King George has spoken!
From Raw Story:
White House Counsel Fred Fielding sent a letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees stating that President George W. Bush will refuse to comply with subpoenas for testimony from former White House aides.
The move was criticized by the Congressional committees that continue to press their investigations of the firing of 8 US Attorneys.
Monday morning was the deadline for the White House to explain its refusal to comply with an earlier set of subpoenas for document related to the fired US Attorneys. Fielding also took the opportunity to note that Sara Taylor, a former top aide to Karl Rove, and Harriet Miers, who formerly held Fielding's job, were covered under the president's invocation of executive privilege.
"[A]s we remain at the present impasse, the President feels compelled to assert Executive Privilege with respect to the testimony sought from Sara M. Taylor and Harriet E. Miers covering White House consideration, deliberations, or communications, whether internal or external, relating to the possible dismissal or appointment of United States Attorneys," Fielding wrote to the committees' chairmen, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT).
UPDATE: This is the third time Bush has invoked executive privilege. It marks the second time he has used the power in relation to the U.S. attorney scandal.
UPDATE II: House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) responds:
We are extremely disappointed with the White House letter. While we remain willing to negotiate with the White House, they adhere to their unacceptable all-or-nothing position, and now will not even seek to properly justify their privilege claims. Contrary what the White House may believe, it is the Congress and the Courts that will decide whether an invocation of Executive Privilege is valid, not the White House unilaterally.
And ya think there is a tad of suspicion to the White House if this is the third time Bush invoked executive privilege? Now, former aides have executive privilege in W's world.
2 comments:
Now this is interesting that Bush can give executive privilege to lower level employees and ex employees as it was decided in the Supreme Court that Nixon couldn't do it and Nixon himself couldn't use executive privilege and had to resign. Roberts and Alito with the team of 5 have to explain why during the corruption of Nixon does't apply to the current corruption of Bush. Plus how is it that the GOP made sure President Clinton couldn't have that yet everyone in the White House down to the janitor can keep the criminal secrets.
This is becoming a criminal lawyers dream. Now that all the laws are broken the criminals can come out of jail as they use those famous words " equal under the law".
And thanks to the Gerbil, it is now safe to say that we can claim executive privilege. What a mockery that the Gerbil is doing to the Constitution and the law.
Post a Comment