Congress Quietly Subpoenaed Harriet Miers, But She Refused to Comply

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http://www.pubrecord.org/politics/653-congress-quietly-subpoenaed-harriet-miers-but-she-refused-to-comply.html


The House Judiciary Committee quietly subpoenaed former White House Counsel Harriet Miers three weeks ago demanding that she provide testimony about her role in the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006.

According to a letter sent to Elliot Mincberg, chief counsel of oversight and investigations for the Judiciary Committee, by Miers' attorney the Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Miers on Jan. 9. She was asked to provide a deposition to the panel on Jan. 16. She did not comply with the subpoena and Conyers' committee did not state publicly that he sought her testimony earlier this month.

Miers’ attorney, George Manning, wrote to Mincberg Jan. 15, and enclosed a copy of a Jan. 15, letter drafted by former White House Counsel Fred Fielding which said Miers had “absolute immunity.”
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another 'absolute immunity'

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. what immunity?

[drm604]

2. I think we may see this nonsense hitting the fan pretty soon.

At last I certainly hope that we do. Both Miers and Rove should be held in contempt of Congress.

Obama's a constitutional scholar so surely he must realize the importance of enforcing these subpoenas.

I'm not placing any bets on what happens next, it's entirely possible that they'll walk away untouched. If they do then that sets a very bad precedent and undermines the rule of law, at least as it applies to the executive branch.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Its going to court before anything substantive happens

Rove's lawyer is working with Congress (agreement on service etc) Hers may not be.

[notesdev]

3. "Absolute imminity"???

Who do these people think they are? Kings and queens? There's no such thing as absolute immunity in America.

[47of74]

4. They need to get that jail in the Capitol ready

Congress needs to ready up that jail in the U.S. Capitol ready to go. They should put people in there if they get stubborn about answering questions of the Congress.

[11 Bravo]

9. Fuck that, throw their asses in the Central Detention Facility (D.C. jail).

Let them step around puke, piss, and shit for a few hours while warding off the occasional deranged tweaker. Then ask them again if they wish to honor the terms of their subpoena.

[47of74]

11. Would that place be under the jurisdiction of the Congress?

The Capitol jail cells would be, not sure about the DC Jail.

[rurallib]

16. I hope they share a cell where thay can talk about their mutual love for George W

and what a wonderful man he was. And how he will come to save them.......

[ThomWV]

5. It just makes me want to puke.

[Captain Hilts]

6. "Quietly?" Do it LOUDLY. nt

[ensho]

7. YES

nt

[Yukari Yakumo]

8. Do they actually think Bush's boys are still on the job?

Let's see if those subpoenas has any teeth or not.

[MiniMe]

10. Bush was still President then

They need to try it now. Or they are waiting to see what happens with Rove.

[ljm2002]

13. What really pisses me off about this...

...is that they are allowed to not even show up, without consequences.

Because even if you can claim immunity, the immunity pertains to certain questions, not to every last thing you did while you were an official. That is long established precedent.

Yet the so-called conservative, so-called strict constructionist, so-called traditionalist types see nothing wrong with asserting a brand new privilege that allows people who are subpoenaed to simply not show up at all.

And worse yet, those who are doing the subpoenaeing are somehow not showing up on all the talk shows and expressing their absolute and utter OUTRAGE at this miscarriage of justice.

We have created a ruling class that believes they can make the rules as they go along, and who are willing to play patty cake with each other while the masses suffer under an increasingly draconian police state situation. Just let you or me defy a subpoena, stating that we take the 5th on everything so we don't have to answer individual questions. See how far that gets us.

I'm at the point where I don't want to play anymore. One set of rules for them, one set for you and me. Our new Treasury Secretary didn't pay required taxes because he "didn't know" he had to. Yeah, right, that inspires confidence. Daschle, apparently, just didn't feel like paying taxes on 150,000+ of benefits given to him by a corporation -- until it became inconvenient to ignore the tax codes. But these people, instead of having the book thrown at them, just buy their way out and worse, are nominated to high office. Because they're in the club. The rest of us can just suck on it.

[jody]

14. It's Obama's turn to do what is morally right and obey our Constitution. n/t

[jgraz]

15. What a great idea!! I hereby declare that I, jgraz, have ABSOLUTE IMMUNITY

Now excuse me while I go rob a bank.

[LiberalFighter]

17. They should put her on the Do Not Travel list...

allowing only travel to DC.

[eilen]

19. revoke her law license, driver's license and

freeze the bank accounts.

Offer her a ride to the hearing room where they can "straighten it all out".

[Solly Mack]

18. I'll take some of that "absolute immunity". I have some "policy differences"

with the legal system. Seems their policy is - what I want to do is illegal and my policy is it isn't illegal if my lawyer says it isn't illegal.

Stop me if this sounds familiar...

[BlooInBloo]

20. Cowards.