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Leahy: WH Not Above the Law
Here's the full statement from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:
"This is a further shift by the Bush Administration into Nixonian stonewalling and more evidence of their disdain for our system of checks and balances. This White House cannot have it both ways. They cannot stonewall congressional investigations by refusing to provide documents and witnesses, while claiming nothing improper occurred. ""Increasingly, the President and Vice President feel they are above the law --- in America no one is above law."
Update: More from Leahy, who says he'll "take the necessary steps to enforce our subpoenas backed by the full force of law":
More than three months ago, we rejected the White House’s “take it or leave it” offer of off-the-record, backroom interviews as unacceptable. Since that time, despite many attempts to narrow the dispute and begin to obtain the information we need, the White House has not made any effort to work with us on a voluntary basis. Instead, since that time, and again today it has merely restated its initial, unacceptable offer. Today, the White House has ended its charade of empty proposals and revealed its disdain for our system of checks and balances.
I issued the subpoenas after three months of exhausting every avenue of voluntary cooperation from this White House. Evidence gathered by the investigating Committees in the House and Senate shows that White House officials, including Karl Rove and Sara Taylor, were heavily involved in these firings and in the Justice Department’s response to congressional inquiries about them. Yet, even with a subpoena, the White House has not produced a single document or allowed even one White House official involved in these matters to be interviewed. The White House cannot ... stonewall congressional investigations by refusing to provide documents and witnesses, while claiming nothing improper occurred.
Comments (39)
Crust wrote on June 28, 2007 10:51 AM:"Increasingly, the President and Vice President feel they are above the law --- in America no one is above law."
Perhaps this stonewalling on subpoenas will give the extra impetus needed to impeach Cheney.
RS wrote on June 28, 2007 10:54 AM:What's the point - it goes up to the facist Supreme Court and Alito, Scalia, and their mob support their bossman bush. The only relief from this misery comes in January 09.
RS wrote on June 28, 2007 10:56 AM:What's the point - it goes up to the facist Supreme Court and Alito, Scalia, and their mob support their bossman bush. The only relief from this misery comes in January 09.
Mike Valentine wrote on June 28, 2007 10:57 AM:Sen. Leahy to the Bush-Cheney cabal, "Whom is to go F*&^ oneself now sirs?"
That's New England polite.
Newsguy wrote on June 28, 2007 11:00 AM:This reminds me of Watergate Days, when we thought Nixon was out of control. But now we know Nixon was a piker compared to these American Fascists. Let's just hope we cn all learn a lesson from the behavior of these rat bastards. My optimistic take is that this era will inoculate us somehow from the Republican Party and give the Dems the spine to finally stand up and repudiate this insanity.
Finally I would like to see some meaninful action on health care, the environment, peace. It seems the Dems have been afraid to stand up for America, afraid of being called Socialists or something. The country has moved so far rightward, FDR or even Eisenhower wouldn't recognize it. It certainly isn't the America I grew up in. We need to take it back.
Nina wrote on June 28, 2007 11:01 AM:Alike in so many ways, the main distinction between the public faces of the Bush and Nixon administrations is the utter shamelessness of the players. I'm beginning to believe there is no degree of public acrimony, distaste, or outrage about their bad acts that will push these people into contrition.
Go the distance wrote on June 28, 2007 11:08 AM:As Nina says, "I'm beginning to believe there is no degree of public acrimony, distaste, or outrage about their bad acts that will push these people into contrition."
Perhaps impeachment, followed by public hearings that allows all the dirty lies and criminal activities, followed by prison terms, will do the trick.
Speaker Pelosi, it is now necessary to put impeachment BACK ON the table.
PEACE
bobh wrote on June 28, 2007 11:09 AM:de-fund the executive
Anonymous wrote on June 28, 2007 11:15 AM:de-fund
de-fund
so its no more fun for them.
Cheney cut his teeth during the Nixon days. He's been reading from that script since 1/21/01.
Louise wrote on June 28, 2007 11:20 AM:"Imagine if this were a Democratic President acting this way."
No need to imagine much... we all know. So why are Bush-Cheney making these broad arguments that claim Ultimate Executive Power, which is more imperial than democratic? They and their True Believers would certainly fight tooth and claw against even the merest hint of this sort of argument if it emerged from any other party.
