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Waxman to Mukasey: Ahem
Maybe his last letter got lost in the mail?
In a bit of epistolary throat-clearing, House oversight committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote Attorney General Michael Mukasey today to reiterate his request two weeks ago. The White House has arbitrarily blocked former Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald from turning over records of his interviews during the Valerie Plame leak investigation of White House officials, including the President, Waxman wrote then, but it's your call, Mikey, not theirs, on whether to fork it over. Apparently Waxman got no response.
Waxman adds helpfully in his letter today (which you can read below) that since Scooter Libby has dropped his appeal, "there remains no further pending litigation associated with the Fitzgerald investigation."
He concludes: "I urge you to cooperate with Congress’ investigation into these unanswered questions."
Dear Mr. Attorney General:On December 3, 2007, I wrote you to request documents from the Department of Justice from Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald’s investigation into the leak of the covert identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson. I have not received a response from you to my inquiry.
Since I wrote you on December 3, Lewis I. “Scooter” Libby has dropped the appeal of his criminal conviction arising from the Fitzgerald investigation. With that action, there remains no further pending litigation associated with the Fitzgerald investigation.
I do not regard the existence of an on-going investigation or pending litigation as a sufficient reason to withhold information from Congress. Now that Mr. Fitzgerald’s investigation and Mr. Libby’s appeal have both ended, however, there should be no basis for further delay in responding to the Committee’s request. Thus, I request that you provide the Committee by January 3, 2008, with the documents requested in the Committee’s July 16 letter to Mr. Fitzgerald, including the reports of interviews with President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and other White House officials.
Last week, you wrote several congressional committees about the investigation into the destruction of the CIA interrogation tapes. You resisted providing information to the committees because of your concern that providing information could undermine the Justice Department’s on-going investigation. In the Plame matter, there is no pending Justice Department investigation and no pending Justice Department litigation. Whatever the merits of the position you are taking in the CIA tapes inquiry, those considerations do not apply here.
There remain important questions about the leak of Ms. Wilson’s identity and the White House response that have not been answered by the prosecution and conviction of Mr. Libby and the commutation of his sentence. I urge you to cooperate with Congress’ investigation into these unanswered questions
If you have any questions regarding my request, please contact me personally or ask your staff to contact David Rapallo or Theodore Chuang of the Committee staff at (202) 225-5420.
Sincerely,
Henry A. Waxman
Chairman
No more Bush appointees--period. Keep the Senate in session during the holiday break and stonewall all other nominations.
December 18, 2007 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. Better no FEC than a bush stooge FEC. They will stop at nothing.
December 18, 2007 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I concur with dave and moondancer.
December 18, 2007 12:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Aren't they using the Plame civil suit as a dodge now? I thought I heard Perino trot that out last week or so.
December 18, 2007 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, it looks like some Democrats have FINALLY decided to remind Mukasey of all the items still pending in his "to do" list.My question now is what happens if he says NO to this as well, claiming executive privilege or some other lame excuse? Would Congress dare to IMPEACH Mukasey?
December 18, 2007 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think by now they have enough examples of MuKasey stonewalling Congress. I think it'd time to visibly start preparing impeachment proceeding against Mukasey for contempt of Congress.
December 18, 2007 12:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
The civil suit is being pursued by Joe and Valerie Wilson but it is CRAZY to tie up Constitutional prerogatives on the basis of a civil suit. Good ol' boys could sue each other in conspiracy, dropping all suits just before they reach trial as a means of never letting Congress have anything.
December 18, 2007 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I thought Mukasey would be an independent, law & order type. I thought he would be the best the Dems could get and they should approve him because it was more important to get someone in the AG position whose political standing wasn't solely based on their proximity to Bush & co. (Alberto, Harriet Miers, anyone else from Texas).
I was wrong.
December 18, 2007 12:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I believe the Wilson's lawsuit was dismissed.
December 18, 2007 12:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, you can bet they'll use the civil suit as a dodge. Perino already has, as Dave S. pointed out. It's nuts, but par for the course with this bunch. They're just running out the clock now.
December 18, 2007 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
The civil suit got thrown out. They only thing Bushco had was the appeal. But they will run out the clock anyway and ignore those pesky letters from Waxman.
December 18, 2007 1:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
"My question now is what happens if he says NO to this as well, claiming executive privilege or some other lame excuse?"
