[Davis Democrats] Senator Patrick Leahy(D-Vt.): Judiciary Committee holds Rove In contempt of Congress

[John Chendo]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Patrick Leahy <info at leahyforvermont.com>
Reply-To: <notice-reply-85uebiur27j6b37i at ga3.org>
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:24:37 GMT
To: John Chendo <jac07 at dcn.org>
Subject: In contempt of Congress

  
   <http://www.leahyforvermont.com>
  
  Dear John, 


It should never have had to come to this.

Yesterday, on a bipartisan vote of 12-7, the Senate Judiciary Committee
ruled that White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and Deputy Chief of
Staff Karl Rove are in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with
subpoenas issued in the U.S. Attorneys investigation.  As Chairman of the
Committee, I have gone to real lengths to avoid this sort of legal
confrontation, but after many months the White House has yet to cooperate
with these requests from our investigation -- and the American people
deserve the truth.

The President denies any involvement in the political firings of Justice
Department officials.  Yet he and his staff continue to hide behind the veil
of "executive privilege." They have essentially asserted that this privilege
-- historically applied very narrowly -- covers all documents and
information in their possession.  It's a dramatic departure from precedent,
and the Bush-Cheney administration's blanket claim of immunity from
congressional subpoenas flies in the face of our system of checks and
balances.

This is not about pulling a partisan "gotcha" or scoring political points.
After all, Committee members of both parties supported yesterday's ruling.
No, this is about defending Congress's oversight function and protecting the
right of the American people to know the whole truth about the mass firings
of attorneys at the Justice Department. Withholding critical evidence
requested by a subpoena is a serious crime, and it's time we reminded the
President and his staff that they are not above the law.

The White House's refusal to cooperate with our investigation casts further
doubt on its contention that it had nothing to do with the political firings
of Justice Department officials.  In fact, it's now quite clear that
political officials in the White House pressured federal prosecutors to
bring partisan cases and sought retribution against those who refused.

Since World War II, presidential advisers have testified before Congress 74
times, either voluntarily or compelled by subpoenas -- never once refusing
to comply. Executive privilege should not be invoked to prevent
investigations into wrongdoing, and certainly should not prevail.

Thank you for your support for holding the Bush-Cheney Administration
accountable as we get to the bottom of the mass firings of U.S. attorneys.

Sincerely, 
                
Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator

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