the architect" of his victory over ] in the ].<ref>{{cite web | |||
<ref>] entry on </ref> allege that Rove was involved. In the movie, John Weaver, political director for McCain's 2000 campaign bid, says "I believe I know where that decision was made; it was at the top of the campaign". McCain campaign manager Richard Davis said he "had no idea who had made those calls, who paid for them, or how many were made", and Rove has denied any such involvement. <ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/03/rove-responds-to-2000-south-carolina.html|author=Alexander Mooney and Robert Yoon|publisher=CNN|date=] ]|title=Rove responds to 2000 South Carolina campaign allegation}}</ref> | |||
|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/11/20041103-3.html | |||
|title=President Bush Thanks Americans in Wednesday Acceptance Speech | |||
|publisher=White House press release | |||
|date=November 3, 2004 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/11/20041103-3.html | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> In April 2006, Rove was reassigned from his policy development role to one focusing on strategic and tactical planning in anticipation of the November 2006 congressional elections.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-04-19-whitehouseshakeup_x.htm|work=]|publisher=Gannett|title=White House 'transition' continues|author=David Jackson and ]|date=April 20, 2006|access-date=August 12, 2009}}</ref> | |||
=== Iraq War === | |||
After the presidential elections in November 2000, Rove organized an emergency response of Republican politicians and supporters to go to Florida to assist the Bush campaign's position during the ]. | |||
Rove played a leading role in the lead-up to the Iraq War.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Iraq War hawks are back|url=https://www.vox.com/2020/1/7/21051868/iraq-war-fleischer-rove-bush-administration-iran-trump|last=Coaston|first=Jane|date=2020-01-07|website=]|language=en|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Karl Rove's Iraq War Role|url=https://www.newsweek.com/karl-roves-iraq-war-role-98969|last=Isikoff|first=Michael|date=2007|website=]|language=en|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref> In 2002 and 2003, Rove chaired meetings of the ] (WHIG), an internal White House ] established in August 2002, eight months prior to the ]. WHIG was charged with developing a strategy "for publicizing the White House's assertion that ] posed a threat to the United States.".<ref name="leakprobe">{{cite news|author=Kelli Arena|date=March 6, 2004|title=Air Force One records subpoenaed in CIA leak probe|publisher=]|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/05/cia.leak.probe/|access-date=2006-12-14}}</ref> The group pushed narratives within the administration about the Hussein regime possessing weapons of mass destruction (the regime had no active WMD program) and its ties to international terrorism (the Hussein regime had no operational relationship with al-Qaeda).<ref name=":1" /> Members of WHIG included Bush's ] ], ] ], her deputy ], Vice President ]'s Chief of Staff ], legislative liaison Nicholas E. Calio, and communication strategists ], ], and James R. Wilkinson. | |||
Quoting one unnamed WHIG member, ''The Washington Post'' explained that the task force's mission was to "educate the public" about the threat posed by Saddam and (in the reporters' words) ''" set strategy for each stage of the confrontation with ]"''. Rove's "strategic communications" task force within WHIG helped write and coordinate speeches by senior Bush administration officials, emphasizing Iraq's purported nuclear threat.<ref>{{cite news|author=Barton Gellman and Walter Pincus|date=2001-08-10|title=Depiction of Threat Outgrew Supporting Evidence|newspaper=]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A39500-2003Aug9}}</ref> The White House Iraq Group was "little known" until a ] for its notes, email, and attendance records was issued by ] investigator ] in January 2004.<ref name="leakprobe" /><ref>{{cite news|author=Tom Hamburger and Sonni Efron|date=August 26, 2005|title=The CIA leak: Infighting, grudges, justifying a war|publisher=]|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002452876_leak26.html|access-date=2006-12-14}}</ref> | |||
==George W. Bush Administration== | |||
] | |||
George W. Bush was first inaugurated in January 2001, and Rove accepted a position in the Bush administration as Senior Advisor to the President. The President's confidence in Rove has been so strong that during a meeting with ]n president ] on ] ], he brought only Rove and then-] ]. Rove has played a significant role in shaping policy at the White House. One oft-cited example is that terror warnings were regularly made at times when ]'s ratings rose during the ]. Another is the 2006 announcement that planned terrorist attacks had been thwarted, which was made soon after the Bush administration's ] program was discovered. Rove was reassigned from his policy development role to one focusing on strategic and tactical planning in April 2006, the same month that ] replaced ] as ].<ref>{{cite journal| url= http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-04-19-whitehouseshakeup_x.htm | publisher=USA Today|title=White House 'transition' continues|author=David Jackson and Richard Benedetto | date=2006-04-20}}</ref> | |||
In 2015, Rove defended the decision to invade Iraq, telling an Iraq War veteran that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|title=CT Soldier Demands Apology From Karl Rove; Rove Says No Apology Needed For Iraq War|url=https://www.courant.com/politics/capitol-watch/hc-ct-soldier-demands-apology-from-karl-rove-rove-says-no-apology-needed-for-iraq-war-20150402-story.html|last=McNerney|first=Pem|website=courant.com|date=3 April 2015 |access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Karl Rove Won't Apologize To Veteran For The Iraq War|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/karl-rove-iraq-veteran_n_7000158|last=Tani|first=Maxwell|date=2015-04-03|website=]|language=en|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref> In 2010, Rove said his biggest mistake regarding the Iraq War was to not push back on the narrative that the Bush administration lied to lead the U.S. into the Iraq War.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rove's Biggest Mistake?|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2010/07/roves-biggest-mistake/184701/|last=Dish|first=The Daily|date=2010-07-16|website=]|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Rove: Bush didn't 'lie us into war' - CNN.com|url=https://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/06/karl.rove.book/index.html|website=www.cnn.com|language=en|access-date=2022-03-27}}</ref> | |||
===White House Iraq Group=== | |||
In 2002 and 2003 Rove chaired meetings of the ] (]), a secretive internal White House ] established by August 2002, eight months prior to the ]. According to ] and '']'', WHIG was charged with developing a strategy for publicizing the White House's assertion that ] posed a threat to the United States.<ref name="leakprobe">{{cite news | |||
| url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/05/cia.leak.probe/ | |||
| title=Air Force One records subpoenaed in CIA leak probe | |||
| publisher=CNN | |||
| author=Kelli Arena | |||
| date=] ] | |||
| accessdate = 06-12-14}}</ref> WHIG's existence and membership was first identified in a ''Washington Post'' article by ] and ] on ] ]; members of WHIG included Bush’s ] ], Rice, her deputy ], Vice President ]’s Chief of Staff ], legislative liaison ], and communication strategists ], ], and James R. Wilkinson. | |||
=== Valerie Plame affair === | |||
Quoting one of WHIG's members without identifying him or her by name, the ''Washington Post'' explained that the task force's mission was to “educate the public” about the threat posed by Saddam and (in the reporters' words) “to set strategy for each stage of the confrontation with ].” Rove's "strategic communications" task force within WHIG helped write and coordinate speeches by senior Bush administration officials, emphasizing in September 2002 the theme of Iraq's purported nuclear threat.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A39500-2003Aug9 | title=Depiction of Threat Outgrew Supporting Evidence| author=Barton Gellman and Walter Pincus| publisher=Washington Post| date=2001-08-10}}</ref> | |||
On August 29, 2003, retired ambassador ] claimed that Rove leaked the identity of Wilson's wife, ], as a ] (CIA) employee,<ref name="timeline">{{cite news|author=New York Times|date=July 21, 2005|title=Timeline of Plame affair|work=]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/07/21/politics/20050722leak_graphic.html}}</ref> in retaliation for Wilson's op-ed in '']'' in which he criticized the Bush administration's citation of the ] among the justifications for the ] enumerated in Bush's 2003 ]. | |||
In late August 2006, it became known that ] was responsible for the leak. The investigation led to felony charges being filed against ] for ] and ]. Eventually, Libby was found guilty by a jury.<ref name="WheresRove">{{cite news|last=Sniffen|first=Michael|author2=Matt Apuzzo|date=2007-03-06|title=Libby Found Guilty in CIA Leak Trial|publisher=]|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070306/cia-leak-trial?|access-date=2007-03-09}}</ref> | |||
The White House Iraq Group was “little known” until a ] for its notes, email, and attendance records was issued by ] investigator ] in January 2004, a legal move first reported in the press and acknowledged by the White House on ] ].<ref name="leakprobe"/><ref>{{cite news | |||
| url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002452876_leak26.html | |||
| title=The CIA leak: Infighting, grudges, justifying a war | |||
| publisher=CNN | |||
| author=Tom Hamburger and Sonni Efron | |||
| date=] ] | |||
| accessdate = 06-12-14}}</ref> | |||
On June 13, 2006, prosecutors said they would not charge Rove with any wrongdoing.<ref name="noindict">{{cite news|author=CNN|date=June 13, 2006|title=Lawyer: Rove won't be charged in CIA leak case|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/13/rove.cia/}}</ref> Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald stated previously that ''"I can tell you that the substantial bulk of the work of this investigation is concluded."'' | |||
===Allegations of conflict of interest=== | |||
In March 2001, Rove met with executives from ] and successfully advocated a merger between a ] company and an Intel company supplier. Rove owned $100,000 in Intel stock at the time but had been advised by ], the White House's transition counsel, to defer selling the stock in January to obtain ethics panel approval. Rove offered no advice on the merger which needed to be approved by a joint ]-] panel since it would give a foreign company access to sensitive military technology.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A63145-2001Jun13¬Found=true| title=Bush Aide Who Held Intel Stock Met Executives Seeking Merger| first=John| last= Mintz| publisher= | |||
Washington Post| date=] ]| pages= A14 }}</ref> In June 2001, Rove met with two pharmaceutical industry lobbyists. At the time, Rove held almost $250,000 in drug industry stocks. On ] ], Rove divested his stocks in 23 companies, which included more than $100,000 in each of ], ], ], and ]. The same day, the White House confirmed reports that Rove had been involved in administration energy policy meetings while at the same time holding stock in energy companies including Enron. | |||
On July 13, 2006, Plame sued Cheney, Rove, Libby, and others, accusing them of conspiring to destroy her career.<ref name="lawsuit">{{cite news|agency=]|date=July 13, 2006|title=Plame sues White House figures over CIA leak|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna13845613}}</ref> | |||
===Criticized "liberal response" to 9/11=== | |||
At a fund-raiser in ] for the ] in June 2005, Rove said, "Conservatives saw the savagery of ] in the attacks and prepared for war; ]s saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." Democrats demanded Rove's resignation or an apology, and pointed out that every Democrat in the Senate voted for military force against ] in retaliation for the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States; however they got neither.<ref> Page 115 STAT. 224 Public Law 107-40 107th Congress Joint Resolution</ref><ref></ref> | |||
On May 2, 2007, the ] issued a subpoena to Attorney General Gonzales compelling the Department of Justice to produce all email from Rove regarding the ], no matter what email account Rove may have used, with a deadline of May 15, 2007, for compliance. The subpoena also demanded relevant email previously produced in the ] controversy and the investigation regarding the ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Lahey |first=Patrick |date=May 2, 2007 |title=Rove Email Subpoena |url=http://news.findlaw.com/nytimes/docs/doj/sjc50207rovesmailsubpoena.pdf |url-status=dead |access-date=May 8, 2007 |publisher=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (via 'Findlaw') |archive-date=January 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106064459/http://news.findlaw.com/nytimes/docs/doj/sjc50207rovesmailsubpoena.pdf }}</ref> On August 31, 2007, Karl Rove resigned without responding to the Senate Judiciary Committee subpoena, saying, "I just think it's time to leave."<ref>{{cite news|date=August 13, 2007|title=Bush Adviser Karl Rove to Resign at End of Month|publisher=]|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/bush-adviser-karl-rove-to-resign-at-end-of-month|url-status=live|access-date=April 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C293051%2C00.html|archive-date=February 25, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Peter Baker and Michael A. Fletcher|date=August 14, 2007|title=Rove to Leave White House Post|newspaper=]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/13/AR2007081300180.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Peter|last2=Fletcher|first2=Michael A.|date=August 14, 2007|title=Rove to Leave White House Post|newspaper=]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/13/AR2007081300180.html|access-date=September 1, 2012}}</ref> | |||
], an organization founded in October 2001 by families of some of those who died in the terrorist attack, requested Rove "stop trying to reap political gain in the tragic misfortune of others". | |||
<ref>http://www.familiesofseptember11.org/news.aspx?s=5#1352</ref> In contrast, the Bush administration characterized Rove's comments as "very accurate" and stated that the calls for an apology were "somewhat puzzling", since he was "simply pointing out the different philosophies when it comes to winning the ]."<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8324598/ | title=White House defends Rove over 9/11 remarks| publisher=MSNBC (Associated Press)| date=2005-06-24}} </ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200506240003| title=Fox News' Special Report parroted White House spin that Rove comments referred to two "philosophies," not two parties| publisher=Media Matters| date = 2005-06-24}}</ref> | |||