So why set this sort of precedent? Why argue that this is the basic constitutional duty of the Executive?
Because they intend to inhabit the Exedcutive branch - err, KINGSHIP, really - forever.
If you look at everything that they've fought for, you can see that they intend to never, ever have any other group ever inhabit the White House. If they have to steal elections, they do it. If they have to disenfranchise voters, they do it. If they have to ruin candidates with scandals and leaked tapes, they do it. If they have to lie, deceive, pay off the press, stack the Court, they do it.
If they have to bray about "terrorist attacks" that were never really threats, they do it. If they have to invade a country that presents no threat, they do it. For all we know, they may even have permitted attacks to happen.
Perhaps they would declare martial law because of "national emergency." Or "postpone" elections. Or round up all the "traitors" and "terrorist sympathizers" that they've identified through "intelligence" operations and detain them in the Halliburton-built "detention facilities."
Take them at their word. Anyone that doesn't Believe in Bush is a traitor who supports the terrorists. That means that 80% of the American public is guilty under the Patriot Act. How many of them need to be clapped into Gitmo before the rest are cowed enough to shut up and pretend to worship Bush?
If Congress does not impeach this cabal, we have lost American democracy. Period. And we will be in another World War, fighting all of Europe and Asia, within 10 years.
TSUMBRA wrote on June 28, 2007 11:22 AM:"THE COCKROACH PRINCE AND OTHER CASUAL MEMORIES"
johnnydoughey wrote on June 28, 2007 11:22 AM:WWW.ILOVEPOETRY.COM/VIEWPOEM.ASP?ID=92616
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN - AND AGAIN!
"Increasingly, the President and Vice President feel they are above the law --- in America no one is above law."
Haven't we been hearing this for a few years, now. Apparently this is political rhetoric. This administration has caused disaster both here and abroad just because it has been above the law. If it weren't, it would not have been able to torture people. If it weren.t, we would not have been spied upon. If it weren't, folks wouldn't be sitting in prison for years without a trial.
These guys have been above the law for years.
Apparently, the democrats are as detatched from reality as the president, and just as good at redefining common meanings as he is also.
TSUMBRA wrote on June 28, 2007 11:22 AM:"THE COCKROACH PRINCE AND OTHER CASUAL MEMORIES"
theWalrus wrote on June 28, 2007 11:23 AM:WWW.ILOVEPOETRY.COM/VIEWPOEM.ASP?ID=92616
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN - AND AGAIN!
What this administration has done in the last six years pales in comparison to Nixon. If Bush & Cheney's actions don't warrant impeachment than I don't know what does and if they are allowed to leave office without punishment then this great American experiment known as Democracy will have failed.
TSUMBRA wrote on June 28, 2007 11:25 AM:"THE COCKROACH PRINCE AND OTHER CASUAL MEMORIES"
RW wrote on June 28, 2007 11:27 AM:WWW.ILOVEPOETRY.COM/VIEWPOEM.ASP?ID=92616
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN - AND AGAIN!
I found Jonathan Turley's analysis of the path that this is going intriguing.
Congress is seeking information as to how the Bush Administration found it lawful and legal to circumvent the FISA law in electronic surveillance. By stonewalling the Congress can than assert they are seeking a criminal investigation where the President ordered criminal activities of the government and individuals which would hold them circumvent the executive privalege doctrine. By refusing to hand over materials and faithfully all materials they are placing themselves in that dangerous area of OBSTRUCTION of JUSTICE...as well as the investigation of the underlying crimes of unlawful search and surveillance et cetera.
This actually could move rather quickly (unlike the attempt of the Bush to do the old UNC Coach Dean move of 'run out the clock' with a delay offense). By forcing the hand with this subpeona the Congress could move the US District Court and seek criminal subpeona powers, naturally the Bush's would appeal but even in the Supreme Court that is 5-4 partisan....standing in the way of Constitutional powers and criminal investigations this would be hard pressed to not move Kennedy and possibly Roberts to force the WH to turn over their materials.
Eventually this will probably go to OBSTRUCTION since the WH will be hard pressed not to have gleaned their files.
gcs wrote on June 28, 2007 11:29 AM:The reference to Nixon iwas not made lightly. I am sure the word impeachment has been spoken in the Senate many times and is likely to be spoken more and more before Bush and Cheney leave office.
