Why Isn't Ashcroft Imprisoned?

[Kong]

Are people not jailed for Contempt of Congress, is the Attorney General above the law. He refused to present documents demanded by the congress and he has not invoked executive priviledge (he claimed it is not within his power to do so). I realize that half of he Judiciary Committee is half Republican, but aren't all of the members sworn to uphold the law? Have we ceased to be a nation of law?

[rooboy]

1. Let the Attorney General soar... higher than he's ever soared before... nt

[Ready4Change]

11. LOL!

.

[ewagner]

2. Doubt he'll get charged

I think the Chairman of the committee has to approve a citation for "contempt of Congress".

that falls under the heading of FAT CHANCE

[Frodo]

3. Did they subpoena the documents?

I guess the question is how they "demanded" them. If a Senator at a hearing says "I want to see that document" is it contempt to say "no"? I don't know. A Congressman certainly isn't above an AG such that (s)he can be ordered around absent proper form.

If the document is subpoenaed, then it must be produced absent a legal claim of privilege (though not necessarily "executive privilege") or finding (in this case by the committee I guess) that the subpoena is not valid.


On edit - there has not been a subpoena. In order to force a formal claim of priveledge they have to first make the formal demand for the document.


However, on firther thought... if the memo is already "out there" in the public. I can't for the life of me figure out either side's position. Why withold something we already have? And why demand the production of something you already have?

Just wierd.

[Kong]

5. No

I do not accept that the committe already had the document. It is my understanding that some newspapers claim to have a document but there is no way to know if what they have is authentic. The only way to know that the document actually exists and what it actually says is to have it delivered to the Congress. I really don't care what some newspaper says they have or what they tell me it contains, I want the real thing producted. I also have an interest in seeing the system of checks and ballances operate, not in having the executive branch spit in in the face of the Congress.

[Frodo]

8. I've seen copies of it online.

It appears authentic.


But if they want it they need to subpoena it.

[birdbrain]

10. I think that's a different torture memo.

IIRC, the one I saw online yesterday was from DOD; congress wants the DOJ and/or WH torture memo(s).

Lot of damn torture memo's coming out of the Bush administration, hard to keep them all straight!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. It's only punishable by a max year in prison or a fine

And with rethugs still in control, guess what he's going to get? Zero.

[beavus]

6. so Biden's threat was empty

I am shocked.

[HootieMcBoob]

7. Empty given that congress is controlled by a group

of republicans who have no respect for the law or the congress or the country as a whole. They are more concerned with protecting criminals within their own corrupt party than with doing what's right for the country. They're a cancer on the nation.

[MoonRiver]

9. It's important for Dems to stand up for justice, regardless

of whether the Repukes block them or not. The public is really getting how bad these Pukes are. The latest LA Times poll had Dems 19 pts ahead of Repubs in voter preference.

Welcome to DU beavus! :hi:

[ChickMagic]

12. I want him behind bars

At least as long as Susan McDougall was incarcerated for contempt.