Former Bush press secretary ] claims in his book '']'', published in the spring of 2008 by Public Affairs Books, that the statements he made in 2003 about Rove's lack of involvement in the ] were untrue, and that he had been encouraged to repeat such untruths. His book has been widely disputed, however, with many key members of McClellan's own staff telling a completely different story. Former CNN commentator Robert Novak has questioned if McClelland wrote the book himself. It was also revealed that the publisher was seeking a negative book to increase sales.<ref>{{cite news|last=Novak|first=Robert D.|date=June 2, 2008|title=Parroting the Democrats|newspaper=]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/01/AR2008060101915.html|access-date=May 7, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=2008-05-28|title=Ex-spokesman attacks Bush over Iraq|work=AlJazeera.net|publisher=]|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3FDDB097-FE8B-4DDE-884D-57345F734676.htm|access-date=2008-05-30}}</ref> | |||
===2004 George W. Bush presidential campaign=== | |||
Bush publicly thanked Rove and called him "the architect" in his 2004 victory speech, after defeating ] in the ].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/11/20041103-3.html| title=President Bush Thanks Americans in Wednesday Acceptance Speech| publisher=White House press release| date= 2004-11-03}}</ref> | |||
=== 2006 congressional elections and beyond === | |||
During the campaign, critics alleged that Rove had professional ties to the producers of the ] television ads that criticized Kerry's Vietnam-era military service and public testimony against American soldiers, although no evidence of Rove's direct involvement was ever produced.<ref> http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/08/19/politics/campaign/20040820swift_graph.gif</ref> | |||
On October 24, 2006, two weeks before the ], in an interview with ]'s ], Rove insisted that his insider polling data forecast Republican retention of both houses.<ref>{{cite web|title=''All Things Considered'' (transcript)|url=https://www.npr.org/about/press/061024_rove.html|date=2006-10-24|publisher=]|access-date=2006-11-18}}</ref> In the election the ] won both houses of Congress. The ''White House Bulletin'', published by Bulletin News, cited rumors of Rove's impending departure from the White House staff: ''"'Karl represents the old style and he's got to go if the Democrats are going to believe Bush's talk of getting along', said a key Bush advisor."''<ref>{{cite web|title=REPORT: Karl Rove May Be Leaving The White House In 'Weeks, Not Months'|url=http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/17/rove-departure/|date=2006-11-17|publisher=Bulletin News cited on the blog of the ]|access-date=2006-11-18}}</ref> However, while allowing that many Republican members of Congress are "resentful of the way he and the White House conducted the losing campaign", '']'' also stated that, ''"White House officials say President Bush has every intention of keeping Mr. Rove on through the rest of his term."''<ref name="NYT_Tough_Road">{{cite news|author=Jim Rutenberg and ]|date=2006-11-19|title=A Tough Road Ahead for Rove|newspaper=]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/washington/19rove.html|access-date=2006-11-19}}</ref> | |||
In Rove's analysis, 10 of the 28 House seats Republicans lost were sacrificed because of various scandals. Another six, he said, were lost because incumbents did not recognize and react quickly enough to the threat. Rove argued that, without corruption and complacency, the Democrats would have gained around a dozen seats and Republicans could have kept narrow control of the House regardless of Bush's troubles and the war.<ref>{{cite news|author=Peter Baker|date=November 12, 2006|title=Rove Remains Steadfast in the Face of Criticism|newspaper=]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/11/AR2006111101103.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Mike Allen|date=November 10, 2006|title=The Architect Speaks|url=http://time-blog.com/allen_report/2006/11/the_architect_speaks.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111201007/http://time-blog.com/allen_report/2006/11/the_architect_speaks.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 11, 2006|magazine=Time}}</ref> | |||
A few months after the election, ] ] (D-NY) publicly alleged that Rove engineered the ] controversy during the 2004 campaign, by planting fake anti-Bush documents with ] to deflect attention from Bush's service record during the ]. Other than Rove's supposed ], however, no evidence supporting this speculation has ever been publicized. Rove himself has denied any involvement, and Hinchey himself admitted he had no evidence to support this claim.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/02/22/hinchey2.htm | title= Hinchey sees hand of Rove| author=Paul Brooks| publisher=Times Herald-Record (Middletown, NY)|date=2005-02-22 }}</ref><ref>http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040922-101433-4296r.htm</ref> | |||
=== |
=== Torture === | ||
Rove defended the Bush administration's use of ], a form of torture.<ref name=":3" /> | |||
{{main|Plame affair}} | |||
=== E-mail scandal === | |||
On ]], retired ambassador ] claimed that Rove leaked the identity of Wilson's wife, ], as a ] (CIA) employee,<ref name="timeline">{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/07/21/politics/20050722leak_graphic.html | title=Timeline of Plame affair | author=New York Times | date=] ]}}</ref> in retaliation for Wilson's op-ed in '']'' in which he criticized the Bush administration's citation of the ] among the justifications for the ] enumerated in Bush's 2003 ]. | |||
On ]], prosecutors determined there was no reason to charge Rove with any wrongdoing.<ref name="noindict">{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/13/rove.cia/ | title=Lawyer: Rove won't be charged in CIA leak case | author=CNN|date=] ]}}</ref> Fitzgerald stated previously that "very rarely do you bring a charge in a case that's going to be tried in which you ever end a ] investigation. I can tell you that the substantial bulk of the work of this investigation is concluded." In late August 2006 it became known that ] was responsible for the leak. The investigation led to felony charges being filed against ] for ] and ]. Eventually, Libby was found guilty by a jury. One juror announced that she felt that Libby was being used as a scapegoat and wondered why Rove himself wasn't charged.<ref name="WheresRove">{{cite news | last=Sniffen| first=Michael | coauthors=Matt Apuzzo| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070306/cia-leak-trial? | title=Libby Found Guilty in CIA Leak Trial | publisher=Associated Press | date=] | | accessdate = 2007-03-09}}</ref> Washington Post columnist and Prize-winning political reporter ] called on the more vocal members of the media who were hyping Rove's involvement to apologize to him. .<ref name="Imsorrysosorry">{{cite news | url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4168101.html | title=Some of us media folks owe Karl Rove an apology | author=Washington Post | date=September 6, 2006}}</ref> | |||
====Rove's email to Hadley==== | |||
In an email sent by Rove to top White House security official ] immediately after his ] ] discussion with ], Rove claimed that he tried to steer Cooper away from allegations Wilson was making about faulty Iraq intelligence. "Matt Cooper called to give me a heads-up that he's got a ] story coming", Rove wrote to Hadley. "When he finished his brief heads-up he immediately launched into ]. Isn't this damaging? Hasn't the president been hurt? I didn't take the bait, but I said if I were him I wouldn't get '']'' far out in front on this." Rove made no mention to Hadley in the e-mail of having leaked Plame's CIA identity, nor of having revealed classified information to a reporter, nor of having told the reporter that certain sensitive information would soon be declassified.<ref name="email">{{cite news | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/07/15/national/w161250D87.DTL | title=Rove E-Mailed Security Official About Talk | author=John Solomon | publisher=Associated Press|date=] ]}}</ref> Although Rove wrote to Hadley (and perhaps testified) that the initial subject of his conversation with Cooper was welfare reform and that Cooper turned the conversation to Wilson and the Niger mission, Cooper disputed this suggestion in his grand jury testimony and subsequent statements: "I can't find any record of talking about with him on ] , and I don't recall doing so", Cooper said.<ref name="cooper">{{cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1083899,00.html | title=What I Told the Grand Jury | author=Matt Cooper | publisher=Time | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
====Karl Rove revealed as one source of ''TIME'' article==== | |||
{{wikinews|Karl Rove named as a source of Plame leak}} | |||
On ] ], ''Newsweek'' posted a story from its July 18 print edition which quoted one of the e-mails written by ''Time'' reporter ] in the days following the publication of Wilson's op-ed piece.<ref name="isikoff">{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8525978/site/newsweek/ | title=Matt Cooper's Source | author=Michael Isikoff | publisher=Newsweek|date=] ]}}</ref> Writing to ''TIME'' bureau chief Michael Duffy on ] ], three days before Novak's column was published, Cooper recounted a two-minute conversation with Karl Rove "on ]" in which Rove said that Wilson's wife was a CIA employee: "it was, KR said, Wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on WMD issues who authorized the trip". In a ''TIME'' article released ] ], Cooper says Rove ended his conversation by saying "I've already said too much." | |||
In addition, Rove told Cooper that CIA Director ] did not authorize Wilson's trip to Niger, and that "not only the genesis of the trip is flawed an suspect but so is the report" which Wilson made upon his return from Africa. Rove "implied strongly there's still plenty to implicate Iraqi interest in acquiring uranium fro Niger", gave Cooper a "big warning" not to "get too far out on Wilson". Cooper recommended that his bureau chief assign a reporter to contact the CIA for further confirmation, and indicated that the tip should not be sourced to Rove or even to the White House. | |||
Cooper testified before a grand jury on ] ], confirming that Rove was the source who told him Wilson's wife was an employee of the CIA. In the ] ] ''TIME'' article detailing his grand jury testimony, Cooper wrote that Rove never used Plame's name nor indicated that she had covert status, although Rove did apparently convey that certain information relating to her was classified: "As for Wilson's wife, I told the grand jury I was certain that Rove never used her name and that, indeed, I did not learn her name until the following week, when I either saw it in Robert Novak's column or ]d her, I can't recall which,... was it through my conversation with Rove that I learned for the first time that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA and may have been responsible for sending him? Yes. Did Rove say that she worked at the 'agency' on 'W.M.D.'? Yes. When he said things would be declassified soon, was that itself impermissible? I don't know. Is any of this a crime? Beats me."<ref name="cooper">{{cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1083899,00.html | title=What I Told the Grand Jury | author=Matt Cooper | publisher=Time | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
On ] ], journalist ] reported that ] and FBI officials had recommended appointing a special prosecutor to the case because they felt that Rove had not been truthful in early interviews, withholding from FBI investigators his conversation with Cooper about Plame and maintaining that he had first learned of Plame's CIA identity from a journalist whose name Rove could not recall.<ref name="waas">{{cite news | url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0533,waasweb1,66861,2.html | title=What Now, Karl? | author=Murray Waas | publisher=The Village Voice | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
Following the revelations in the Libby indictment, sixteen former CIA and military intelligence officials urged Bush to suspend Rove's security clearance for his part in ] CIA officer Valerie Plame.<ref name="outing">{{cite news | url=http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/13175855.htm | title=Ex-intelligence officials want Rove's security clearance suspended | author=Warren P. Strobel | publisher=Knight Ridder | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
Rove's attorney, ], told reporters on ] ] that he had received notification from Fitzgerald indicating that Rove would not be charged with any crimes in the investigation into the leak of Plame's identity, effectively ending the matter for Rove. | |||
On ] ], freelance journalist ], writing for '']'', claimed that Rove had been served with an indictment: " instructed one of the attorneys to tell Rove that he has 24 hours to get his affairs in order."<ref name="leopold">{{cite news | url=http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/051206Y.shtml | title=Rove Informs White House He Will Be Indicted | author=Jason Leopold | publisher=Truthout.org|date=] ]}}</ref> This was met by a categorical denial from a Rove spokesman. Rumors of Rove's possible impending indictment swirled through the ] multiple times in the spring of 2006. | |||
On ] ], Novak said that Rove had discussed Plame with him. On July 15, Rove's lawyers said that Rove told Novak he had "heard that, too", in reference to Plame's status as a CIA employee, but was unaware at the time of the name "Valerie Plame". Rove claims to have learned of her name from his conversation with Novak.<ref name="novaksource">{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/15/AR2005071500036.html | title=Rove Confirmed Plame Indirectly, Lawyer Says | author=Mike Allen | publisher=Washington Post | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
*On ] ], Plame sued Cheney, Rove, Libby, and others, accusing them of conspiring to destroy her career.<ref name="lawsuit">{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13845613/ | title=Plame sues White House figures over CIA leak | author=Associated Press | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
===2006 Congressional elections and beyond=== | |||
On ] ], two weeks before the ], in an interview with ]'s ], Rove insisted that his insider polling data forecast Republican retention of both houses: | |||
:SIEGEL: I'm looking at all the same polls that you are looking at. | |||