Pro Bushit Troll wrote on June 28, 2007 11:33 AM:Fascists run the Justice Department. Fascists now rule the Supreme Court. This nation is ruled by complete and total assholes. The damage done by Bush is just amazing. The Dems can't do anything, even if they wanted to.
Dennis wrote on June 28, 2007 11:33 AM:Code word: shame
Shame on the idiots who voted for Bush not once but twice. Americans are nothing but slaves to authority who blindly accept being treated with utter disdain by the ruling class. While the nation goes to complete shit its citizens are blind to the downfall, enthralled with Paris Hilton's new look. Fuck me. Fuck you. We're all fucked.
Let us make no mistake about it; it is for these criminal reasons that the Bush administration has done its best to stack the Department of Justice and the Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, with conservative judges.
PDW wrote on June 28, 2007 11:33 AM:I'm afraid that there will be no impeachment, no introspection. I think the best example of what will happen after Bush is gone and we the people collectively realize how awful his administration was is our reflection on the Japanese internment. There will be a collective mea culpa, but no one will really believe that anything they did had anything to do with the horror of what happened.
muldoon wrote on June 28, 2007 11:45 AM:The same names seem to bubble back up to the top in every Republican administration -- sort of like a game of musical chairs in which the participants decide among themselves, "Ok, this time around you can be Department of Defense and I'll be Vice President, and then next time, you can be..." Kinda makes one wonder, doesn't it?
Scott L wrote on June 28, 2007 11:57 AM:It's amazing how sucessful 9/11 was in distroying the REPUBLIC of the United States.
Harry wrote on June 28, 2007 12:04 PM:Rock on, Pat, and DON'T BACK DOWN! Not a bit. Channel your inner Rocky Marciano.
Codpiece wrote on June 28, 2007 12:17 PM:Since the 'lection next year would we a 'date certain' for defeat, I'ma gonna cancel it.
I've made my position clear, I'm the decider.
I'm the commander guy.
My withdrawl frum da prezidency would be a victory for the tearist. cant let 'kaeda win.
Hehehe
Terradea wrote on June 28, 2007 12:35 PM:Am I the only one who thinks that there will be no new president of the U.S. in 2009? Am I the only one who thinks that there will be no more [real] elections? I think the rich and the corporations now control the government and that democracy is gone forever in the U.S. Am I the only one?
mo2 wrote on June 28, 2007 12:36 PM:If the House moves to impeach and the Senate votes to convict with a 2/3 majority - then does the Supreme Court get to have any say whatsoever?
IMPEACH SCALIA 2009 - The Federalist Society has sought to undermine the separation of powers as established in the Constitution.
mo2 wrote on June 28, 2007 12:49 PM:No Terradea, you are not the only one. I wonder if Cheney will bomb Iran and I wonder if Cheney will refuse to relinquish the White House in 2009. All of the rest of this crap to me is just to prevent either of those two things from happening. I feel like it is a race against a madman.
cevrero wrote on June 28, 2007 1:12 PM:What do we have to wait for them to do?,...they've already turned us into War criminals and taken repeated shits on our constitution?
They're just draggin this one out,...just like everything they do.
Congress needs to grow some serious balls to combat these neandercon infidels.
Pro Bushit Troll wrote on June 28, 2007 1:22 PM:I think the rich and the corporations now control the government and that democracy is gone forever in the U.S. Am I the only one?
Posted by: Terradea
No, you're not alone. I doubt this country will ever get back on track- as a nation our best days are behind us. Might as well start watching American Idol because reality is just too damn bleak. I do think there will be an election but whether it's a Republican or Hillary that is elected- the corporations will of course be the real winners. I'd like to see John Edwards as our next prez but it probably won't happen- our corporate masters wouldn't be happy.
sumpls wrote on June 28, 2007 1:25 PM:Whatever the Repug admin does, they control the press, they have their own private armies and weapons, they control the Supreme Court, they can rig the elections, and they apparently have enough on Repuglican congress people and others individually to make them afraid to go against them, and all on taxpayer's money. They've driven our financial future off the cliff so that we may not even own the roads we drive on, the electricity we use, or the water we drink someday.
jw wrote on June 28, 2007 1:32 PM:The only option left to congress is to go all out: declare the president insane or whatever it takes. The 30% righties will only wake up when there is a 'Kent State masacre'. It's time to fight against these gangsters like everything depends on it.
