The House Judiciary Committee will file paperwork for a criminal contempt resolution vote against Harriet Miers, former White House counsel, and Josh Bolten, the White House chief of staff, within the next few hours, according to a Democratic insider.
It does not mean there will necessarily be contempt votes on Miers and Bolten, but the contempt resolutions have to be filed with Lorraine Miller, the House Clerk, before any floor vote takes place.
The Judiciary Committee passed contempt resolutions against Miers and Bolten back on July 25 after they failed to respond to subpoenas issued by the committee as part of its investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys last year. President Bush, citing executive privilege, refused to allow Miers or Bolten to testify before the panel, or make certain internal White House documents available to congressional investigators. The committee has not, until today, filed the actual contempt resolutions with Miler that it adopted over the summer.
Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) is also expected to send another letter to the White House Counsel Fred Fielding (their ninth), urging him to negotiate over the subpoenas, said Democratic sources.
GOP leaders have begun to prepare their own counter-attack if a criminal contempt resolution vote takes place on the floor, and they plan to target conservative and moderate Democrats. Republicans see several moves that signal a vote is likely to happen soon, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has not made a final decision one way or the other at this time.
Update - Here's some highlights from Conyers' letter to Fielding, based on a statement released by the Judiciary Committee:
"1. The White House would provide the Committee with copies of documents reflecting communications between White House staff and persons outside the White House relating to the U.S. Attorney terminations and related matters.
2. The White House would make available for confidential staff review the remaining, internal White House documents relating to the same subjects, after which the Committee would identify what would most probably be a smaller number of such documents for production.
3. The Committee and White House would specify present and former White House staffers for interviews but would not require those persons to be under oath.
Conyers notes that the White House has agreed to similar terms for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's investigation into Pat Tillman's death. Further, several of the same agreements were successfully carried out with Justice Department interviews and document production.
"I hope you will consider this offer in earnest and based upon the good faith with which it is delivered," Conyers concludes. Conyers asks Fielding to respond by November 9."
http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/1107/House_Judiciary_files_paperwork_on_contempt_resolutions.html
Update 2: Miers and Bolten Contempt Report
On HJC website:
Contempt Report
Conyers-Sánchez Views
Minority Views
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