:ROVE: No, you are not. I'm looking at 68 polls a week for candidates for the US House and US Senate, and Governor and you may be looking at 4-5 public polls a week that talk attitudes nationally. | |||
:SIEGEL: I don't want to have you to call races... | |||
:ROVE: I'm looking at all of these Robert and adding them up. I add up to a Republican Senate and Republican House. You may end up with a different math but you are entitled to your math and I'm entitled to ''the'' math.<ref>{{cite web | |||
|url=http://www.npr.org/about/press/061024_rove.html | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|date=2006-10-24 | |||
|accessdate = 2006-11-18 | |||
|title=''] (transcript) | |||
}}</ref> | |||
In the election the ] won both houses of Congress. The ''White House Bulletin'', published by Bulletin News, cited rumors of Rove's impending departure from the White House staff: "'Karl represents the old style and he’s got to go if the Democrats are going to believe Bush’s talk of getting along,' said a key Bush advisor."<ref> | |||
{{cite web | |||
|url=http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/17/rove-departure/ | |||
|publisher=Bulletin News cited on the blog of the ] | |||
|date=2006-11-17 | |||
|accessdate = 2006-11-18 | |||
|title=REPORT: Karl Rove May Be Leaving The White House In ‘Weeks, Not Months’ | |||
}} | |||
</ref> However, while allowing that many Republican members of Congress are "resentful of the way he and the White House conducted the losing campaign", the '']'' also stated that, "White House officials say President Bush has every intention of keeping Mr. Rove on through the rest of his term."<ref name='NYT_Tough_Road>{{cite web | |||
|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/washington/19rove.html | |||
|publisher='']'' | |||
|date=2006-11-19 | |||
|accessdate = 2006-11-19 | |||
|title=A Tough Road Ahead for Rove | |||
|author=Jim Rutenberg and ] | |||
}} </ref> | |||
Prior to the election, Rove voiced impatience with the notion that his own reputation is on the ballot. He told the ''Washington Post'', "I understand some will see the election as a judgment on me, but the fact of the matter is that, look what has been set in motion -- a broader, deeper, strengthened Republican Party, and with an emphasis on grass-roots neighbor-to-neighbor politics, is going to continue."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900753.html | title=Midterm Vote May Define Rove's Legacy | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Michael Abramowitz | date=] ]}}</ref> After the election, Rove continued to express optimism, telling the ''Post'', "The Republican philosophy is alive and well and likely to reemerge in the majority in 2008." Rove also told the ''Post'' that the GOP election strategy was working until the ] put the Republican campaign "back on its heels." Rove added "We were on a roll, and stopped it.... It revived all the stuff about ] and added to it." | |||
In Rove's analysis, 10 of the 28 House seats Republicans lost were sacrificed because of various scandals. Another six, he said, were lost because incumbents did not recognize and react quickly enough to the threat. Rove argued that, without corruption and complacency, Republicans could have kept narrow control of the House regardless of Bush's troubles and the war.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/11/AR2006111101103.html | title=Rove Remains Steadfast in the Face of Criticism | publisher=The Washington Post | author=Peter Baker | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
In analyzing the results of the 2006 midterm election, Rove told | |||
''Time'', "The profile of corruption in the exit polls was bigger than I'd expected ... Abramoff, lobbying, ] and ] added to the general distaste that people have for all things Washington, and it just reached critical mass... Iraq mattered, but it was more frustration than it was an explicit call for withdrawal. If this was a get-out-now call for withdrawal, then ] would not have been beaten by ]. Iraq does play a role, but not the critical, central role." Again, Rove expressed optimism for the future of the ] (GOP), and defended the role of the Republican get-out-the-vote program he helped invent. He told ''Time'', | |||
"I see this as much more of a transient, passing thing.... he Republican Party remains at its core a small-government, low-tax, limit-spending, traditional-values, strong-defense party. I see the power of the ideas, even in a tough year.... People were talking 35, 40 or more and it didn't happen. There were a number of elections which were supposed to be close and ended up not being close."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://time-blog.com/allen_report/2006/11/the_architect_speaks.html | title=The Architect Speaks | publisher=Time magazine | author=MIKE ALLEN | date=] ]}}</ref> He added that he has "fundamental confidence in the power of the underlying agenda of this President", and cited fighting the war on terror, tax cuts, ], welfare, and legal reform, reauthorization of ], reducing ]s, restrained spending. | |||
In the ] ] issue of ''Newsweek'', GOP activist ] described how Rove showed up at a weekly meeting of influential D.C. conservatives early in the month, surprising attendees with his bubbly demeanor after weeks of rumors that he might be headed out. Norquist was quoted as saying "I think some people had given him up for dead, but he was good old Karl, upbeat and enthusiastic." At the meeting Rove previewed Bush's final two years in office, saying ] reform was likely off the table and that Iraq and the economy would be the biggest issues for ]. "I don't know anyone who holds him personally responsible for what happened to us in the election", said a GOP national committee member, who declined to be named talking about the inner circle. "But his stature isn't quite the same." According to ''Newsweek'', "behind the scenes, according to administration officials (anonymous in order to discuss White House matters), Rove has been laying the groundwork for Bush's State of the Union address and mulling how the GOP can regain momentum in 2008.... Rove has been busy trying to find common ground with Dems, organizing two meetings between Bush and the ], a coalition of conservative lawmakers who offer the White House its best chance at compromise with the new Congress. Rove also sat in on many of Bush's meetings with members of Congress in recent weeks about Iraq."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16721090/site/newsweek/ | title=Still Busy—But Staying Out of the Spotlight | author=Holly Bailey | publisher=Newsweek | date=] ] issue}}</ref> | |||
{{-}} | |||
===Dismissal of U.S. Attorneys=== | |||
{{Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy}} | |||
{{main|Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy}} | |||
], chairman of the ] Republican Party, said he complained in 2005 about then-U.S. Attorney ] to a White House aid for Rove, asking that Iglesias be removed.<ref name="RoveGone">{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17560718/ | title=Report: Rove was urged to oust U.S. attorney | publisher=] | date=] ]| first= | last= | accessdate = 2007-03-12}}</ref> Then in 2006 Rove personally told Weh “He’s gone,” Rove said.<ref name="RoveGone" /> Weh was dissatisfied with Iglesias due in part to his failure to indict Democrats in a voter fraud investigation. Weh followed up with, "There’s nothing we’ve done that’s wrong."<ref name="RoveGone" /> The White House spokeswoman, ], has said that Rove "wasn’t involved in who was going to be fired or hired."<ref name="RoveGone" /> | |||
According to ''Newsweek'', ], ]' chief of staff, developed the list of eight prosecutors to be fired last October, with input from the White House.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17552880/site/newsweek/page/2/ | title=Fuel to the Firings | publisher=] | date=] ]| first=Michael | last=Isikoff | accessdate = 2007-03-12}}</ref> | |||
], a former Rove aide, was the a replacement for fired attorney ].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/13/fired.emails/ | title=E-mails lay out plan to dismiss U.S. attorneys | publisher=] | date=] ]| first= | last= | accessdate = 2007-03-12}}</ref> Specifically, Sampson sent an email that stated "The vast majority of U.S. attorneys, 80-85 percent I would guess, are doing a great job, are loyal Bushies, etc., etc." Later in the e-mail, Sampson wrote that home-state senators may resist replacing prosecutors "they recommended. That said, if Karl thinks there would be political will to do it, then so do I."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/15/national/w170841D32.DTL&type=politics | title=GOP Support for Gonzales Erodes Further | publisher=] | date=] ]| first=Laurie | last=Kellman | accessdate = 2007-03-15}}</ref> | |||
On ] ] former U.S. Senator ] said he believes Rove was trying to influence the selection in reaction to pressure from Rep. ], then speaker of the House, and allies of then-Gov. ], who knew Fitzgerald was seeking someone from outside Illinois to attack political corruption.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703140213mar14,1,2314396.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true | title=Fitzgerald: Rove tried to limit choice | publisher=] | date=] ]| first=Andew | last=Zajac | accessdate = 2007-03-12}}</ref> | |||
In emails released by Congress on ] ], Rove raised the idea of firing all 93 Attorneys in early January 2005. <ref>{{cite news | url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2954988&page=1 | title= E-Mails Show Rove's Role in U.S. Attorney Firings | publisher=] | date=] ]| first=Jan | last=Greenburg | accessdate = 2007-03-12}}</ref> | |||
On ] ], Senator ], chairman of the ], announced that the committee was issuing a subpoena for Rove to appear personally before the committee and testify, following the testimony of Attorney General ] on the U.S. Attorney dismissal controversy and other matters.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/26/washington/26cnd-gonzales.html</ref> | |||
===E-mail scandal=== | |||
{{Main|Bush White House e-mail controversy}} | {{Main|Bush White House e-mail controversy}} | ||
Due to investigations into White House staffers' e-mail communication related to the ] of ], it was discovered that many White House staff members, including Rove, had exchanged documents using ] |
Due to investigations into White House staffers' e-mail communication related to the ] of ], it was discovered that many White House staff members, including Rove, had exchanged documents using ] e‑mail ] such as {{code|gwb43.com}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Steve |last=Holland |date=13 April 2007 |title=Rove in new controversy over e‑mails |agency=] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1319467820070413 }}</ref> and {{code|georgewbush.com}}<ref>{{cite report |title=Rove exhibits part 1 |publisher=] ] |pages=50, 55, 113, etc. |url=http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/RExhibits.pdf |url-status=dead |access-date=2009-08-11 |df=dmy-all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825125348/http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/RExhibits.pdf |archive-date=2009-08-25 }}</ref> or personal e‑mail accounts with third party providers such as ];<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Paul |last=Bedard |date=27 March 2007 |title=E‑mail controversy prompts many aides to stop use |magazine=] }}</ref> evasion of U.S. government record-keeping was determined to be a violation of the ]. Over 500 of Rove's e‑mails were mistakenly sent to a parody website, who forwarded them to an ].<ref>{{cite news |first=Greg |last=Palast |date=24 May 2007 |title=Karl Rove emails mistakenly sent to reporter |website=10zenmonkeys.com |url=http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2007/05/24/justice-department-scandal-greg-palast/ }}</ref> | ||
=== Congressional subpoenas === | |||
===Investigation by the Office of Special Counsel=== | |||
On May 22, 2008, Rove was ]ed by ] Chairman ] to testify on the politicization of the ]. But on July 10, Rove refused to obey the congressional subpoena, citing ] as his reason.<ref>{{cite news|last=Evans|first=Ben|date=July 10, 2008|title=Rove ignores subpoena, refuses to testify on Hill|newspaper=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first= Carrie|date=May 23, 2008|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/22/AR2008052203563.html|title=House Panel Subpoenas Rove Over Role in Justice Dept. Actions|newspaper=]}}</ref> | |||
On ] ], it was revealed that Rove is being investigated by the ] for his involvement in the email scandal, the firing of US attorneys, and for "improper political influence over government decision-making."<ref name=Hamburger>Tom Hamburger, , '']'' ] ], rpt. in '']'', accessed ] ].</ref> In response to this investigation and other pending complaints, 2004 Democratic candidate for ] and former 2008 presidential hopeful ] initiated a ] drive calling for Bush to fire Rove.<ref name=EdwardsRovepetition>, garnering over 32,000 signatures by ] ] before the first presidential Democratic candidates' debate, announcing that he would discuss this position during it; by the day after the debate, the petition had accumulated nearly 50,000 signatures.</ref> After Rove announced his resignation, Edwards' reply was "good riddance" <ref name=EdwardsOnRoveQuitting></ref>. | |||
On February 23, 2009, Rove was required by congressional subpoena to testify before the House Judiciary Committee concerning his knowledge of the controversy over the dismissal of seven U.S. attorneys, and the alleged political prosecution of former Alabama Governor ], but did not appear on that date. He and former ] ] later agreed to testify under oath before Congress about these matters.<ref>{{cite news | |||
===Don Siegelman's conviction controversies=== | |||
|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/04/karl-rove-harriet-miers-t_n_171961.html | |||
|title=Karl Rove, Harriet Miers To Testify Before House Judiciary Committee | |||
|date=March 4, 2009 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/04/karl-rove-harriet-miers-t_n_171961.html | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|work=] | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
On July 7 and July 30, 2009, Rove testified before the House Judiciary Committee regarding questions about the dismissal of seven U.S. attorneys under the Bush administration. Rove was also questioned regarding the federal prosecution of former Alabama Governor ], who was convicted of fraud. The Committee concluded that Rove had played a significant role in the Attorney firings.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}} | |||
