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House Judiciary Committee Subpoenas Rove
So much for all those negotiations:
The subpoena issued Thursday orders Rove to testify before the House panel on July 10. He is expected to face questions about the White House's role in firing nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 and the prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, a Democrat.House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers had negotiated with Rove's attorneys for more than a year over whether the former top political adviser to President Bush would testify voluntarily.
Will Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) do some ass-kicking (his words) now?
Late Update: Rep. Conyers released a statement following the vote to issue the subpoena:
"It is unfortunate that Mr. Rove has failed to cooperate with our requests," Conyers said. "Although he does not seem the least bit hesitant to discuss these very issues weekly on cable television and in the print news media, Mr. Rove and his attorney have apparently concluded that a public hearing room would not be appropriate. Unfortunately, I have no choice today but to compel his testimony on these very important matters."
Later Update: Conyers released the latest correspondence between Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, and the committee, part of a lengthy back-and-forth between the parties. Apparently the subpoena was issued today after Luskin told the committee in a letter yesterday that Rove would not voluntarily testify, essentially ending the negotiations.
Still Later Update: Here's is the cover letter that Cnyers sent Luskin along with the subpoena.
Josh
Zachary
The only way Conyers will kiss anyone's ass is if he follows through and has Rove arrested when he doesn't show up for the hearing.
Until then, I'm not holding my breath.
May 22, 2008 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
oops. kiss s/b kick.
May 22, 2008 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rove doesn't have to answer to Congress. The Dept. of Justice also knows this and will not forward charges against him. I can understand (somewhat) not liking Rove but if he had committed a criminal act charges could be brought but nothing along those lines has been charged. The President has the right to confer in private with his advisors without fear of losing their confidence. Conyers is just making political show. he should be worrying about the price of oil.
May 22, 2008 9:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Old Sarg,
Would it be fair to say you work for the government or are you a policy expert of sorts? I found comments on 'the hill blog' with the same handle. my understanding is that the blog is intended for:
"The Hill’s Congress Blog has been built as a forum for elected government officials, staff and selected policy experts to exchange ideas. The Hill welcomes posts from anyone and will almost always publish it whether it is favorable or critical, as long as it is substantive and advances debate."
bridger
May 23, 2008 3:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
I find your TPM Cafe profile's Favorite Quotes as very telling:
You further indicate you’re are a Conservative, Republican.
Seems your favorite quote sums up the Republican party’s governance (vis-à-vis, Norquist’s approach to make Government small enough to “Drown in a Bathtub”)
It is further telling that you seem to subscribe to a passive aggressive approach to marriage.
Nice values!
May 23, 2008 11:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
Going back over that list of permissible tortures that was circulated earlier this week...I say they just jump right to waterboarding for this guy. Can I watch on C-SPAN?
May 22, 2008 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rove needs to be intensively interrogated.
May 22, 2008 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great, but nothing will happen...The WH will not allow this to happen.
May 22, 2008 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, well, well...
IT'S ABOUT FREAKIN' TIME!!
-- ARG
May 22, 2008 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good luck.
May 22, 2008 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Frog marched in cuffs to Capitol Hill.
Bring it !!
May 22, 2008 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hear, hear.
May 22, 2008 3:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
You'll see a name tag and a microphone, but no Rove.
May 22, 2008 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Bush criminals will intervene with Executive Privilege or some other illegal tactic to protect Rove, just as they've protected every other member of their sinister cabal.
Heil Bush! Sieg Heil! (with apologies to Hitler for the comparison)
May 22, 2008 3:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
sweet news....my hunch is that Karl will not testify but will show up and plead executive privledge...lets hope conyers will then have him arrested but this unlikely...my deams would be see to his ass kicked all over washington.
May 22, 2008 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I`ll be glad to be deputized to bring him in.Aside from that I`ll be an interested onlooker.If Rove slides on this,I will no longer be involved in politics--well maybe;what the hell,I keep thinking of Paul Wellstone....Damn,I despise what Rove stands for,and I`ll fight it till the day I die.
May 22, 2008 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does it really matter anymore? No.
Options:
1] He won't testify. Long protraced legal battle ensues.End of story.
2] He will testify but won't remember anything. End of story.
3] He will testify. Lie. Face charges. Be found guilty. Be pardoned on Bush's last day in office.
May 22, 2008 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is a first step. When he fails to comply, they'll hit him with contempt. Excellent timing. Right before a national election, Congress gets to look like they're doing something.
May 22, 2008 3:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Followed by a sternly worded letter. Then an even more sternly worded letter.
Call me if anything actually happens.
May 22, 2008 7:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Arrest him now! What's the point of waiting?
May 22, 2008 3:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
""Although he does not seem the least bit hesitant to discuss these very issues weekly on cable television and in the print news media,"
The fact that he discusses these issues in the media misses the under oath thing.He will have to swear to the God he may not believe in to tell the truth.Why is that such a problem for him?Oh yeah,maybe he`ll get caught in a lie like in the Plame investigation where they gave him a bunch of extra chances and eventually he got it right.
