posted on April 25, 2007 11:13:57 PM new
Dems Vote Subpoenas in Widening Probes
Updated 1:25 AM ET April 26, 2007
Listen to Audio Clip
By LAURIE KELLMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) - Putting their congressional control to work, Democrats approved new subpoenas Wednesday _ and a grant of immunity _ for probes ranging from the prosecutor firings and White House political activities to President Bush's justification for the war in Iraq.
Democrats said the broad array of investigations represents a revival of Congress' role after six years of little oversight of the Bush administration by Republican lawmakers.
The White House is pushing back, refusing to allow officials to testify under oath about the firings and arguing that top officials _ including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, subject of one of the subpoenas _ already have answered questions about the administration's now-discredited claim that Iraq was seeking uranium for a bomb.
"I am beginning to wonder whether the White House has any interest in the American people learning the truth about these matters," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
Congress' effort isn't driven solely by Democrats. Republicans have barely restrained their disdain for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' accounting of the firings, including his claims of a faulty memory.
Sen. Arlen Specter, ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, co-signed a letter with Leahy Wednesday urging Gonzales to freshen his memory and provide answers within a week.
"We are reviewing this request," said Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told reporters in New Hampshire as he officially declared his presidential candidacy that he would have more to say on Gonzales on Thursday. Then, he told CNN's Larry King that he was "very disappointed" in Gonzales' performance and, asked whether Gonzales should step down, said: "I think that out of loyalty to the president that that would probably be the best thing that he could do."
Congress was ramping up investigations of the White House on several fronts:
_The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 21-10 to issue a subpoena to Rice to compel her testimony on the Bush administration's pre-war claims about Saddam Hussein seeking weapons of mass destruction.
_Next door, the House Judiciary Committee voted 32-6 to grant immunity from prosecution to Monica Goodling, Gonzales' White House liaison, for testimony on why the administration fired eight federal prosecutors. The panel also unanimously approved _ but did not issue _ a subpoena to compel her to testify. In addition, the committee scheduled a May 10 hearing for Gonzales.
_Across Capitol Hill, Leahy's panel approved _ but did not issue _ a subpoena in the firings matter for Sara Taylor, deputy to Bush political adviser Karl Rove.
_The House oversight committee also issued subpoenas for the Republican National Committee for testimony and documents about White House e-mails on RNC accounts that are said to be missing. The RNC released a letter to the panel listing 37 White House officials who have RNC e-mail accounts, including Rove.
Gonzales, meanwhile, was trying to mend fences in his first visit to Capitol Hill since his punishing appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
He met privately with Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., who has contended Gonzales wasn't truthful with him about the dismissal of the U.S. attorney in Little Rock. The outreach didn't take.
"I reiterated with the attorney general, face-to-face, that I think he should resign," Pryor told reporters after the meeting. "I think it's the best thing for the Department of Justice and it's probably the best thing for him personally and the administration."
Lawmakers say they want to force into the open the story of why the eight U.S. attorneys were fired.
Pryor's harsh words on Gonzales were echoed by lawmakers in both parties, though Republicans tended to leave out the actual call for his resignation. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, noted a pragmatic concern: The waning months of the Bush administration complicate prospects for confirming a new attorney general.
"I'll be as vigilant as ever in overseeing the Justice Department and working with other senators, both Republicans and Democrats, for accountability from the attorney general and the department he leads," Grassley said.
On the uranium issue, Rice's allies maintained that she has for years answered Congress' questions under oath, as well as media inquiries, about her knowledge of Bush's claim about Iraq.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, traveling with Rice in Europe for NATO meetings, said department officials would try to answer the committee's questions, but he indicated Rice might not comply with a subpoena.
"Those matters are covered by executive privilege," McCormack said. "Those matters mean the questions that he has related to her tenure as national security adviser."
That position gives "us no choice but to proceed with a subpoena," said House Oversight Committee's chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
Even as he pressed ahead on Rice, Waxman postponed a vote on a subpoena for former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card on the same issue. Waxman said White House Counsel Fred Fielding had made a compromise proposal worth pursuing: The committee will first talk to the White House office of administration about Card's knowledge.
On the prosecutor firings, the House Judiciary Committee approved two measures that would compel Goodling's testimony and grant her immunity from prosecution for what she says.
Some Republicans cautioned that immunity has tied the hands of prosecutors in the past, notably during the Iran-Contra affair. John Poindexter and Oliver North were granted immunity for congressional testimony, and later convictions were reversed _ ruled to have been based too much on that testimony.
At the Justice Department, Boyd would not speculate on whether giving Goodling immunity could hamper prosecutors should evidence of criminal activity surface.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
posted on April 26, 2007 10:31:50 AM new
It's nice to see the Demomorons are actually getting the nations' business done. Oh wait, they haven't done any of it yet.