Former Democratic ] ]<ref>http://www.donsiegelman.org/</ref> was convicted in 2006 of bribery, conspiracy and mail fraud. However, some people have suggested that he was a victim of politically-directed trial led by Karl Rove. Siegelman, who very narrowly lost re-election in 2002 to Republican Representative ], was considered by Republicans as the most serious opponent for Riley in 2006 election, because of his popularity and record as Governor (Siegelman was defeated in the Democratic primary by ] ], who went on to lose to Riley by a wide margin in November). Siegelman was convicted of accepting $500,000 from ], then the chief executive of the ], in return for appointing Mr. Scrushy to the state hospital licensing board. Siegelman is currently serving a seven-year sentence in a federal penitentiary. | |||
==Activities after leaving the White House== | |||
There are rumors that the ] and Rove, as chief GOP political strategist, manipulated the court and the prosecution of Siegelman to destroy him politically.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-siegelman26jun26,1,3825613.story | title=Ex-governor says he was target of Republican plot | author=Los Angeles Times | date=] ]}}</ref> | |||
{{Conservatism US|activists}} | |||
=== |
===Activities in 2008=== | ||
Shortly after leaving the White House, Rove was hired to write about the ] for '']''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/11/15/karl_roves_new_gig.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517055150/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/11/15/karl_roves_new_gig.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 17, 2008|title=Karl Rove's New Gig|newspaper=]|date=November 15, 2007|access-date=September 1, 2012}}</ref> He was also later hired as a contributor for '']'' and a political analyst for ]. Rove was an informal advisor to 2008 Republican presidential candidate ], and donated $2,300 to his campaign.<ref>{{cite news | |||
In a ] interview published on ]]<ref name="WSJ-8-13-07">{{cite web | url = http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118698747711695773.html?mod=hpp_us_whats_news | title = Karl Rove to Resign At the End of August - WSJ.com | accessdate = 2007-08-13 | date = ] | publisher = ] }}</ref>, Rove revealed that he would resign from the Administration effective ]. Having originally floated the idea of resigning in mid-2006, Rove opted to stay with the White House through the ] and a number of policy debates in the first half of 2007. The resignation falls prior to the ] deadline, set by ] ], for any senior aides wishing to leave the administration prior to the end of President Bush's second term. In a statement, he said, "There's always something that can keep you here, and as much as I'd like to be here, I've got to do this for the sake of my family".<ref>{{cite web|title=Karl Rove tells WSJ he's going to resign at end of August|author=Steve Goldstein|year=2007|work=MarketWatch|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/karl-rove-tells-wsj-hes/story.aspx?guid=%7B22CBAD43-022C-4247-AF9D-A0F16F396828%7D|accessdate=2007-08-13}}</ref> | |||
|url=http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=8B58A658-3048-5C12-006F9CBBFFC54DE3 | |||
Rove is expected to return to Texas following his resignation. He has indicated that he may write a book detailing his career in politics. | |||
|author=David Paul Kuhn | |||
|title=Mehlman, Rove boost McCain campaign | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|date=March 8, 2008 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=8B58A658-3048-5C12-006F9CBBFFC54DE3 | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
|author-link=David Paul Kuhn | |||
}}</ref> His memoir, ''Courage and Consequence'', was published in March 2010.{{sfn|Rove 2010}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/16/AR2008031602748_pf.html |title=Howard Kurtz – Rove on Fox: It's Fair to Say He's Mellowed |newspaper=] |date=2008-03-16 |access-date=2015-06-21}}</ref> One advance reviewer, ] of '']'', said of the book that Rove "revives claims discredited long ago".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Milbank|first=Dana|author-link=Dana Milbank|title=Karl Rove sets the record straight – sort of|newspaper=]|date= March 7, 2010|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030502872.html?sid=ST2010030301920&sub=AR| access-date=March 8, 2010}}</ref> The controversial book inspired a ] rock and roll compilation of a similar name, ],<ref>{{cite web|title=karlrovebook.net|url=http://www.karlrovebook.net |access-date=March 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308064106/http://www.karlrovebook.net/ |archive-date=March 8, 2010 }}</ref> that was released a week before the memoir. | |||
On March 9, 2008, Rove appeared at the ] as a paid speaker to a crowd of approximately 1,000. He was met with hostility and two students were removed by police after attempting a ] for alleged crimes committed during his time with the ]. Near the end of the speech, a member of the audience asked, "Can we have our $40,000 back?" Rove replied, "No, you can't."<ref>{{Cite news | |||
====Post-resignation activities==== | |||
|title=Rove taunted at University of Iowa | |||
|author=Mooney, Alexander | |||
|date=March 10, 2008 | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/10/rove-taunted-at-university-of-iowa/ | |||
|access-date=March 11, 2008 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/10/rove-taunted-at-university-of-iowa/ | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
On June 24, 2008, Rove said of Democratic presidential nominee ], "Even if you never met him, you know this guy. He's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone."<ref>{{cite news | |||
Rove was scheduled give the commencement address at ], but canceled after protests from students and faculty. He instead made a private appearance at the school on ], ]. | |||
|first=Jason | |||
|last=Carroll | |||
|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/26/obama.rove/ | |||
|title=Rove, critics try to pin 'arrogant' label on Obama | |||
|publisher=] | |||
|date=June 26, 2008 | |||
|access-date=September 1, 2012 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/26/obama.rove/ | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
In July 2008, Rove, who was hired by Fox News to provide analysis for the network's November 2008 election coverage, defended his role on the news team to the Television Critics Association.<ref name="re-tools">{{cite web|last=Hibberd|first=James|url= http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/07/fox-news-defend.html|title=Fox News defends hiring Karl Rove|publisher=The Live Feed}}</ref> | |||
On ], ], Rove appeared at the ] as a paid speaker to a crowd of approximately 1000. He was met with hostility, asked if he had ever shed tears over the ] and two students had to be removed by police after attempting a ] for alleged crimes committed during his time with the ]. Near the end of the speech, a member of the crowd asked Rove if the school could have the $40,000 speaking fee refunded. Rove turned down this request. <ref>{{cite web|title=Rove taunted at University of Iowa|author=Alexander Mooney|year=2008|work=CNN|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/10/rove-taunted-at-university-of-iowa/|accessdate=2008-03-11}}</ref> | |||
Rove agreed to debate one-time presidential candidate and former Senator ] on September 26, 2008, at the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/384676.html|title=Edwards, Rove to face off in UB debate|date=July 4, 2008|newspaper=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704230505/http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/384676.html|archive-date=July 4, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, Edwards dropped out and was replaced by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buffalo.edu/news/9620|title=Wesley Clark to Replace John Edwards in Debate with Rove|date=September 5, 2008|publisher=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.buffalo.edu/news/9620|archive-date=February 25, 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=September 1, 2012}}</ref> | |||
==Religious views== | |||
In their book ''The Architect: Karl Rove and the Master Plan for Absolute Power'', James Moore and Wayne Slater identify Rove as an agnostic.<ref name="Moore_Slater_Architect">'''', by James Moore and Wayne Slater</ref> Slater reaffirmed this claim in a National Public Radio interview.<ref name="Slater">In an interview on NPR's program Fresh Air, Slater said "Karl Rove is... an agnostic... He told a friend in high school that he grew up in a largely areligious household. He told a friend at the University of Texas... that he would like to be a believer, but he's an agnostic, and couldn't be otherwise." , 5 September 2006. The quoted material is found from minute 6:57 to 7:15. Slater reaffirms Rove's agnosticism from 7:41 to 8:07.</ref> According to Bill Moyers, Rove was a "skeptic" and a "secular manipulator" who had used members of the Christian right for partisan purposes.<ref name="chris_wallace_interview">, Interview by Chris Wallace, Monday, August 20, 2007. (Retrieved 30 August 2007)</ref> However, in an interview by Chris Wallace on Fox News, Rove denied being an agnostic, saying "I'm a Christian. I go to church. I'm an Episcopalian." | |||
===Since 2009=== | |||
==Miscellaneous comments about and by Rove in the media== | |||
In September 2009, Rove was inducted into the ]. The induction became a major dispute as political views clashed over the announcement. Governor ] was scheduled to introduce Rove during the SAHF banquet but did not attend. At that time, Rove was being investigated by Democrats in Congress for his role in the 2006 dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rove Hall induction subject of dispute|url=http://legacy.wday.com/event/article/id/24449/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125080438/http://legacy.wday.com/event/article/id/24449/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 25, 2016|access-date=January 19, 2016|agency=]|publisher=WDAY News|date=September 3, 2009}}</ref> | |||
{{Trivia|date=November 2007}} | |||
{{Wikiquote}} | |||
<!--Whole section needs full citations to reliable verifiable sources and to be checked for appropriateness of inclusion, following ] and ]; see talk page.--> | |||
In 2010, with former RNC chair ], Rove helped found ], a Republican ] raising money for the 2012 election effort.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sBr2AgAAQBAJ&q=%22American%20Crossroads%22%20%22Karl%20Rove%22%20%22Ed%20Gillespie%22&pg=PA89 |title=Dark Money, Super PACs, and the 2012 Election|last1=Smith|first1=Melissa M.|last2=Powell|first2=Larry|date=2014-02-27|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=9780739185421|pages=89|language=en}}</ref> Rove serves as an informal adviser for this ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/20100405-tea-party-poll.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630144631/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/20100405-tea-party-poll.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 30, 2011|title=Republicans plan $50 million independent effort in 2010|last=Cillizza|first=Chris|date=April 5, 2010|newspaper=]}}</ref> | |||
* On ] ], Rove was named by ] as the "Most Fascinating Person" of the year.<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=309165&page=1 </ref> | |||
In a profile which appeared in the December 15, 2011 issue of ''The New Republic'', Rove, with his hands-on involvement with American Crossroads, was described as one of the shrewdest navigators of the political climate after the ] which exempted political broadcasts funded by corporations and unions from campaign finance limits. "Rove had no role in creating this new legal environment... but if Rove and his allies did not invent it, they certainly were adroit at exploiting it."<ref>{{cite news|last=Shapiro|first=Walter|title=Organization Man: Karl Rove and the Rise of the SuperPAC|url= http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/magazine/97760/karl-rove-crossroads-superpac-2012?passthru=NDliOWE3MDI1YzkzYThiOWMxNThmZmM1NmEyMjY1MGY|magazine=The New Republic |date=November 23, 2011|access-date=December 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926205525/http://www.newrepublic.com/article/politics/magazine/97760/karl-rove-crossroads-superpac-2012?passthru=NDliOWE3MDI1YzkzYThiOWMxNThmZmM1NmEyMjY1MGY |archive-date=September 26, 2013 }}</ref> | |||
* On ] ], Rove said George W. Bush was "one of the most intellectually gifted presidents we've had."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27935-2005Jan21.html|author=Brian Faler|title=The Party Line Veers a Bit - footer quote|publisher=Washington Post|date=2005-01-22}}</ref> | |||
Following ]'s comments regarding "]" and the notion that ], Rove joked about murdering the Missouri Senate candidate, saying "We should sink Todd Akin. If he's found mysteriously murdered, don't look for my whereabouts!"<ref>{{cite news|last=Kolhatkar |first=Sheelah |title=Exclusive: Inside Karl Rove's Billionaire Fundraiser |url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-08-31/exclusive-inside-karl-roves-billionaire-fundraiser |newspaper=Bloomberg Businessweek |date=August 31, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-08-31/exclusive-inside-karl-roves-billionaire-fundraiser |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | |||
* "You know," Rove told ] in an August 2007 telephone interview after he announced his resignation, "you'd be shocked and surprised to learn how much the president reached out to Democrats."<ref> by ], ], ]</ref> | |||
|last=Kroll | |||
|first=Andy | |||
|title=Karl Rove Jokes About Murdering Rep. Todd Akin | |||
|url=https://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/08/karl-rove-crossroads-todd-akin-murder | |||
|newspaper=] | |||
|date=August 31, 2012 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/https://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/08/karl-rove-crossroads-todd-akin-murder | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> After multiple news outlets picked up on the story, Rove apologized for the remark.<ref>{{cite news|last=Killough|first=Ashley|title=TRENDING: Akin accepts apology from Rove over murder comment|url= http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/31/reporter-goes-inside-karl-rove-billionaire-fund-raiser/|newspaper=]|date=August 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902011159/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/31/reporter-goes-inside-karl-rove-billionaire-fund-raiser/ | |||
|archive-date=September 2, 2012 }}</ref> Rove's ] organization had previously pulled its television advertising from Missouri in the wake of the comments.<ref>{{cite news|last=Zornick |first=George|title=Akin Fiasco Gets Rove to Admit, Again, Why Crossroads Exists |url=http://www.thenation.com/blog/169485/akin-fiasco-gets-rove-admit-again-why-crossroads-exists#|newspaper=The Nation|date=August 21, 2012}}</ref> | |||
On November 6, 2012, Rove protested Fox News' call of the 2012 presidential election for Obama, prompting host ] to ask him, "Is this just math that you do as a Republican to make yourself feel better? Or is this real?"<ref>{{cite magazine | |||