Is that what`s going to happen?The best two out of three,er no,three out of five,or no four out of seven....
May 22, 2008 3:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Rove is arrested or compelled to testify, that would be fantastic.
And if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle.
I've seen this movie before: Not. Gonna. Happen.
May 22, 2008 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Repeating what I posted to someone else, earlier:
I have always maintained, and I still do: without a large, paramilitary force, deputized by the Congress to blow down Karl Rove's front door with explosives, shoot and kill everyone who tried to stop them, and drag him out in chains, it isn't going to happen.
And do not think for a moment that if a smaller contigent of the constabulary were dispatched to his house to retrieve him by normal law enforcement methods, THEY would not be met with either Secret Service or National Guard troops, sent by the Bush administration to keep that from happening.
Would Cheney actually bring us to a second armed Civil War, over the Unitary Executive?
In. A. Fucking. Heartbeat.
May 22, 2008 3:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why July 10? It is not like Karl would have to take a horse and buggy to get there. Why not June 10 or May 27 for that matter?
May 22, 2008 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
WOO-HOO!!! GAME ON!
May 22, 2008 3:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Believe it or not, I'm sympathetic to Rove's position. The Committee is not looking to shower him with kisses. They want to put him in jail -and- get him to testify against his former employer, to whom he is loyal. Why should he show up voluntarily?
Whether he is subpoenaed is frankly a side-show and should have happened a long time ago. The only thing that matters is (1) whether the subpoena is enforced and the grounds raised for quashing it, if any (e.g., executive privilege); (2) the extent of the invocation of rights against self-incrimination; and (3) whether the committee grants him immunity.
May 22, 2008 3:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
rumpole: He would never be showing up "voluntarily".
"Voluntarily", in a more sane and lawful time, meant "before we make it obligatory". That much hasn't changed a bit, even against the Bushies.
Ever watch a cop show? "We'd like you to come down and talk to us at the station house". Not a one of those possible perps thinks that will work out well for them. But they know that if they don't play ball, attention gets focused on them, and an arrest for being a suspect is imminent. So they go.
Rove is under no illusions that anything bad will happen to him, by saying no. And that's the problem. He would need to fear repercussions.
No one before (to my limited knowledge) ever told the Congress of the United States to go fuck itself, and got away with it. Karl knows that, for all practical purposes, he already has. Funny, he doesn't look worried.
Which is why a show of massive force (see also: Colin Powell :-) would be an "Elian Gonzales" moment for the United States Contitution; in the case of young Elian, one lousy kid meant nothing.
But giving the finger to the law was then, and is now, unacceptable.
Whether Rove knows Congress has ill intentions toward him is of no importance. Tough. Side show or not, it's irrelevant to the rule of law.
May 22, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Barry--
In a word, wow. First of all, nothing bad happens to anyone for telling Congress that they don't want to appear. That's simply nonsense, and it has always been so. "Rule of law" means that if you do something illegal, you pay for it. No one's proven Rove guilty of anything--at least not yet. That is how it has been, and that is how it should be.
Second, please don't -ever- use cop shows as a basis for argument. These 'perps', as you say, have to go down to the station because if they didn't, there would not be a whole lot of show to run during the allotted hour. (Also, witnesses rarely break into tears and confess after one hostile question when their liberty is on the line.). This is no more realistic than having Jack Bauer extract "truthful" information via screwdriver into the patella. If advised that the government is interested in you, in many cases there is nothing to be gained by talking to them. The relationship between the government and defendant is an adverse one. Period.
The rule of law boils down to process, and as much as the sight of Rove being frog-marched pleases many, I for one want to see it done by the book if for no other reason than his appeals will all fail.
-cheers
rumpole
May 22, 2008 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
rumpole:
1. A subpoena IS a document, pertaining to the "rule of law" (quotations yours; believe me, it exists). It is not exactly an Employee Of The Month certificate;
2. Cop shows are a great metaphor, for those who may not be into intracacies and nuance. I'm a great believer in not being elitist.
May 22, 2008 7:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Legal wrangling will save Rove from having to testify before 2009. I'm not holding my breath.
May 22, 2008 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder if Faux will tell their viewers that their "ace political pundit" has been subpoenaed for manipulating AG's all over this country to file charges against Democrats in an election year?
May 22, 2008 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
My condolences to Hillary, I understand that Karl is a close personal friend.
May 22, 2008 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
None of this is worth a damn without some EVIDENCE.
Look at Watergate...this began with arrest, prosecution, leaks, fed grand jury, congressional inquiry....all organized by JOHN DEAN, HAIG, FBI.
We are only by ourselves with this MONSTER CALLED GOP/NEOCON/ILLUMINATI.
I've always said that THE REAL PROBLEM IS AT FBI HQ, WHO HAVE DAILY DESTROYED OUR LAW BY OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE WHEN THEY ABUSE THEIR DESCRETION with selective enterest in some crimes...
