White House Defies Congressional Subpoenas
Posted by Michael Link on July 9, 2007 at 11:06 AM
The politically-motivated firings of several US Attorneys continues to cause controversy, but this time the White House wasn't content with simply ignoring an equal branch of government. No, this time they decided to show their contempt for checks and balances by refusing to even explain themselves.
Late last month, House and Senate judiciary committee chairmen John Conyers and Pat Leahy sent a letter urging the White House to provide subpoenaed documents. And if they refused, then the White House must actually start explaining which parts of the documents qualify for executive privilege.
If they aren't willing to even do that, and instead resort to some blanket assertion, then how can we even assume there's a good faith effort by the White House to determine whether they're even trying to provide the information they know not to be covered?
The letter pointed out that if the White House refused to make this "log," then Conyers and Leahy would need to "consider whether the White House is in contempt of Congress."
Today the White House has come out and said they refuse to even show this minimal amount of respect for Congress. And more than that, they're reportedly refusing to even allow former White House aides Harriet E. Miers and Sara M. Taylor to testify.
More from the AP:
"Increasingly, the president and vice president feel they are above the law," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said Bush's assertion of executive privilege was "unprecedented in its breadth and scope" and displayed "an appalling disregard for the right of the people to know what is going on in their government."
This isn't the first time the Bush administration has asserted executive privilege in this matter, and it's the type of "Nixonian stonewalling" that just shows that the famous Republican culture of corruption is still alive and well.
Comments (16) «
I left the Republican Party a few weeks ago and became an Independant.
I was growing more embarrassed daily by the President, the Vice President, the Republican Party and our Government. I had to quit the party.
When will someone stand up and demand Impeachment proceedings on this dictator? This hostile takeover of America by The Bush Regime has gone on far too long.
ReverendD
What do you expect Reverend? They are CRIMINALS who are trying to stay out of jail! They will continue to lie, stonewall and declare their innocence even as they are led away in chains..With regard to Bush,.We have to keep the pressure on until we get enough Republican votes in the Senate to get a conviction on impeachment charges.... However, we should impeach Cheney now and pick up the votes on him as the evidence comes out during the impeachment proceedings. Dick Cheney is an evil man and a threat to world peace. He needs to go NOW...
To both ReverendD and Goodfoe I am in full compliance!These people need to go before even more serious damage is done!
What is it about "so help me God" that scares W so much?
If you can be elected by an underwhelming minority then you can do anything you damn well please.
This president and his partners in crime have done nothing less than commit treason. We talk about our desire to impeach when we should be talking about trying them for treason.
On the bright side, this president has destroyed the Republican party. No longer can they claim to be ethical or moral. Republican voters are jumping ship like rats because they can tell the ship is sinking. With any luck at all, this will break the two party stalemate and allow us to rebuild our democracy.
The White House blatantly does about it's business which we all define as Contempt of Congress, yet nothing is done, nothing is going to be done, and there is no plan to ever do anythin except wait until he leaves office. You know it will serve us right if they decide that they will not leave office. What then? Our elected officials will come up to the microphone and say "we will define what we will do..." And in 5 years we will be right back here deciding what we will do because George never left and his buddies are all still here, but those few democrats that were elected back in 2008 will come up to the microphone and say "we will define what we will do..." GET THE PICTURE, WE SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO WHAT MELISA SANG ON SAT. NIGHT.