* ] as "The Boy Genius," "The Architect", and "]",<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,107219,00.html|title=The Busiest Man in the White House| author=James Carney and John F. Dickerson| date=2004-01-22| publisher=Time}}</ref> a ] term for a flower that grows from a pile of ].<ref> {{cite web| url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050713.wxrove13/BNStory/International/ | title=Scandal dogs Republican mastermind| author=Alan Freeman| date=2005-07-13|publisher=globeandmail.com (subscription)}}</ref> | |||
|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/109941/megyn-kelly-can-save-fox-news | |||
|author=Noreen Malone | |||
|title=Megyn Kelly Can Save Fox News | |||
|magazine=] | |||
|date=November 9, 2012 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.newrepublic.com/article/109941/megyn-kelly-can-save-fox-news | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url= http://www.cc.com/video-clips/bxtuzh/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-post-democalypse-2012---america-takes-a-shower---karl-rove-s-math|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150919105226/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/bxtuzh/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-post-democalypse-2012---america-takes-a-shower---karl-rove-s-math|url-status= dead|archive-date= September 19, 2015|title=Post Democalypse 2012 America Takes a Shower – Karl Rove's Math|publisher=]|date=November 7, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | |||
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/opinion/sunday/dowd-romney-is-president.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB | |||
|author=Maureen Dowd | |||
|title=Romney Is President | |||
|newspaper=International ] | |||
|date=November 10, 2012 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/opinion/sunday/dowd-romney-is-president.html?src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
In 2013 Rove and the PAC American Crossroads created the ] for the purpose of supporting electable conservative candidates.<ref name=NYT02613>{{cite news | |||
* He has often been referred to as "Bush's Brain".<ref> {{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3987237.stm |title=Drawing up blueprints for Bush victory| publisher=BBC| date=2004-11-06|author=Rachel Clarke}} </ref> | |||
|title=New Rove Effort Has G.O.P. Aflame | |||
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/us/politics/new-rove-effort-has-gop-aflame.html?_r=0 | |||
|access-date=February 7, 2013 | |||
|newspaper=] | |||
|date=February 6, 2013 | |||
|author=Jeff Zeleny | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/us/politics/new-rove-effort-has-gop-aflame.html?_r=0 | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
}}</ref> These efforts have attracted criticism, and even personal attacks, from elements within the ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Tea Party group apologizes to Rove for Nazi photo |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/19/tea-party-group-apologizes-to-rove-for-nazi-photo/comment-page-1/ |publisher=] |date=February 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/19/tea-party-group-apologizes-to-rove-for-nazi-photo/comment-page-1/ |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
Rove's history, ''The Triumph of ]: Why the ] Still Matters'', was published in 2015.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters |first=Carl|last=Rove |place=New York |publisher=] |year=2015 |isbn=9781476752952}}</ref> | |||
* His unique take on political strategy has inspired journalists to coin the term "Rovism". "All politicians operate within an ] nimbus where words don't mean what they normally mean, but Rovism posits that there is no objective, verifiable reality at all. Reality is what you say it is, ..." - ], ]<ref>[http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/102504E.shtml</ref> | |||
In 2017, Rove's ] ] group ''One Nation'' nonprofit raised nearly $17 million, according to IRS tax filings released in November 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/11/karl-rove-crossroads-gps-is-dead-long-live-dark-money-operation/|title=Crossroads GPS is dead long live his multi-million dollar dark money group| publisher=]|date=16 November 2018}}</ref> | |||
* Rove is a ]. According to ]'s recent book, Rove is obsessed with the "historical duplicity" of the ], who ] back in 1814. According to Woodward, this ] manifested itself as hatred for Swedish weapons inspector ].{{Fact|date=May 2007}} | |||
Rove has lobbied on behalf of ], a communications technology business.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=A Pitch for a Nationwide 5G Network Tailor-Made for Trump's 2020 Campaign|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/karl-rove-and-a-pitch-for-a-nationwide-5g-network-tailored-to-trumps-2020-campaign|last=Halpern|first=Sue|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Karl Rove jumps into wireless battle that is dividing Trump world|url=https://politi.co/2FGfKEk|last1=Mcgill|first1=Margaret Harding|last2=Hendel|first2=John|website=]|date=28 March 2019 |language=en|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref> | |||
* ] wrote in '']'' that one of Rove's heroes is ], President ]'s political adviser.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} Rove has denied this in interviews.<ref>"I’m not at all like Hanna. Never wanted to be." as quoted in {{cite journal | | |||
url = http://www.ronsuskind.com/newsite/articles/archives/000032.html | | |||
title = Why Are These Men Laughing? | | |||
journal = Esquire | | |||
first = Ron | last = Suskind | | |||
date = January 2003 | | |||
accessdate = 2008-02-26}}</ref> | |||
In December 2019, Rove predicted that the ] would result in a ]; in December 2020, after ] was nominated at the ] with a clear majority of delegates, '']'' named Rove's prediction one of "the most audacious, confident and spectacularly incorrect prognostications about the year".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/12/29/worst-predictions-about-2020-451444|title=The Worst Predictions of 2020|date=December 29, 2020|access-date=December 30, 2020|work=]|first=Zack|last=Stanton}}</ref> | |||
* The 2004 political documentary '']'' "…depicts Rove as the most powerful political consultant in American history and, in essence, a co-president" according to '']'''s South by Southwest film festival review.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-03-11-southwest-film-fest_x.htm | title=Politics galore at South by Southwest film festival | author=Associated Press| publisher=USA Today| date= 2004-03-11}} </ref> | |||
Rove was an advisor to ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The mastermind of George W. Bush's White House victories is advising Trump's 2020 campaign, focusing on swing-state battlegrounds and Republican voter outreach|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/karl-rove-helping-trump-campaign-2020-5|last=LoBianco|first=Tom|website=]|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref> In May 2020, Rove accused former president Obama of engaging in a "political drive by shooting" after Obama gave a ] to ] where he criticized the ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Budryk|first=Zack|date=2020-05-18|title=Karl Rove: Obama's commencement speech 'a political drive-by shooting'|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/498295-karl-rove-calls-barack-obamas-hbcu-2020-commencement-speech-a-political-drive|access-date=2020-07-14|website=]|language=en}}</ref> | |||
* An episode (''Deacon Stan, Jesus Man'') of the FOX-TV animated satire, '']'', depicted Rove as a shadowy figure clad in a red robe and cowl; bears a strong resemblance to ], the iconic villain from the '']'' series. Whenever his name is said a wolf howls; when he tries to enter a church, he begins to burn and emits smoke. He has messages delivered to him on scrolls by bats and he later departed the scene by transforming into a colony of bats. | |||
Rove worked as a guest professor at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall semester of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-12-03|title=Karl Rove recruits bipartisan A-list to help teach UT students about campaigning|url=https://news.utexas.edu/2021/12/03/karl-rove-recruits-bipartisan-a-list-to-help-teach-ut-students-about-campaigning/|access-date=2021-12-28|website=UT News|language=en-US}}</ref> He taught a course for UT's Plan II Honors department called ''Modern American Political Campaigns.'' Each week Rove invited guest speakers for the students to interview including James Carville and Mary Matalin, former Secretary of State James Baker, Jonathon Swan, Ken Melhman, and others. The class was protested by a variety of students accusing Rove of being a war criminal.<ref>{{Cite web|title=An Open Letter On Karl Rove, Bush Chief Strategist Turned UT Honors Lecturer -- And Why That's a Problem|url=https://orangemag.co/orangeblog/2021/10/28/an-open-letter-on-karl-rove-bush-chief-strategist-turned-ut-honors-lecturer-and-why-thats-a-problem|access-date=2021-12-28|website=ORANGE Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
*The short-lived television show '']'' depicted Rove as a scheming political advisor to President Bush, playing the 'straight man' to George and Laura Bush, who were portrayed as over-the-top dimwits. {{Fact|date=May 2007}} | |||
==Personal life== | |||
* On ], ], Australian Opposition Leader ] offered his condolences to the family of ] on the day of her funeral. However, instead of referring to Emmett's widower ], Beazley mistakenly offered condolences to Karl Rove.<ref>], aired ], ] on ].</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Beazley makes Rove blunder | publisher = ] | date = ], ] | url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Beazley-makes-Rove-blunder/2006/11/17/1163266755869.html | accessdate = 2007-08-26}}</ref> | |||
] in 2024]] | |||
Rove married ] socialite Valerie Mather Wainwright, on July 10, 1976. He moved to ] in January 1977. His sister and father said that "the wedding was so extravagant that ... still recall it with awe".<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Ridgeway |date=July 22, 2005 |title=From bad to worse |newspaper=The ] |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Rove and Wainwright divorced in early 1980.<ref>{{cite news |first=Miriam |last=Rozen |date=July 17, 1999 |title=The man who would be kingmaker |newspaper=] |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In January 1986, Rove married Darby Tara Hickson,<ref name=balz-2003-strategist/> a ] survivor, ]er, and former employee of Karl Rove & Company. Rove and Hickson have one son, Andrew Madison Rove, who attended ] in ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sessions |first=David |date=December 29, 2009 |title=Karl Rove divorces wife of 24 years in Texas |website=] |url=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/29/karl-rove-divorces-wife-of-24-years-in-texas |access-date=July 13, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230205953/http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/29/karl-rove-divorces-wife-of-24-years-in-texas/ |archive-date=December 30, 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Rove and Hickson divorced in December 2009.<ref name="politico.com">{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Allen |date=December 29, 2009 |title=Karl Rove granted divorce in Texas |website=] |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/31036.html |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In June 2012, Rove married lobbyist Karen Johnson in ]. The wedding was attended by ] and ].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vogel |first1=Kenneth |last2=Friess |first2=Steve |date=July 13, 2012 |title=Rove hits big: The birth of a mega-donor |website=] |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78466.html |url-status=dead |access-date=July 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78466.html |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
Rove resides in the ] section of Washington, DC, and also keeps a house near Austin, Texas.<ref> | |||
* On ] ], Rove was persuaded to participate in an improvised ] song at a ] dinner in Washington by improvisors ] and ] of '']'' fame. A video of the event, showing Rove attempting to dance to the rap and referring to himself as "MC Rove" has since spread on the Internet. At the event, Rove also made fun of the claim that he is the epitome of evil, stating that his hobbies, besides stamp collecting, included ripping off the heads of animals.<ref></ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://cbs5.com/seenon/local_story_087232314.html| title=Caught On Tape: Bush Adviser Karl Rove Raps| date=2007-03-29| publisher=CBS5 KPIX (San Francisco)}}</ref> | |||
{{cite magazine | |||
|last=Hagan |first=Joe | |||
|date=February 27, 2011 | |||
|title=Goddangit, baby, we're making good time | |||
|magazine=] | |||
|url=https://nymag.com/news/politics/karl-rove-2011-3/ | |||
|url-status=dead |access-date=July 13, 2012 | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://nymag.com/news/politics/karl-rove-2011-3/ | |||
|archive-date=February 25, 2008 |df=dmy-all | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
In 2002, Rove built a home in ], just near ]; the home includes a television studio for remote news appearances.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Horton |first=Scott |date=31 March 2008 |title=The house that Karl built |magazine=] |url=http://harpers.org/blog/2008/03/the-house-that-karl-built/ |access-date=14 January 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
In a 2007 interview with the '']'', ] ] claimed that Rove was "not a believer".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=''God Is Not Great'' author Christopher Hitchens on religion, Iraq, and his own reputation |magazine=] |date=26 April 2007 |type=book review |url=https://nymag.com/arts/books/features/31244/ |df=dmy-all }}</ref> However, in 2010, Rove told Kamy Akhavan of {{code|ProCon.org}}, in an e‑mail exchange, that Hitchens had misinterpreted a quote of his about feeling that the faith of other White House staffers was stronger than his own: "I am a practicing Christian who attends a Bible-centered ] in Washington and an ] in Texas."<ref>{{cite web |title=Karl Rove |date=24 January 2011 |department=Source biographies |series=Under God in the Pledge |website=ProCon.org |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. |place=Chicago, IL |url=http://undergod.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=010559 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305004313/http://undergod.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=010559 |archive-date=March 5, 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