Never mind
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.
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If it's called common sense, why do so few Demomorons have it?
posted on April 26, 2007 12:31:35 PM new
Yep.....the dems are going to spend THEIR time, and our tax dollars REHASHING all the 'asked and answered' garbage all over again. <sigh>
Seems to me this was exactly what they accused the republicans of doing during the clinton 'bj' hearings. Focusing time and energy on all the WRONG things.
Of course, he DID lie to a grand jury....he DID obstruct justice...he did try to get others to give false testimony...and he DID violate an American's civil rights.
BUT.....now we're dealing with TWO wars....that they're playing GAMES with funding......they've pass in the senate and the house, bills that are going to lead to a 'veto showdown'.....and they're NOT getting necessary funds to our troops who ARE fighting the war......
....they're NOT dealing at all with Iran developing Nuclear weapons.....
...but we should REHASH all this garbage that's ALREADY been discussed.
Poor leadership, imo.
=-====
from today's DenverPost, in part:
OSLO, Norway- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she has already answered the questions she has been subpoenaed to answer before a congressional committee and suggested she is not inclined to comply with the order.
Rice said she would respond by mail to questions from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the Bush administration's prewar claims about Saddam Hussein seeking weapons of mass destruction, but signaled she would not appear in person.
"I am more than happy to answer them again in a letter," she told reporters in Oslo, where she is attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
The comments were her first reaction to a subpoena issued on Wednesday by the committee chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
Rice said she respected the oversight function of the legislative branch, but maintained she had already testified in person and under oath about claims that Iraq had sought uranium from Africa during her confirmation hearing for the job of secretary of state.
"I addressed these questions, almost the same questions, during my confirmation hearing," she said. "This is an issue that has been answered and answered and answered."
Rice noted that she had been serving as President Bush's national security adviser during the period covered by the panel's questions and stressed the administration's position that presidential aides not confirmed by the Senate cannot be forced to testify before Congress under the doctrine of executive privilege.
"This all took place in my role as national security adviser," she said. "There is a constitutional principle. There is a separation of powers and advisers to the president under that constitutional principle are not generally required to go and testify in Congress.
"So, I think we have to observe and uphold the constitutional principle, but I also observe and uphold the obligation of Congress to conduct its oversight role, I respect that. But I think I have more than answered these questions, and answered them directly to Congressman Waxman."
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on April 26, 2007 02:04:11 PM new....they're NOT dealing at all with Iran developing Nuclear weapons.....
Nice try playing pass the buck. Bush has been in power 6 years and allowed Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Now you want the Democrats to clean up Bush's problems.
The two of the three countries Bush called the Axis of Evil have developed nuclear weapons. The third country is in a civil war. How is that for leadership?
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on April 26, 2007 02:38:40 PM new
Is THAT so???? ROFLMHO.
Like kerry proposed??? By GIVING them NUCLEAR FUEL????
LOL LOL LOL
Show us ONE current democratic leader who has offered ANY way of stopping Iran from continuing on with their NW program.
Show us ANY DEMOCRAT who is currently running for the WH who has offered ANYTHING other than TALKING them out of advancing their NW program.
You are continuing to show how DELUSIONAL you really are, ld.
It's pitiful to watch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
Ann Coulter
[ edited by linda_K on Apr 26, 2007 02:41 PM ]
posted on April 26, 2007 04:13:22 PM new
The SUBPOENAS ARE BEING SERVED. YES!!! I hope the ones with a Subpoenas show up to testify. If they hid the American people will know its just another sleazy deal coming out of this white house.
Hey Dummy LIAR_K, lots of countries have NUCLEAR FUEL. NUCLEAR FUEL is a very long ways from a Nuclear weapon but of course you don't know that.
so....do you think Iran would have used it in their drinking water?????
You're embarrassing yourself again, waco.
kerry would have ENABLED their NW program.
Get a clue for once
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on April 26, 2007 06:31:58 PM newShow us ONE current democratic leader who has offered ANY way of stopping Iran from continuing on with their NW program.
Show us ANY DEMOCRAT who is currently running for the WH who has offered ANYTHING other than TALKING them out of advancing their NW program.
Why don't you focus on the idiot that is in power at the moment. He has been talking about how dangerous these countries are. He has done NOTHING to prevent them from starting a nuclear program.
As with everything with Bush it is all talk, just to strike fear into Americans. He used the the "Axis of Evil" sppech to strike fear and help wage his war in Iraq.
So take that pipe and blow it out your hole. The idiot in the White House has done more to hurt the United States then help it.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
Are YOU a Bunghole?
