The House Judiciary Committee chose to interview former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove behind closed doors because they wanted more time to question him, and not as a concession to Bush Administration representatives, sources say.
“It was our choice,” one House Judiciary aide told Raw Story.
According to two Judiciary Committee aides, the committee opted for the private testimony so that they could depose Rove for an extended period of time. During a public hearing, each committee member would have only a few minutes to ask questions.
“We could question him for 12 hours if we choose to,” said one of the aides.
Both aides confirmed that Rove would not be sworn in before his testimony but explained that testimony before Congress is de facto sworn testimony and any false statements would in fact be perjury regardless.
Asked why in that case Congress bothers to swear people in during public hearings, one of the aides quipped, “Because it looks good.”
Rove’s attorney, Robert Luskin, confirmed that his client had not requested to be deposed in private.
“As I've said many times, we were not a party to the negotiations, so I have no idea where any of its terms came from,” Luskin wrote in an email.
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