WITHOUT THE CORRUPT PUNK MUELLER legally seizing evidence................THE testimony of Rove is "his word" versus "nobody else's word" resulting in MUKASY AT DOJ HQ saying "that no prosecution" is necessary or expedient.
DEMS don't have cops or feds on their side.
So...Rove has no fear of being charged with perjury....unless THE DEMS HOLD INVESTIGATION AFTER OBAMA WINS WHITE HOUSE.
May 22, 2008 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dear thomasBean,
I was reading your post and could not help but notice that you sound like you may be a tad crazy. I would suggest seeking help from a therapist and medication. If either or both of those solutions are not likely to be forthcoming then maybe at least you could not write posts filled with numerous spelling errors, grammar that would make Mike Tyson weep, and not have half the thing in capitol letters. I too share your evident outrage at our government but notice how these three little tips keep me from sounding like a guy who just got pulled of the gates of the White House by the seat of their pants by an angry yet amused secret service agent. The capitol letters especially intrigue me. Do you think that these words are so important to the context of your post that they must be seen at all priority? Is it like some kind of angry free form poem?(you know, the kind that doesn't rhyme.) Is your Capslock key broken?
Regardless I wish you greater success in any future communications that may present in the future.
Regards,
Guavaking
PS You have a point about the Justice Department being in the tank, but think about some Meds or count to ten before you hit the send button or something.
PPS My grammer is terrible too. So don't feel too bad.
May 22, 2008 6:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
See? I suggested yesterday, Mr. Bean, to lose the CAPS to gain credibility. I doubt that you'd get a comment like guvaking's if his eye hadn't been drawn by the CAPS.
Please. Write using conventional forms.
May 22, 2008 7:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I love this report. And read it daily along with the NYTimes. Also look at WaPo, DailyKos, Huffington and even Drudge. But you painted too rosy a picture on the Rove matter. Your input on the subpoena for Rove omits some important information that I found on today's DailyKos. (See link below.) It seems that Rove has been subpoenaed before --- to no avail. The subpoena and contempt processes here apparently have no enforcement teeth. So this subpoena on Rove will probably go nowhere. A Bushie appointed judge (and alum of the Kevin Starr team) has already subverted justice on similar matters. I personally verified some (but not all) of the facts noted in the DailyKos article. I expect the hard facts from TPM --- not what I want to hear!
http://kagro-x.dailykos.com/
Website: http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah/
“House Judiciary Committee subpoenas Rove” by Kagro X
Thu May 22, 2008 at 01:25:01 PM PDT
May 22, 2008 6:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rove doesn't work for the White House anymore.
That's first of all.
Don't fucking surrender before the thing even gets off the ground - the Democrats have caked up a lot more clout since the last time, and Rove has lost ground and the WH shield.
May 22, 2008 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the "Unitary Executive"'s position on all his exes that they walk the Earth, possessing privileged information from the rarified and all-powerful environs of the Unitary Executive... and therefore, Senor U.E. retains the right to manage the dissemination of this information, 'til Time Immemorial?
Or something?
And this is how they do it: David Addington pulls these specious, silly arguments out of his Addington, and the WH solemnly pronounces these opinions as if they were Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education, 1954.
It's a pretty good con, in that everyone has fucking surrendered, every time they've pulled this bull puckey.
If it makes ya feel any better, I wouldn't have surrendered, if I were John Conyers or his committee equivalents. I would have long ago slammed each and every single last one of these people with inherent contempt, and backed arrests with any force necessary.
Oh, the Wall Street Journal and Fox News would have screamed like bleeding stuck pigs, but I would have done it regardless, and waited patiently for the bastards to quiet down, as soon as they bled to death.
You should probably send another righteously indignant pep talk to Congressman Conyers, concerning the surrender thing. Maybe it'll make an impact, this time.
May 22, 2008 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow. No sooner did I write that, than intrepid talk show host Mike Malloy went on the air, and immediately offered to write to Congressman Conyers, and volunteer, personally, to bring Karl Rove in to testify before Congress.
He added, "I pray that he would RESIST". :-)
Ahh, great minds...
May 22, 2008 9:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
The threat of violence IS a crime.
May 22, 2008 9:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps it is time to invest in porcine aviation.
Or, Little Georgie will pre-pardon Unkle Karl for refusing to show up for a Congressional subpoena.
Or, The Big Dick will nuke Iran.
But... little piggies could fly... couldn't they?
May 22, 2008 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
"But giving the finger to the law was then, and is now, unacceptable."
Barry
You`re absolutely right,but the bush gang has been giving us and the law the bird for years.
Now their party will pay for it,and they could care less.They`re only in it for the money and they`re set with all they`ve stolen.Your grand kid will be paying their debt.
I`ll be more than happy to join with Joe Wilson in bringing Karl in.
May 22, 2008 8:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
How is Rove going to refuse to testify before congress when Obama is in the White House and the Attorney General is John Edwards/some other Democrat?
July 30, 2008 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink