Trust Us
CBS has the Shrubbery’s response to the call for White House officials to testify.
Mr. Bush, in a late-afternoon statement at the White House, said, “We will not go along with a partisan fishing expedition aimed at honorable public servants. … I have proposed a reasonable way to avoid an impasse.”
He added that federal prosecutors work for him, and it is natural to consider replacing them. “There is no indication that anybody did anything improper,” the president said.
[snip]
Bush said his White House counsel, Fred Fielding, told lawmakers they could interview presidential counselor Karl Rove, former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and their deputies – but only on the president’s terms: in private, “without the need for an oath” and without a transcript.
The president cast the offer as virtually unprecedented and a reasonable way for Congress to get all the information it needs about the matter.
[snip]
“He said he wanted this to be a conversation rather than a hearing,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is leading the Senate probe into the firings. “A conversation is fine, but let’s have the conversation under oath, with a transcript.”
The only “honorable public servants” involved in this mess are the US Attorneys who were labeled incompetent and fired for political reasons. Congress doesn’t want to talk to “honorable public servants,” they want to talk to Rove and Meirs. Someone should remind the Shrubbery that he was going to investigate the Plame leak, and a lot of other things, but it never happened. He and his officials lie. It is time to document the lies and prosecute the liars.
UPDATE: House panel authorizes subpoenas for Rove, Miers, and their deputies.
As a public service for the US Marshals Service: it’s 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest – big white house, you can’t miss it. Don’t forget to take pictures.
9 comments
If this goes into a confrontation and subpoenas are issued and ignored, then what? How does a Constitutional crisis get resolved?
It will end up in the Supreme Court, who hate these cases. The local DC district and appellate courts are extremely conservative, so it will go to the Supremes.
I mentioned this over at Steve Bates’ site, but Georgie did this to the 9/11 Commission where he had Cheney sit with him and didn’t have transcripts, nor did he take an oath.
It worked once, so hey….
And if the Supreme Court rules against Dear Leader and the guys *still* don’t show up in response to the Congressional subpoena, they get sent to jail for contempt of Congress. It’s been done. The U.S. Marshalls Service shows up at their house, grabs them, and takes them away to jail until such time as they agree to show up and testify under oath. They can show up and take the 5th of course… i.e. refuse to testify because of their Constitutional right to not incriminate themselves. The political price of that would be, err… impeachment? We can hope, anyhow, though with the gutless “leaders” in Congress it’s anybody’s bet…
It worked that time, ellroon, because Congress was controlled by Shrubya’s party. If Congress decides to get its collective back up and issue subpoenas, the legal history is largely on their side. Leahy and the rest may have to give up their “in public” demand, but they should absolutely be able to use the Watergate precedents to require Rove and Miers to show up at an in camera session, raise their trembling right hands to God, and swear (probably meaninglessly, at least in Rove’s case) to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Another piece is that 9/11 was a national security issue and it was the President and VP who have special privileges as elected Constitutional officials. This involves decisions regarding people, US Attorneys, that are subject to Senate advice and consent, and are subject to Congressional oversight.
This doesn’t deal with national security or classified information, and after the Justice Department executed a search warrant for a Congressional office, they have weakened the claims of separation.
I don’t need the show to be public, but I want oaths and transcripts for the perjury and obstruction trials.
I just heard on the radio that the subpoenas have been authorized, so let the games begin.
In the two similar instances I can think of in recent history, Nixon and Clinton, claims of executive privilege didn’t succeed, and Congress got what it wanted. It’s true, the courts are different now, but as you, Bryan, pointed out on my site, we’re not talking about the President or even the preznit here; we’re talking about his employees… I cannot see how they will get away with refusing congressional subpoenas, and they had better watch their words carefully when they testify under oath (*cough* remember Scooter Libby *cough*).
Pass the popcorn. Movie style, extra buttery, please.
Northwest. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest. Can’t forget that part, or they might end up in a completely different part of Washington, Bryan. But IIRC, the Justice Department is on 14th Street, so they should be able to go up to the top floor or out onto the roof and look west and see it.
I’ve added the Northwest, but the Marshals are across the river in Arlington.
I’m waiting for someone to remember that it only requires a law to change who is subject to Senate confirmation. Originally the Senate had to approve all federal hires, were given the option of passing a law to change that requirement. What can be enacted by law can be altered by law.