* When discussing his new book '']'', ] was asked by '']'' if "anyone in the Bush administration confided in about being an ]?", he replied, "Well, I don’t talk that much to them — maybe people think I do. I know something which is known to few but is not a secret. Karl Rove is not a believer, and he doesn’t shout it from the rooftops, but when asked, he answers quite honestly. I think the way he puts it is, “I’m not fortunate enough to be a person of faith.”<ref> However, in a discussion with members of the ], Rove, when asked whether or not he is an atheist stated that Hitchens' comments were misleading, saying, "I'm an ] ... God's chosen frozen". Rove went on to state that sometimes his religion overly stresses the importance of moderation and that he "sometimes wish ha as much faith as some of my colleagues". {{cite interview | last = Hitchens | first = Christopher | subjectlink = Christopher Hitchens | interviewer = Borish Kachka | title = Are You There, God? It's Me, Hitchens | program = New York Magazine | accessdate = 2007-05-08}} </ref> | |||
*In one edition of the comic '']'', Karl Rove tells an Animal Control worker for saying "Fat Bushy Cats" (Rove thought he said "Fatcat Bushies", but it didn't matter to him). He then fires Opus as a hedge trimmer for having a sign that says "Caution: Bush Whacking". The Animal Control worker then states "Karl Rove is out of control!" | |||
*An article published on August 31, 2007, in "]" parodies the Rove-Bush relationship. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{ |
{{Reflist}} | ||
*{{cite book|last1=Rove|first1=Karl|title=Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight|url=https://archive.org/details/courageconsequen00rove_0|url-access=registration|date=2010|publisher=Threshold Editions|isbn=978-1439191057|ref={{sfnRef|Rove 2010}}}} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Sister project links|wikt=no|v=no|b=no|s=no|d=Q311135|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no}} | |||
{{sisterlinks}} | |||
* {{Official website|http://www.rove.com/}} | |||
===Biographical data=== | |||
* {{C-SPAN|52586}} | |||
* - 'Karl Rove' (wiki profile) | |||
* {{IMDb name|1311211}} | |||
* - 'Karl Rove in a Corner: Karl Rove is at his most formidable when running close races, and his skills would be notable even if he used no extreme methods', Joshua Green, '']'' (November, 2004) | |||
* {{Charlie Rose view|2367}} | |||
* | |||
* {{NYTtopic|people/r/karl_rove}} | |||
* | |||
* , ] documentary on ] | |||
* (Salt Lake Tribune) | |||
* "Karl Rove - The Architect", '']'' Public Broadcasting System (PBS). ] ]. | |||
*http://www.counterpunch.org/madsen1101.html | |||
* <cite>Boy Genius: Karl Rove, the Brains Behind the Remarkable Political Triumph of George W. Bush</cite>, Lou Dubose, Jan Reid and Carl Cannon, 2003, Paperback, 256 pages, ISBN 1-58648-192-4. | |||
* <cite>]</cite>, James C. Moore and Wayne Slater, John Wiley and Sons, 2003, hardcover, 416 pages, ISBN 0-471-42327-0, and the film of the same name<ref>http://www.bushsbrain.net</ref> | |||
* | |||
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===Editorials=== | |||
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* - 'Karl Rove, ]' | |||
{{s-bef|before=]<br>]<br>]}} | |||
* | |||
{{s-ttl|title=]|years=2001–2007}} | |||
* - ] - 'Karl Rove's America,' (] ]) | |||
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* - 'It's time for Karl Rove to go: The president needs to ask for a special prosecutor in the Valerie Plame case', Congressman ], ] (] ]) | |||
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* - 'It Doesn't look good for Rove' contains a legal assessment by ] regarding the state of the Plame scandal. | |||
{{s-bef|before=]}} | |||
* - ] - 'Follow the Uranium' | |||
{{s-ttl|title=] for Policy|years=2005–2007}} | |||
* - ] - 'Where's the Newt?' where he christens the Plame scandal "Nadagate" due to his opinion that there is no scandal. | |||
{{s-aft|after=]}} | |||
*, on the | |||
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* Dickerson, John (] ]). . '']''. | |||
{{Fox News Personalities}} | |||
===Media accounts=== | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
* - 'Reporter Says He First Learned of C.I.A. Operative From Rove,' Lorne Manly and David Johnston (] ]) | |||
* - 'Drawing up Blueprints for Bush Victory', Rachel Clarke, ] (] ]) | |||
* - 'The Controller: Karl Rove is working to get George Bush reelected, but he has bigger plans' (profile), ] '']'' (] ]) | |||
* 'The brains' - Profile of Karl Rove - Special Report US Elections 2004, Julian Borger, (] ]) | |||
* - '] Analyst and a ] Reporter Say Karl Rove Named in Matt Cooper Documents', Greg Mitchell (] ]) | |||
* - 'White House 'Puzzled' Over Rove Flap', ] (] ]) | |||
* - 'Karl Rove The Architect' (documentary), ] Frontline (] ]) | |||
* - 'Rove rejects charges he was CBS source', Stephen Dinan, Rowan Scarborough, '']'' (] ]) | |||
* - 'Lawyer: Cooper "Burned" Karl Rove' - ]. | |||
* interview with ], where he states that "my wife was not a clandestine officer the day that Bob Novak blew her identity", causing much speculation about his intended meaning from both sides. | |||
* - 'Rove Fight Escalates', includes quotes from a former CIA agent who claims that Plame's 'nonofficial cover' did not qualify her as 'a covert agent'. This claim is based on a gross misquote of ''USA Today''. | |||
* ] discusses Rove's efforts to discredit ] and the surrounding scandal] (] ]) (Real Audio) | |||
* - 'The Plame blame: What do we know so far?' contains a recap of what is known to date (] ]) | |||
*; provides a link to an amicus brief and also details Plame's name having being outed by the CIA '''prior''' to Novak's article. | |||
* - about Valerie Plame | |||
* - Staff - 'Memo Underscored Issue of Shielding Plame's Identity' - CIA memo at the center of the leak scandal was marked 'sensitive' | |||
* - "Role of Rove, Libby in CIA Leak Case Clearer: Bush and Cheney Aides' Testimony Contradicts Earlier White House Statement" | |||
* | |||
* By John Solomon, ASSOCIATED PRESS, ] ] | |||
* MSNBC, ] ] | |||
* -Rove on the United States Constitution and the separation between church and state in schools, ] ] | |||
* - Rove dancing to the MC Rove rap, clip from C-Span | |||
* from soundslam.com | |||
===News compilations=== | |||
* , summary from ''Los Angeles Times'' published ] ]. | |||
* - 'Karl Rove Controversy', ], a ]/] media watchdog group. | |||
* , summary compiled by ], a liberal/progressive watchdog group. | |||
* at NewsFollowUp.com | |||
===Satire and blogs=== | |||
* from about.com | |||
* - 'Closing in on Karl,' about the possible legal implications, written by lawyer John Hinderaker | |||
* - "Rove Blew CIA Agent's Cover", ], '']'' (] ]) | |||
* debunks talking points on Rove/Plame. | |||
* - Live during the 2004 presidential campaign. "If only one candidate has a Karl Rove, it's not a fair presidential race." | |||
* - Follow-on to KerrysKarlRove.com, where the anonablogger channels the savvy of Karl Rove to help the opposition party. "If Only One Party Has a Karl Rove, We Risk Living in a One Party America." | |||
* - ARC's 1st Law: As a "progressive" online discussion grows longer, the probability of a nefarious reference to Karl Rove approaches one | |||
* Blog on the importance of Rove to American politics and to Bush | |||
===Photos=== <!-- why is this section needed? --> | |||
*, from washingtonlife.com | |||
*, from ] | |||
===U.S. Government links=== | |||
* - RealVideo of Karl Rove's tour of the ] Roosevelt Room | |||
* , from the Democratic Party's official Senate website | |||
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Latest revision as of 05:42, 15 November 2024
American political consultant and policy advisor (born 1950)Karl Rove | |
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White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy | |
In office February 8, 2005 – August 31, 2007 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Harriet Miers |
Succeeded by | Joel Kaplan |
Senior Advisor to the President | |
In office January 20, 2001 – August 31, 2007 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | |
Succeeded by | Barry Jackson |
Chair of the College Republicans | |
In office 1973–1977 | |
Preceded by | Joe Abate |
Succeeded by | John Brady |
Personal details | |
Born | Karl Christian Rove (1950-12-25) December 25, 1950 (age 74) Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouses |
|
Children | 1 |
Education | University of Utah |
Website | Official website |
Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August 31, 2007. He has also headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. Rove was one of the architects of the Iraq War.
Prior to his White House appointments, he is credited with the 1994 and 1998 Texas gubernatorial victories of George W. Bush, as well as Bush's 2000 and 2004 successful presidential campaigns. In his 2004 victory speech, Bush referred to Rove as "the Architect". Rove has also been credited for the successful campaigns of John Ashcroft (1994 U.S. Senate election), Bill Clements (1986 Texas gubernatorial election), Senator John Cornyn (2002 U.S. Senate election), Governor Rick Perry (1990 Texas Agriculture Commission election), and Phil Gramm (1982 U.S. House and 1984 U.S. Senate elections). Since leaving the White House, Rove has worked as a political analyst and contributor for Fox News, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal.
Early life and education
Rove was born on Christmas Day in Denver, Colorado, the second of five children, and was raised in Sparks, Nevada. His parents separated when he was 19 years old and the man whom Rove knew as his father was a geologist.
In 1965, his family moved to Salt Lake City, where Rove entered high school, becoming a skilled debater. Encouraged by a teacher to run for class senate, Rove won the election. As part of his campaign strategy he rode in the back of a convertible inside the school gymnasium sitting between two attractive girls before his election speech. While at Olympus High School, he was elected student council president his junior and senior years. Rove was also a Teenage Republican and served as Chairman of the Utah Federation of Teenage Republicans. During this time, his father got a job in Los Angeles and visited the family during holidays.
Rove's mother suffered from depression and had contemplated suicide more than once in her life. Rove has stated that although he loved his mother, she was seriously flawed, undependable and, at times, unstable. In December 1969, after a heated fight with his wife, the man Rove had known as his father left the family and divorced Rove's mother soon afterwards. It was at this juncture that Rove was finally told that he and his older brother had a different birth father, his mother's prior husband. Rove's relationship with his adoptive father was briefly strained for a few months following the divorce, but they maintained a relationship afterward.
Rove had only infrequent contact with his mother in the 1970s. She frequently withheld child support checks and spent them for herself. She and her second husband lost most of their money due to poor financial decisions on her part and his gambling and overspending. On September 11, 1981, Rove's mother died by suicide north of Reno, Nevada, shortly after she decided to divorce her third and final husband, to whom she had been unhappily married for only three months.
Early political career
Rove began his involvement in American politics in 1968. In a 2002 Deseret News interview, Rove explained, "I was the Olympus High chairman for (former U.S. Sen.) Wallace F. Bennett's re-election campaign, where he was opposed by the dynamic, young, aggressive political science professor at the University of Utah, J.D. Williams." Bennett was reelected to a third six-year term in November 1968. Through Rove's campaign involvement, Bennett's son, Robert "Bob" Foster Bennett—a future United States Senator from Utah—would become a friend. Williams would later become a mentor to Rove.
College and the Dixon campaign sabotage incident
In the fall of 1969, Rove entered the University of Utah, on a $1,000 scholarship, as a political science major and joined the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Through the university's Hinckley Institute of Politics, he got an internship with the Utah Republican Party. That position, and contacts from the 1968 Bennett campaign, helped him secure a job in 1970 on Ralph Tyler Smith's unsuccessful re-election campaign for Senate from Illinois against Democrat Adlai E. Stevenson III.
In the fall of 1970, Rove used a false identity to enter the campaign office of Democrat Alan J. Dixon, who was running for Treasurer of Illinois. He stole 1000 sheets of paper with campaign letterhead, printed fake campaign rally fliers promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing", and distributed them at rock concerts and homeless shelters, with the effect of disrupting Dixon's rally. (Dixon eventually won the election.) Rove's role would not become publicly known until August 1973 when Rove told The Dallas Morning News. In 1999 he said, "It was a youthful prank at the age of 19 and I regret it." In his memoir, Rove wrote that when he was later nominated to the Board for International Broadcasting by President George H.W. Bush, Senator Dixon did not kill his nomination. In Rove's account, "Dixon displayed more grace than I had shown and kindly excused this youthful prank."
College Republicans, Watergate, and the Bushes
In June 1971, after the end of the semester, Rove dropped out of the University of Utah to take a paid position as the executive director of the College Republican National Committee. Joe Abate, who was National Chairman of the College Republicans at the time, became his mentor. Rove then enrolled at the University of Maryland in College Park in the Fall of 1971, but withdrew from classes during the first half of the semester. In July 1999 he told The Washington Post that he did not have a degree because "I lack at this point one math class, which I can take by exam, and my foreign language requirement."
Rove traveled extensively, participating as an instructor at weekend seminars for campus conservatives across the country. He was an active participant in Richard Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign. A CBS report on the organization of the Nixon campaign from June 1972 includes an interview with a young Rove working for the College Republican National Committee.
Rove held the position of executive director of the College Republicans until early 1973. He left the job to spend five months, without pay, campaigning full-time for the position of National Chairman during the time he attended George Mason University. Lee Atwater, the group's Southern regional coordinator, who was two months younger than Rove, assisted with Rove's campaign. His campaign was managed by Daniel Mintz, of the Maryland College Republicans. Karl spent the spring of 1973 crisscrossing the country in a Ford Pinto, lining up the support of Republican state chairs.