No one is above the law? Of course someone is above the law. The "administration" has been above the law for about seven years now.
Jeez, what does it take for these guys to get it? To hell with impeachment, I say invoke inherent contempt procedures right this minute. But of course they're going to play the usual namby pamby with our criminals on high until the clock runs out. And then another criminal regime will simply be elected by "the people," who still don't get that anybody ever did anything wrong.
Timmy Mac wrote on June 28, 2007 1:37 PM:Terradea,
Slow down - don't get so stressed. Put on So You Think You Can Dance, have a Snickers, and relax. Everything is under control....
Snowpuff wrote on June 28, 2007 2:00 PM:The Chief Justice will gladly go along with Bush and Cheney's criminal activities. Kennedy, hopefully not.
You have to understand about Roberts. He believes he and Cheney and Bush are all in the same "club." THEY make the decisions and WE listen to them. You don't tell THEM what to do. Period.
Like most conservatives, Roberts will simply find reasoning - any reasoning - to support his beliefs and perceptions. They don't care how ridiculous it LOOKS. The end justifies the means.
donviti wrote on June 28, 2007 3:08 PM:it looks like big brother doesn't like being watched.
I hope something happens before time runs out, but I'm running out of confidence these guys can do anything. I have to wait another month for the White house to tell Leahy to f*** off again, then another 3 months after that for some other excuse.
ho hum, god bless democracy
rockyroad wrote on June 28, 2007 3:28 PM:Bush/Cheney stacked SCOTUS for this very eventuality. Impeachment is our only avenue of relief. It is not a course of necessity, for love of our county, it is our patriotic duty.
Impeach Cheney first so that when dub'ya goes down, ole skanky eye isn't within a hair's breath of the Oval Office. Put full heat on dub'ya but mpeach Gonzo second. He's a chicken sh*t and will lose all loyalty once he sees that ole dub'ya plans to throw him under the bus.
Coup de gras . . . get the "special one" on the ropes. He'll be doin' a Paris Hilton, "I'm autistic?! I'm hilarious?! I think I get my spoon & my fork confused - what's that? decideritis? I donnow I just got it . . .Karl? Laura, you can explain it.
whidbeygrl wrote on June 28, 2007 3:32 PM:Terradea is NOT alone.
Evreything outlined in the Project for New American Century is unfolding just as planned. Bush and Co. followed the Neo-con plan item by item...Iraq, Iran, permanent bases, etc.
Israel's stake and behavior in the Middle East take- over is going as planned, also. Israel will focus on Syria and Lebanon.
and we are all focused on the Constitutional herring. A real herring, to be sure...
and Bush and Co., brushing the pesky Committee gnats away, continue to march inexorably towards the next goal, which I do believe will be a "national emergency" of some sort, prolly the bird flu. I would not be surprised to find they have Jerome Hauer at work at that. ( check him out on wiki).
We need very very brave, smart, courageous and aggressive people to draw a line in the sand NOW.
but instead we get polls showing Hillary and Obama are setting a record for collecting corporate donations.
Sigh
Nestor wrote on June 28, 2007 5:42 PM:Is this statement by Leahy the reason Chris Cannon (R-Utah) is so ballistic about the house dems' "stonewalling?" Kinda makes sense... accuse the accuse of the same crime you're involved with.
JNagarya wrote on June 28, 2007 11:45 PM:What's the point - it goes up to the facist Supreme Court and Alito, Scalia, and their mob support their bossman bush. The only relief from this misery comes in January 09.
Posted by: RS
Date: June 28, 2007 10:54 AM
The Congress is co-equal with the Executive. Court action is not the only possible avenue. Impeachment, as example, does not need the permission of the Judiciary.
I'm really fed up with those who don't know what they're talking about nonetheless heavy-sighing and predicting future conclusions based upon know-it-all presumtions which fail to incorporate more than themselves.
Matt wrote on June 29, 2007 5:05 PM:Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08 Ron Paul '08