Could the White House be getting desperate in its dramatic legal battle with the House Judiciary Committee? It certainly looks that way, as they scramble to delay Harriet Miers’ congressional testimony after the court’s recent denial of their request for a stay.
Yesterday, HJC Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) set Miers testimony for September 11, but the administration isn’t going down without a fight.
From the AP:
The Bush administration had already indicated it would appeal but Justice Department lawyers said Wednesday that they will ask the court to step in quickly and temporarily put Miers’ appearance on hold while the appeal plays out. It’s a risky move for an administration that has spent years trying to strengthen the power of the presidency.
Yesterday, TPM’s David Kurtz caught up with Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) at the Democratic National Convention and got his take on the new developments in the Miers case unfolding at the HJC.
Leahy made it clear that this battle wasn’t just going to end in the event of an Obama presidency. “I remind them,” he said, “I’ll still be chairman next year.”