The College Republicans summer 1973 convention at the Lake of the Ozarks resort in Missouri was quite contentious. Rove's opponent was Robert Edgeworth of Michigan. The other major candidate, Terry Dolan of California, dropped out, supporting Edgeworth. A number of states had sent two competing delegates, because Rove and his supporters had made credential challenges at state and regional conventions. For example, after the Midwest regional convention, Rove forces had produced a version of the Midwestern College Republicans constitution which differed significantly from the constitution that the Edgeworth forces were using, in order to justify the unseating of the Edgeworth delegates on procedural grounds, including delegations, such as Ohio and Missouri, which had been certified earlier by Rove himself. In the end, there were two votes, conducted by two convention chairs, and two winners—Rove and Edgeworth, each of whom delivered an acceptance speech. After the convention, both Edgeworth and Rove appealed to Republican National Committee Chairman George H. W. Bush, each contending that he was the new College Republican chairman.
While resolution was pending, Dolan went (anonymously) to The Washington Post with recordings of several training seminars for young Republicans where a co-presenter of Rove's, Bernie Robinson, cautioned against doing the same thing he had done: rooting through opponents' garbage cans. The tape with this story on it, as well as Rove's admonition not to copy similar tricks as Rove's against Dixon, was secretly recorded and edited by Rich Evans, who had hoped to receive an appointment from Rove's competitor in the CRNC chairmanship race. On August 10, 1973, in the midst of the Watergate scandal, the Post broke the story in an article titled "GOP Party Probes Official as Teacher of Tricks".
In response, then RNC Chairman George H.W. Bush, had an FBI agent question Rove. As part of the investigation, Atwater signed an affidavit, dated August 13, 1973, stating that he had heard a "20 minute anecdote similar to the one described in The Washington Post" in July 1972, but that "it was a funny story during a coffee break". Former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean, has been quoted as saying "based on my review of the files, it appears the Watergate prosecutors were interested in Rove's activities in 1972, but because they had bigger fish to fry they did not aggressively investigate him."
On September 6, 1973, three weeks after announcing his intent to investigate the allegations against Rove, George H. W. Bush chose him to be chairman of the College Republicans. Bush then wrote Edgeworth a letter saying that he had concluded that Rove had fairly won the vote at the convention. Edgeworth wrote back, asking about the basis of that conclusion. Not long after that, Edgeworth stated "Bush sent me back the angriest letter I have ever received in my life. I had leaked to The Washington Post, and now I was out of the Party forever."
As National Chairman, Rove introduced Bush to Atwater, who had taken Rove's job as the College Republican's executive director, and who would become Bush's main campaign strategist in future years. Bush hired Rove as a Special Assistant in the Republican National Committee, a job Rove left in 1974 to become Executive Assistant to the co-chair of the RNC, Richard D. Obenshain.
As Special Assistant, Rove performed small personal tasks for Bush. In November 1973, he asked Rove to take a set of car keys to his son George W. Bush, who was visiting home during a break from Harvard Business School. It was the first time the two met. "Huge amounts of charisma, swagger, cowboy boots, flight jacket, wonderful smile, just charisma – you know, wow", Rove recalled years later.
Virginia
In 1976, Rove left D.C. to work in Virginian politics. Initially, Rove served as the Finance Director for the Republican Party of Virginia. Rove describes this as the role in which he discovered his love for direct mail campaigns.
The Texas years and notable political campaigns
1977–1991
Rove's initial job in Texas was in 1977 as a legislative aide for Fred Agnich, a Texas Republican state representative from Dallas. Later that same year, Rove got a job as executive director of the Fund for Limited Government, a political action committee (PAC) in Houston headed by James A. Baker, III, a Houston lawyer (later President George H. W. Bush's Secretary of State). The PAC eventually became the genesis of the Bush-for-President campaign of 1979–1980.
His work for Bill Clements during the Texas gubernatorial election of 1978 helped Clements become the first Republican Governor of Texas in over 100 years. Clements was elected to a four-year term, succeeding Democrat Dolph Briscoe. Rove was deputy director of the Governor William P. Clements Junior Committee in 1979 and 1980, and deputy executive assistant to the governor of Texas (roughly, Deputy Chief of Staff) in 1980 and 1981.
In 1981, Rove founded a direct mail consulting firm, Karl Rove & Co., in Austin. The firm's first clients included Texas Governor Bill Clements and Democratic congressman Phil Gramm, who later became a Republican congressman and United States Senator. Rove operated his consulting business until 1999, when he sold the firm to take a full-time position in George W. Bush's presidential campaign.
Between 1981 and 1999, Rove worked on hundreds of races. Most were in a supporting role, doing direct mail fundraising. A November 2004 Atlantic Monthly article estimated that he was the primary strategist for 41 statewide, congressional, and national races, and Rove's candidates won 34 races.
Rove also did work during those years for non-political clients. From 1991 to 1996, Rove advised tobacco giant Philip Morris, and ultimately earned $3,000 a month via a consulting contract. In a deposition, Rove testified that he severed the tie in 1996 because he felt awkward "about balancing that responsibility with his role as Bush's top political advisor" while Bush was governor of Texas and Texas was suing the tobacco industry.
1978 George W. Bush congressional campaign
Rove advised the younger Bush during his unsuccessful Texas congressional campaign in 1978.
1980 George H. W. Bush presidential campaign
In 1977, Rove was the first person hired by George H. W. Bush for his unsuccessful 1980 presidential campaign, which ended with Bush as the vice-presidential nominee.
1982 William Clements, Jr. gubernatorial campaign
In 1982, Rove returned to assisting Governor Bill Clements in his run for reelection, but was defeated by Democrat Mark White.
1982 Phil Gramm congressional campaign
In 1982, Phil Gramm was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a conservative Texas Democrat.
1984 Phil Gramm senatorial campaign
In 1984, Rove helped Gramm, who had become a Republican in 1983, defeat Republican Ron Paul in the primary and Democrat Lloyd Doggett in the race for U.S. Senate.
1984 Ronald Reagan presidential campaign
Rove handled direct-mail for the Reagan-Bush campaign.
1986 William Clements, Jr. gubernatorial campaign
In 1986, Rove helped Clements become governor a second time. In a strategy memo Rove wrote for his client prior to the race, now among Clements' papers in the Texas A&M University library, Rove quoted Napoleon: "The whole art of war consists in a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defensive, followed by rapid and audacious attack."
In 1986, just before a crucial debate in the campaign, Rove claimed that his office had been bugged by Democrats. The police and FBI investigated and discovered that the bug's battery was so small that it needed to be changed every few hours, and the investigation was dropped. Critics, including other Republican operatives, suspected Rove had bugged his own office to garner sympathy votes in the close governor's race.
1988 Texas Supreme Court races
In 1988, Rove helped Thomas R. Phillips become the first Republican elected as Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. Phillips had been appointed to the position in November 1987 by Clements. Phillips was re-elected in 1990, 1996 and 2002.
Phillips' election in 1988 was part of an aggressive grassroots campaign called "Clean Slate '88", a conservative effort that was successful in getting five of its six candidates elected. (Ordinarily there were three justices on the ballot each year, on a nine-justice court, but, because of resignations, there were six races for the Supreme Court on the ballot in November 1988.) By 1998, Republicans held all nine seats on the Court.
1990 Texas gubernatorial campaign
In 1989, Rove encouraged George W. Bush to run for Texas governor, brought in experts to tutor him on policy, and introduced him to local reporters. Eventually, Bush decided not to run, and Rove backed another Republican for governor who lost in the primary.
Other 1990 Texas statewide races
In 1990, two other Rove candidates won: Rick Perry, the future governor of the state, became agricultural commissioner, and Kay Bailey Hutchison became state treasurer.
One notable aspect of the 1990 election was the charge that Rove had asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate major Democratic officeholders in Texas. In his 2010 autobiography, Rove called the whole thing a "myth", saying:
The FBI did investigate Texas officials during that span, but I had nothing to do with it. The investigation was called "Brilab" and was part of a broad anti-corruption probe that looked at officials in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., as well as Texas ... An official for the U.S. Department of Agriculture spotted expenses claimed by Hightower's shop that raised red flags ... enough to indict some of Hightower's top aides; they were later found guilty and sent to prison. ... The myth that I had something to do both with spurring the investigation and with airing all of this has stuck around because it is convenient for some to blame me rather than those aides who ran afoul of the law.
Rove was campaign manager for Florence Shapiro's 1992 campaign for District 2 in the Texas Senate, which included Collin County and counties in East Texas. Shapiro was the top vote-getter in the Republican primary against Don Kent and former Plano mayor Jack Harvard, then defeated Kent by 1 percentage point in a hotly-contested run-off election, during which vandals defaced her campaign signs with swastikas due to Shapiro's Jewish faith.
1991 Richard L. Thornburgh senatorial campaign and lawsuit
In 1991, United States Attorney General Dick Thornburgh resigned to run for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania, one made vacant by John Heinz's death in a helicopter crash. Rove's company worked for the campaign, but it ended with an upset loss to Democrat Harris Wofford.
Rover had been hired by an intermediary Murray Dickman to work for Thornburgh's campaign. Subsequently, Rove sued Thornburgh directly, alleging non-payment for services rendered. The Republican National Committee, worried that the suit would make it hard to recruit good candidates, urged Rove to back off. When Rove refused, the RNC hired Kenneth Starr to write an amicus brief on Thornburgh's behalf. Karl Rove & Co. v. Thornburgh was heard by U.S. Federal Judge Sam Sparks, who had been appointed by George H.W. Bush in 1991. After a trial in Austin, Rove prevailed.
1992 George H. W. Bush presidential campaign
Rove was fired from the 1992 Bush presidential campaign after he planted a negative story with columnist Robert Novak about dissatisfaction with campaign fundraising chief Robert Mosbacher Jr. Novak's column suggested a motive when it described the firing of Mosbacher by former Senator Phil Gramm: "Also attending the session was political consultant Karl Rove, who had been shoved aside by Mosbacher." Novak and Rove denied that Rove leaked, but Mosbacher maintained that "Rove is the only one with a motive to leak this. We let him go. I still believe he did it." During testimony before the CIA leak grand jury, Rove apparently confirmed his prior involvement with Novak in the 1992 campaign leak, according to National Journal reporter Murray Waas.
1993–2000
1993 Kay Bailey Hutchison senatorial campaign
Rove helped Hutchison win a special Senate election in June 1993. Hutchison defeated Democrat Bob Krueger to fill the last two years of Lloyd Bentsen's term. Bentsen had resigned to become Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton administration.
1994 Alabama Supreme Court races
In 1994, a group called the Business Council of Alabama hired Rove to help run a slate of Republican candidates for the state supreme court. No Republican had been elected to that court in more than a century. The campaign by the Republicans was unprecedented in the state, which had previously only seen low-key contests. After the election, a court battle over absentee and other ballots followed that lasted more than 11 months. It ended when a federal appeals court judge ruled that disputed absentee ballots could not be counted, and ordered the Alabama Secretary of State to certify the Republican candidate for Chief Justice, Perry Hooper, as the winner. An appeal to the Supreme Court by the Democratic candidate was turned down within a few days, making the ruling final. Hooper won by 262 votes.
Another candidate, Harold See, ran against Mark Kennedy, an incumbent Democratic justice and the son-in-law of George Wallace. The race included charges that Kennedy was mingling campaign funds with those of a non-profit children's foundation he was involved with. A former Rove staffer reported that some within the See camp initiated a whisper campaign that Kennedy was a pedophile. Kennedy won by less than one percentage point.
1994 John Ashcroft senatorial campaign
In 1993, Karl Rove & Company was paid $300,000 in consulting fees by Ashcroft's successful 1994 Senate campaign. Ashcroft paid Rove's company more than $700,000 over the course of three campaigns.
1994 George W. Bush gubernatorial campaign
In 1993, Rove began advising George W. Bush in his successful campaign to become governor of Texas. Bush announced his candidacy in November 1993. By January 1994, Bush had spent more than $600,000 on the race against incumbent Democrat Ann Richards, with $340,000 of that paid to Rove's firm.
Rove has been accused of using the push poll technique to call voters to ask such things as whether people would be "more or less likely to vote for Governor Richards if knew her staff is dominated by lesbians". Rove has denied having been involved in circulating these rumors about Richards during the campaign, although many critics nonetheless identify this technique, particularly as used in this instance against Richards, as a hallmark of his career.
1996 Harold See's campaign for Associate Justice, Alabama Supreme Court
A former campaign worker charged that, at Rove's behest, he distributed flyers that anonymously attacked Harold See, their own client. This put the opponent's campaign in an awkward position; public denials of responsibility for the scurrilous flyers would be implausible. Rove's client was elected.
1998 George W. Bush gubernatorial campaign
Rove was an adviser for Bush's 1998 reelection campaign. From July through December 1998, Bush's reelection committee paid Rove & Co. nearly $2.5 million, and also paid the Rove-owned Praxis List Company $267,000 for use of mailing lists. Rove says his work for the Bush campaign included direct mail, voter contact, phone banks, computer services, and travel expenses. Of the $2.5 million, Rove said, "bout 30 percent of that is postage". In all, Bush (primarily through Rove's efforts) raised $17.7 million, with $3.4 million unspent as of March 1999. During the course of this campaign Rove's much-reported feud with Rick Perry began, with Perry's strategists believing Rove gave Perry bad advice in order to help Bush get a larger share of the Hispanic vote.
