Just to complete the theme of the day, Michael Mukasey said today that if Congress passed contempt citations against current and former White House officials based on their refusal to respond to subpoenas, the Justice Department would not enforce them, as federal law instructs.
Rep. Dave Wexler (R-FL) was the one who first popped the question. If Congress passed a citation against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten, who, along with former White House counsel Harriet Miers and Karl Rove, refused to show up when subpoenaed by Congress as part of the U.S. attorneys investigation -- would the DoJ enforce it?
Mukasey's simple answer was "no." Enforcing the contempt citation is "not permitted when the president directs a direct adviser of his, somebody who directly advises him, not to appear or when he directs any member of the executive not to produce document."
Check out Mukasey’s exchange with Rep. Wexler:
WEXLER: Are you the people's lawyer, as you said to the Senate, or are you the president's lawyer?
MUKASEY: I'm the attorney general of the United States. And it's my obligation to enforce all legally binding precedent.
WEXLER: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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