i never expected bush or cheney to give anything out. this has been the most arrogant, sneaky, imperialistic, illegal regieme i have ever seen. they have bankrupted america, took the us into an illegal war, we've lost 0ver three thousand of our brave young soldiersand countless innocent iraqi's, they have ripped up our precious constitution and bill of rights, tortured, renditioned, and all the while, NO ONE HAS HELD THEM ACCOUNTABLE! and i'm so sorry for all of america. but most of all, i don't understand why. can anyone tell me? can anyone tell me why the representatives, or congress, or senate has had not one hearing on censurship, or impeachment? can anyone tell me why the supreme court was allowed to but this incompetent, arrogant, ignorant regieme in our whitehouse without so much of a hearing, or barely a mutter? and can someone tell me why this illegal regieme was allowed to stel the 2004 election without any investigation or argument? is there no one left who realizes what the forefathers through to set up our america? and why hasn't anyone at least attempted to regain all that's been taken from us? one thing is for sure, come january 0f 2009, if there is anything left of our america, no matter who gets elected president, i'll be throwing the biggest party and celebrating as i've never done before just to see this entire regieme leave. the only way we'll begin to be able to put all thew pieces together again is to elect somebody who's fresh, not part of washington, someone who'll not cave into big business and corporations, but will listen to the will of the people, whether rich or poor, young or old, but most importantly, the diabled and young and elderly. not the oil companies and someone who'll not think up illegal wars, but try to be a friend to every nation to bring back our honor and respect. someone who'll not be afraid to eventually bring this illegal regieme to trial and jail them for treason, and war crimes. but i suppose this would be hoping for too much. do any of you think this would be impossible? am i maybe asking to much? is america just been lost forever?
This is why we need to A) begin impeachment proceedings; and B) Work diligently to elect a filibuster proof democratic Senate in 2008. This term "executive privilege" needs to be defined by constitutional legislation to stop any other executive administration from encroaching the law of the land and using it's privilege as it's sole defense. The executive branch of government should not be allowed to define executive privilege to fit their current need. It must stop, and it must stop in 2008.
IMPEACH BUSH AND CHENEY!!!
Now more than ever it is time to end this reigh of terror. The country is simply fed up with this adminstration. If the Dems do anything they should start Impeachment proceedings NOW. Bring credibility back to the party. Do Something! What is it going to take? If nothing is done that's it, it's independant for me.
I still say that Karl Rove, the President’s Political Advisor, was probably behind the U.S. Attorney firings and replacements because he wanted political control of those areas during the 2008 election period for some reason.
If I were the media, I would be watching what is happening in those areas before, during and after the election’s.
Being in his last term, The President probably had nothing to do with this. However, because of The President’s low approval ratings, Rove himself, probably suggested The President not turn over the documents to protect himself from possible illegal implications.
I see this as more of how the Republican National Committee leadership has failed their own President’s first term promise of ‘transparency’ in his administration.
Some Republican leaders are too busy taking political advantage of the President’s political situations and would rather serve their selves than the country’s interests.
Ms. Miers and Ms. Taylor are no longer employed by the Executive branch. As such they are not subject to White House oversight and should be charged if they do not appear to a lawful subpoena. The U.S. budget should be reduced for those offices that have lost billions of dollars in Iraq aide and also for offices not keeping adequate records as required by law.
IMPEACH BUSH AND CHENEY!!!They are a joke and they have made our country joke! The only interest these two have is theirselves and their buddies(oil companies and big business) and protecting their own ass!!!
Bush feels that he can do what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants to do it. He has us in a country fighting a war over oil. Over 3,000 troops have died and not to mention all the women and children that have died. I hope the Dems. go after him full force. It's about time the Dems. stood up and are finally realizing that enough is enough. We need to start taking care of our own.
Their so afraid right now and I hope we do what ever it takes to get them in court.
The stonewalling may actually work against these future-convicted felons. By delaying everything, as with the Scooter Libby process, they insure that any Congressional hearings and formal charges are settled after King George abdicates power to a new President, especially if things proceed beginning with people of lesser rank, as is customary. Out of office at that point, they will no longer be able to grant pardons to all the law breakers. How many of Nixon's people went to jail, 15 or more? These people are worse.
I suspect that jail-worthy convictions are in store for Wolfowitz, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzalez and Libby. I believe Cheney may actually be guilty of treasonous acts, lying to the people about the cause for war, using his private army (U.S. forces) to falsely pursue his own agenda of World change, and war profiteering through his friends at Halliburton. Some people, of course, believe he is also guilty of war crimes, as most certainly is Alberto Gonzalez. PLEASE do not let them wiggle away. They are the worst thing to happen to this nation since the depression.
Jeff Justesen
Bloomfield, CT
If the republicans want to have a chance at winning the next election, they should throw Bush under the bus and move to Impeach him now.
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