2000 Harold See campaign for Chief Justice
For the race to succeed Perry Hooper, who was retiring as Alabama's chief justice, Rove lined up support for See from a majority of the state's important Republicans.
2000 George W. Bush presidential campaign and the sale of Karl Rove & Co.
See also: George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaignIn early 1999, Rove sold his 20-year-old direct-mail business, Karl Rove & Co., which provided campaign services to candidates, along with Praxis List Company (in whole or part) to Ted Delisi and Todd Olsen, two young political operatives who had worked on campaigns of some other Rove candidates. Rove helped finance the sale of the company, which had 11 employees. Selling Karl Rove & Co. was a condition that George W. Bush had insisted on before Rove took the job of chief strategist for Bush's presidential bid.
During the Republican primary, Rove was accused of spreading false rumors that John McCain had fathered an illegitimate black child. Rove denies the accusation.
George W. Bush administration
When George W. Bush was first inaugurated in January 2001, Rove accepted an appointment as Senior Advisor. He was later given the title Deputy Chief of Staff to the President after the successful 2004 presidential election. In a November 2004 speech, Bush publicly thanked Rove, calling him "the architect" of his victory over John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. In April 2006, Rove was reassigned from his policy development role to one focusing on strategic and tactical planning in anticipation of the November 2006 congressional elections.
Iraq War
Rove played a leading role in the lead-up to the Iraq War. In 2002 and 2003, Rove chaired meetings of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG), an internal White House working group established in August 2002, eight months prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. WHIG was charged with developing a strategy "for publicizing the White House's assertion that Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the United States.". The group pushed narratives within the administration about the Hussein regime possessing weapons of mass destruction (the regime had no active WMD program) and its ties to international terrorism (the Hussein regime had no operational relationship with al-Qaeda). Members of WHIG included Bush's Chief of Staff Andrew Card, national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, her deputy Stephen Hadley, Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby, legislative liaison Nicholas E. Calio, and communication strategists Mary Matalin, Karen Hughes, and James R. Wilkinson.
Quoting one unnamed WHIG member, The Washington Post explained that the task force's mission was to "educate the public" about the threat posed by Saddam and (in the reporters' words) " set strategy for each stage of the confrontation with Baghdad". Rove's "strategic communications" task force within WHIG helped write and coordinate speeches by senior Bush administration officials, emphasizing Iraq's purported nuclear threat. The White House Iraq Group was "little known" until a subpoena for its notes, email, and attendance records was issued by CIA leak investigator Patrick Fitzgerald in January 2004.
In 2015, Rove defended the decision to invade Iraq, telling an Iraq War veteran that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the United States. In 2010, Rove said his biggest mistake regarding the Iraq War was to not push back on the narrative that the Bush administration lied to lead the U.S. into the Iraq War.
Valerie Plame affair
On August 29, 2003, retired ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV claimed that Rove leaked the identity of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee, in retaliation for Wilson's op-ed in The New York Times in which he criticized the Bush administration's citation of the yellowcake documents among the justifications for the War in Iraq enumerated in Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address.
In late August 2006, it became known that Richard L. Armitage was responsible for the leak. The investigation led to felony charges being filed against Lewis "Scooter" Libby for perjury and obstruction of justice. Eventually, Libby was found guilty by a jury.
On June 13, 2006, prosecutors said they would not charge Rove with any wrongdoing. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald stated previously that "I can tell you that the substantial bulk of the work of this investigation is concluded."
On July 13, 2006, Plame sued Cheney, Rove, Libby, and others, accusing them of conspiring to destroy her career.
On May 2, 2007, the Senate Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to Attorney General Gonzales compelling the Department of Justice to produce all email from Rove regarding the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy, no matter what email account Rove may have used, with a deadline of May 15, 2007, for compliance. The subpoena also demanded relevant email previously produced in the Valerie Plame controversy and the investigation regarding the CIA leak scandal (2003). On August 31, 2007, Karl Rove resigned without responding to the Senate Judiciary Committee subpoena, saying, "I just think it's time to leave."
Former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan claims in his book What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception, published in the spring of 2008 by Public Affairs Books, that the statements he made in 2003 about Rove's lack of involvement in the Valerie Plame affair were untrue, and that he had been encouraged to repeat such untruths. His book has been widely disputed, however, with many key members of McClellan's own staff telling a completely different story. Former CNN commentator Robert Novak has questioned if McClelland wrote the book himself. It was also revealed that the publisher was seeking a negative book to increase sales.
2006 congressional elections and beyond
On October 24, 2006, two weeks before the congressional election, in an interview with National Public Radio's Robert Siegel, Rove insisted that his insider polling data forecast Republican retention of both houses. In the election the Democrats won both houses of Congress. The White House Bulletin, published by Bulletin News, cited rumors of Rove's impending departure from the White House staff: "'Karl represents the old style and he's got to go if the Democrats are going to believe Bush's talk of getting along', said a key Bush advisor." However, while allowing that many Republican members of Congress are "resentful of the way he and the White House conducted the losing campaign", The New York Times also stated that, "White House officials say President Bush has every intention of keeping Mr. Rove on through the rest of his term."
In Rove's analysis, 10 of the 28 House seats Republicans lost were sacrificed because of various scandals. Another six, he said, were lost because incumbents did not recognize and react quickly enough to the threat. Rove argued that, without corruption and complacency, the Democrats would have gained around a dozen seats and Republicans could have kept narrow control of the House regardless of Bush's troubles and the war.
Torture
Rove defended the Bush administration's use of waterboarding, a form of torture.
E-mail scandal
Main article: Bush White House e-mail controversyDue to investigations into White House staffers' e-mail communication related to the controversy over the dismissal of United States attorneys, it was discovered that many White House staff members, including Rove, had exchanged documents using Republican National Committee e‑mail servers such as gwb43.com
and georgewbush.com
or personal e‑mail accounts with third party providers such as BlackBerry; evasion of U.S. government record-keeping was determined to be a violation of the Presidential Records Act. Over 500 of Rove's e‑mails were mistakenly sent to a parody website, who forwarded them to an investigative reporter.
Congressional subpoenas
On May 22, 2008, Rove was subpoenaed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers to testify on the politicization of the Department of Justice. But on July 10, Rove refused to obey the congressional subpoena, citing executive privilege as his reason.
On February 23, 2009, Rove was required by congressional subpoena to testify before the House Judiciary Committee concerning his knowledge of the controversy over the dismissal of seven U.S. attorneys, and the alleged political prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, but did not appear on that date. He and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers later agreed to testify under oath before Congress about these matters.
On July 7 and July 30, 2009, Rove testified before the House Judiciary Committee regarding questions about the dismissal of seven U.S. attorneys under the Bush administration. Rove was also questioned regarding the federal prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, who was convicted of fraud. The Committee concluded that Rove had played a significant role in the Attorney firings.
Activities after leaving the White House
Activities in 2008
Shortly after leaving the White House, Rove was hired to write about the 2008 presidential election for Newsweek. He was also later hired as a contributor for The Wall Street Journal and a political analyst for Fox News. Rove was an informal advisor to 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and donated $2,300 to his campaign. His memoir, Courage and Consequence, was published in March 2010. One advance reviewer, Dana Milbank of The Washington Post, said of the book that Rove "revives claims discredited long ago". The controversial book inspired a grassroots rock and roll compilation of a similar name, Courage and Consequence, that was released a week before the memoir.
On March 9, 2008, Rove appeared at the University of Iowa as a paid speaker to a crowd of approximately 1,000. He was met with hostility and two students were removed by police after attempting a citizen's arrest for alleged crimes committed during his time with the Bush administration. Near the end of the speech, a member of the audience asked, "Can we have our $40,000 back?" Rove replied, "No, you can't."
On June 24, 2008, Rove said of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, "Even if you never met him, you know this guy. He's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone."
In July 2008, Rove, who was hired by Fox News to provide analysis for the network's November 2008 election coverage, defended his role on the news team to the Television Critics Association.
Rove agreed to debate one-time presidential candidate and former Senator John Edwards on September 26, 2008, at the University at Buffalo. However, Edwards dropped out and was replaced by General Wesley Clark.
Since 2009
In September 2009, Rove was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame. The induction became a major dispute as political views clashed over the announcement. Governor John Hoeven was scheduled to introduce Rove during the SAHF banquet but did not attend. At that time, Rove was being investigated by Democrats in Congress for his role in the 2006 dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys.
In 2010, with former RNC chair Ed Gillespie, Rove helped found American Crossroads, a Republican 527 organization raising money for the 2012 election effort. Rove serves as an informal adviser for this Super-PAC.
In a profile which appeared in the December 15, 2011 issue of The New Republic, Rove, with his hands-on involvement with American Crossroads, was described as one of the shrewdest navigators of the political climate after the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision which exempted political broadcasts funded by corporations and unions from campaign finance limits. "Rove had no role in creating this new legal environment... but if Rove and his allies did not invent it, they certainly were adroit at exploiting it."
Following Todd Akin's comments regarding "legitimate rape" and the notion that raped women are unlikely to become pregnant, Rove joked about murdering the Missouri Senate candidate, saying "We should sink Todd Akin. If he's found mysteriously murdered, don't look for my whereabouts!" After multiple news outlets picked up on the story, Rove apologized for the remark. Rove's Crossroads GPS organization had previously pulled its television advertising from Missouri in the wake of the comments.
On November 6, 2012, Rove protested Fox News' call of the 2012 presidential election for Obama, prompting host Megyn Kelly to ask him, "Is this just math that you do as a Republican to make yourself feel better? Or is this real?"
In 2013 Rove and the PAC American Crossroads created the Conservative Victory Project for the purpose of supporting electable conservative candidates. These efforts have attracted criticism, and even personal attacks, from elements within the Tea Party movement.
Rove's history, The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters, was published in 2015.
In 2017, Rove's 501(c)(4) dark money group One Nation nonprofit raised nearly $17 million, according to IRS tax filings released in November 2018.
Rove has lobbied on behalf of Rivada Networks, a communications technology business.
In December 2019, Rove predicted that the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries would result in a contested convention; in December 2020, after Joe Biden was nominated at the 2020 Democratic National Convention with a clear majority of delegates, Politico named Rove's prediction one of "the most audacious, confident and spectacularly incorrect prognostications about the year".
Rove was an advisor to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign. In May 2020, Rove accused former president Obama of engaging in a "political drive by shooting" after Obama gave a commencement speech to historically black colleges where he criticized the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rove worked as a guest professor at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall semester of 2021. He taught a course for UT's Plan II Honors department called Modern American Political Campaigns. Each week Rove invited guest speakers for the students to interview including James Carville and Mary Matalin, former Secretary of State James Baker, Jonathon Swan, Ken Melhman, and others. The class was protested by a variety of students accusing Rove of being a war criminal.
Personal life
Rove married Houston socialite Valerie Mather Wainwright, on July 10, 1976. He moved to Texas in January 1977. His sister and father said that "the wedding was so extravagant that ... still recall it with awe". Rove and Wainwright divorced in early 1980. In January 1986, Rove married Darby Tara Hickson, a breast cancer survivor, graphic designer, and former employee of Karl Rove & Company. Rove and Hickson have one son, Andrew Madison Rove, who attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Rove and Hickson divorced in December 2009. In June 2012, Rove married lobbyist Karen Johnson in Austin, Texas. The wedding was attended by George W. Bush and Steve Wynn.
Rove resides in the Georgetown section of Washington, DC, and also keeps a house near Austin, Texas. In 2002, Rove built a home in Rosemary Beach, Florida, just near Panama City; the home includes a television studio for remote news appearances.
In a 2007 interview with the New York Review of Books, atheist Christopher Hitchens claimed that Rove was "not a believer". However, in 2010, Rove told Kamy Akhavan of ProCon.org
, in an e‑mail exchange, that Hitchens had misinterpreted a quote of his about feeling that the faith of other White House staffers was stronger than his own: "I am a practicing Christian who attends a Bible-centered Episcopal church in Washington and an Anglican church in Texas."
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External links
- Official website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Karl Rove at IMDb
- Karl Rove on Charlie Rose
- Karl Rove collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Karl Rove – The Architect, Frontline documentary on PBS
Political offices | ||
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Preceded bySid Blumenthal Joel Johnson Doug Sosnik |
Senior Advisor to the President 2001–2007 |
Succeeded byBarry Jackson |
Preceded byHarriet Miers | White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy 2005–2007 |
Succeeded byJoel Kaplan |
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