Posted on 03/21/2007 8:17:35 AM PDT by bamahead
WASHINGTON (AP) - A House panel on Wednesday approved subpoenas for President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove and other top White House aides, setting up a constitutional showdown over the firings of eight federal prosecutors.
By voice vote and without dissent, the House Judiciary subcommittee on commercial and administrative law decided to compel the president's top aides to testify publicly and under oath about their roles in the firings.
The White House has refused to budge in the controversy, standing by embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and insisting that the firings were appropriate. White House spokesman Tony Snow said that in offering aides to talk to the committees privately, Bush had sought to avoid the "media spectacle" that would result from public hearings with Rove and others at the witness table.
"The question they've got to ask themselves is, are you more interested in a political spectacle than getting the truth?" Snow said of the overture Tuesday by the White House via its top lawyer, Fred Fielding.
"There must be accountability," countered subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sanchez, D-Calif.
The committee rejected Bush's offer of a day earlier that his aides could to talk privately to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, but not under oath and not on the record.
Would he fight Democrats in court to protect his aides against congressional subpoenas?
"Absolutely," Bush declared.
"Our reasonable offer that Mr. Fielding presented to Congress yesterday is our reasonable offer and nothing has changed during the 12 hours since Mr. Fielding spoke to the Congress," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said Wednesday. "If they are truly serious about wanting to obtain the facts, they have right in front of them the opportunity to do that."
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
You get it. They can be fired for any reason, or none, at the pleasure of the President. However, after the Libby trial, a crime can be manufactured with enough emails, testimony, investigations, etc. We, as a nation, are criminalizing policy disputes.
And how many years do we have to put up with this B.S.? It's getting very old quick. I hope all this crap creates a huge backlash against the libs.
Bush can tell them to go shove it.
"I do not recall" (repeat as necessary)
THEN they can't get you on perjury...
Speaking of accountability, how does Chairwoman Sanchez propose to hold Valerie Plame accountable for her perjury before the Senate last week? Can you say "Double-Standard"?
Said the woman who got into Congress as a result of vote fraud.
WELLLLL....there were two versions of this story at the MyWay News site.... One was up at 10:53 a.m. and the other at 11:19...the later one has this statement in it: "Several Republicans said, "No" during the voice vote, but no roll call was taken."....your DBM at work, folks.
The earlier story, 10:53 is at Punch Here
Later Story is at Punch Here
Seems like there are several differences in the stories, I don't have time to go thru them line by line.
Fill me in here. What reason DID the assistant give for the firings? I thought the reason given was that they were not pursuing voting fraud cases ie doing their job.
Well said!
More bitter fruits of the 2006 elections.
Thanks for the important update. Not all the Republicans were absent or cowed. It would have been nice to have a recorded vote, but at least the acknowledgment of "no" votes made it into the second article.
"And how many years do we have to put up with this B.S.?"
I vote for no more years.
"Said the woman who got into Congress as a result of vote fraud."
Time for Democrats to be investigated.
Bush should send out an order that every instance of possible Democrat vote fraud be investigated by the Justice Department. And that every security leak be prosecuted. Enough of playing Washington's games. Washington doesn't have the interests of the nation at heart.
"Laws were not broken until Alberto's deputy AG lied to Congress about the reasons why they were fired."
---
No laws were broken. Alberto's underling flubbed how the Democrats notified. The Dems were unforgiving and it quickly cost the deputy AG his job.
I spoke with Rep. Tom Feeney's office. His aide says that he voiced his opposition to subpoenas at this time, but reserves the right to support them if evidence of wrongdoing comes to light in the voluntary testimony that the White House has offered.
I pressed him on the issue, and he says that Feeney stated that he opposes the subpoenas and did not grant authorization.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.