He didn't say no last time...he simply ignored the request. He should be impeached immediately if he can't manage his workload. Ignoring the request is a much bigger fuck you than saying no and making up some bullshit excuse in my book.
December 18, 2007 2:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is Mukasey's job: to be a clam.
December 18, 2007 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is it beyond possible that Mukasey actually calls up Addington and asks for legal advice on what to do next?
December 18, 2007 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Shumer and Feinstein led the charge of the Vichy Democrats in capitulating to yet another lying Bush appointee in his confirmation hearings. How many times do you have to be stung before you change your attitude toward the White House? Anyone who'd been paying attention could have predicted Mukasey would stonewall whatever requests didn't sit with his royal hindass George. Have we elected morons as Democratic leaders in the Congress? Or are they somehow getting secret payments from one of Cheney's offshore numbered accounts?
December 18, 2007 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
And you can't blame Mukasey. He's doing the job Bush appointed him to do as AG...act as a firewall between Congressional oversight and evidence of Bush's criminal activities. Blame the Vichy Democrats.
December 18, 2007 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Steve Elliott,
Remember what Senator Whitehouse revealed recently [Whitehouse Discloses DoJ Legal Opinions on Executive Power
By Paul Kiel - December 7, 2007, 6:27PM].
"'To give you an example of what I read [in the classified Office of Legal Counsel opinions], I have gotten three legal propositions from these OLC opinions declassified. Here they are, as accurately as my note taking could reproduce them from the classified documents. Listen for yourself. I will read all three, and then discuss each one.'
"... 3. 'The Department of Justice is bound by the President’s legal determinations.'
"Those three principles, he said, boiled down to:
"... 3. 'The Department of Justice doesn’t tell me what the law is, I tell the Department of Justice what the law is.'"
'Nuff said?
December 18, 2007 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Looking at the entire landscape the WH must be getting truly into Bunker Mode with all the court issues coming to head, CIA tapes, GITMO, Plame, voting rights, et cetera.
A couple of pulls on their ball of yarn and this all might come tumbling out into ouster land.
December 18, 2007 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Phil James,
Great name for the Congress's collaborators: Vichy Democrats.
May I use it?
December 18, 2007 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Roberta -- please feel free. With any luck it will get back to them.
December 18, 2007 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Senators feinstein & reid need a size 12 shoe up their ass to remind them who they work for. I dunno that maybe a size 12 won't be big enough for them after "bush the "washington mule" gets thru with rewarding them.
For 30pcs.of silver feinstein & reid are such cheap whores. Only god knows what they sold their souls for.
P.S. I refuse to spell their names with a capital letter as I do not think they deserve the respect that that implies.
Windancer
December 18, 2007 7:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Check out the Wilson support page:
"On July 20th, on behalf of Joe and Valerie Wilson, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a notice to appeal from yesterday’s district court’s decision dismissing their lawsuit. Having had the opportunity to review Judge Bates’ decision, the Wilsons and their legal team have concluded that there are ample grounds for appeal and have taken the steps necessary to seek review by a higher court. The Wilsons believe that this case presents important issues regarding the abuse of government power for political ends and will continue to aggressively pursue all legal remedies."
Please don't post things unless you know what you are talking about.
December 18, 2007 7:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Remember folks...
These are the people WE (Democrats) elected who voted Mukasey in... after he could not even give an o[pinion on waterboarding.
If you want what is left of our domocracy to remain... do NOT vote for any more Democrats or Republicans.
Hasn't history shown you that these two parties are run by Mobters?
December 18, 2007 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Impeach Mukasey? Don't hold your breath. That would look pretty silly a month after confirming him, and besides, it's "off the table," and he's the best we can hope for.
"How many times do we have to be stung?" How many times did Charlie Brown try to kick the football?
December 19, 2007 6:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Phil James - Roberta is right-- Vichy Democrats is a perfect term for Pelosireid ...
But we must remain focused on the prize - that is accountabilty for the BushcO CRIMES...LARGE & small...
I for one still have strong faith in our system of governance. My belief is that the good leadership left in Congress- Senator lEAHEY & Cong Conyers are keeping their respective powder dry until its time to start the Impeachment Proceedings. Look all around us --the sh--t is hitting the fan - tick tock ...
"These are the times that try Men's souls " Tom Paine
December 19, 2007 8:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anyone know what Pelosi is polling in SF these days? I haven't seen any polls out about this recently...have you?
December 20, 2007 1:54 AM | Reply | Permalink