Leahy Says He’ll Subpoena Rove, Discusses Potential Crimes Involved In Attorney Purge

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/14/leahy-rove-subpoena/

Leahy Says He’ll Subpoena Rove, Discusses Potential Crimes Involved In Attorney Purge

Today on CNN’s Situation Room, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) blew off White House signals that Karl Rove and other senior Bush officials may resist testifying before Congress on the U.S. Attorney purge.

“Frankly, I don’t care whether says he’s going to allow people or not. We’ll subpoena the people we want,” Leahy said. “If they want to defy the subpoena, then you get into a stonewall situation I suspect they don’t want to have.” Asked whether he’ll subpoena Rove, Leahy answered, “Yes. He can appear voluntarily if he wants. If he doesn’t, I will subpoena him.”

Leahy also addressed the right-wing talking point that the U.S. Attorney firings are meaningless because there “was no crime.” Leahy said that while President Bush has the authority to fire attorneys at will, “if it is done to stop an ongoing investigation, then you do get into the criminal area.” Regardless, he said, the administration’s politicization of attorneys “hurts law enforcement. That hurts fighting against crime.” Asked if he thinks any Bush officials may have committed perjury, Leahy said, “We’ll find that out.”

Watch it at link:

Transcript:

BLITZER: Do you think someone committed perjury?

LEAHY: We’ll find that out. That’s a — not always the easiest thing to prove. But we can certainly prove that we have not gotten complete answers. There’s a lot more. I think the American public deserves to have answers on this, instead of every day a little bit more dribbling out. Let’s get all the facts, but let’s have it under oath. It’s interesting, sometimes, when people are sworn in. It focuses their attention a little bit more.

BLITZER: The White House counsel, Fred Fielding, was up on the Hill today. I don’t know if you had a chance to meet with him. But he’s not necessarily ruling out allowing some White House staffers, maybe even Karl Rove to come and testify. Do you want Karl Rove to testify before your panel?

LEAHY: I’ve never met Mr. Fielding. Frankly, I don’t care whether he says he’s going to allow people or not. We’ll subpoena the people we want. If they want to defy the subpoena, then you get into a stonewall situation I suspect they don’t want to have.

BLITZER: Will you subpoena Karl Rove?

LEAHY: Yes. He can appear voluntarily if he wants. If he doesn’t, I will subpoena him. The attorney general said, Well, there are some staff people or lower level people — I’m not sure whether I want to allow them to testify or not. I said, Frankly, Mr. Attorney General, it’s not your decision. It’s mine and the committee’s. We will have subpoenas. I would hope that they wouldn’t try to stonewall subpoenas.

+++

BLITZER: But is there anything illegal in putting one of Karl Rove’s associates in and making him the U.S. attorney in Arkansas?

LEAHY: There’s nothing illegal in a president firing — by itself, in firing a U.S. attorney. What it does say, however, to law enforcement, You either play by our political rules — by our political rules — not by law enforcement rules, but by our political rules, or you’re out of a job. What I am saying is that that hurts law enforcement. That hurts fighting against crime. And if it is done to be stop an ongoing investigation — this is something we don’t know — if it is done to stop an ongoing investigation, then you do get into the criminal area.

[Uncle Joe]

1. Stop it babylonsister,

I'm getting tired of recommending all your threads.

;-)

Kicked and recommended

[babylonsister]

10. Aww, hugs, Uncle Joe! This is pretty ironic; I wonder what Snowjob

will have to say about this! :hi:

White House Signals It Will Fight To Block Rove Testimony

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/14/rove-attorneys-test... /

White House Signals It Will Fight To Block Rove Testimony

During a press gaggle yesterday, Press Secretary Tony Snow signaled that the White House will fight congressional efforts to have Karl Rove testify about his role in the U.S. Attorney purge. Asked whether Rove would testify voluntarily, Snow said:

MR. SNOW: Well, as you know, Ed, it has been traditional in all White Houses not to have staffers testify on Capitol Hill. So I think what we have been trying to do is to work in a way to be as forthcoming with members of Congress — you saw all the emails coming out today — give them all the information so that they can make a fair judgment about it.

White House counselor Dan Bartlett was even more resistant:

I find it highly unlikely that a member of the White House staff would testify publicly to these matters, but that doesn’t mean we won’t find other ways to try to share that information.

Of course the White House doesn’t want Karl Rove to testify. Just last month, a top Justice Department official told Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in a letter that the “Department is not aware of Karl Rove playing any role in the decision to appoint Griffin” as U.S. Attorney in Arkansas. But in emails released yesterday, former Gonzales aide Kyle Sampson writes, “I know that getting appointed was important to Harriet, Karl, et cetera.” Also, news reports indicate that Rove’s office may have been involved in problems involving the U.S. Attorney from Washington state, John McKay.

Thankfully, Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VA) isn’t backing down. Last night on PBS, Leahy referred to Tim Griffen as Rove’s “acolyte,” and said he will “insist” that senior White House officials testify “in public, in sworn testimony, under oath“:

I intend to bring the attorney general up here. I am requesting several other people to come up here, certainly Mr. Sampson, Ms. Miers, I assume eventually Karl Rove. If they don’t come, then I’ll seek to subpoena them up here, because the story changes almost every time we pick up the newspaper. <…>

What I want to find out is what happened, why we’ve been given different stories. And I want those answers, not in an informal briefing; I want those answers in public, in sworn testimony, under oath before my committee. As chairman, that’s what I insist.

[Liberal Jesus Freak]

2. Wonderful.

Here's to hoping Leahy follows through. I've become exhausted with hope.

[WiseButAngrySara]

5. exhausted with hope ditto. ....n/t

[solara]

3. Happy to k&r

:kick:

INVESTIGATE IMPEACH INDICT INCARCERATE :patriot:

[razors edge]

4. Look out,

Leahy will skin KKKarl and move to the next. He scares me, and I don't scare easily.

[Pachamama]

6. This bit of news just brought a big smile to my face....

Hi Babylonsister!

I've actually been meditating on this every night that the crimes of these criminals would be revealed and that they will see prison and be disgraced and revealed for who they are.

:hi:

I'm going to keep on meditating on this and visualizing it coming true....these rat bastards need to be exposed and brought to the light of day for what they have done to our country.

[grannylib]

7. Visualising right along with you...and calling reps in Congress to push

for ACTION to make the dream come to pass!!! AND the media. Keep the pressure on. ONE of these damn scandals ONE of these days HAS to be the one that breaks the back of this unelected bunch of liars, killers and thieves.

[Pachamama]

14. I don't know why, but I'm still convinced that one of the key "puzzle pieces" that will be the

lynchpin that makes a lot of other things suddenly make sense and even helps take down this administration and a whole lot of other people - and that is Sibel Edmonds.

I know that was getting off the topic of the outrageous US Attorney firing and the uproar over it, but when I read your response about the dream and that one of the damn scandals has got to finally be the one, I don't know why, but I just always have this strong sense about Sibel.

[babylonsister]

8. Your meditating is working, 'mama!

:hi: Don't stop; we have a long way to go!

[brazos121200]

9. I'm glad you brought this story to DU's attention.

I was fascinated reading the comments on this story at the thinkprogress link, and I can tell you from the comments that the right wing crackpots are scared, scared, scared. I can imagine what the administration is thinking. Leahy is right when he says that if they were firing U.S. Attorneys to inhibit an investigation it could be illegal. One poster brought up the Washington state governor's race in 2004 which was won by the Democrat Christine Gregoire by 129 votes. The poster was accusing U.S. Attorney John McKay of somehow stealing the election because he would not investigate the 'stolen election'. It's nice to see a 'stolen election' on our side for once.

[babylonsister]

11. It's amazing how many conservatives post over there. Trying to

beat back the truth, no doubt.

[lyonn]

12. Thanks for this info, Leahy is tops in my book, especially

since he pissed off cheney so much that cheney said the go F....yourself thing. Now called, go cheney yourself.

Leahy has been ridiculed by Orin Hatch on the Judiciary committee for years and held his own. The guy is a bulldog. He has convinced me that those subpoenas are going out if necessary and I suspect he would rather use subpoenas just to irritate the arrogant ones.

The thoughts of Rove on the hot seat is the best. That turd has not been held responsible for anything and he has been involved in Everything. Unbelievable.

[fooj]

13. Leahy doesn't scare easily.

The anthrax didn't work. Either will their threats...

He's going for the jugular. Go Senator Leahy! Make them PAY for their crimes.

[spiderpig]

15. Yeah, guys...Leahy is giving me hope

He seems to be coming out slugging, and we need a good offense. No more Mr. Nice Guy. These people are evil!