Congress Has a Way of Making Witnesses Speak: Its Own Jail(For Bush/Meiers,that is)

The New York Times ^ | 12/04/2007 | Adam Cohen

[Be Careful]

(Snip) This country has seen far too much of this sort of dismissal of Congress’s authority. There is a simple way to avoid a constitutional showdown: If Congress holds witnesses in contempt, the Justice Department should enforce the subpoenas. Mr. Mukasey would need to focus not on the White House’s interests, but rather on his duty to ensure that the laws are faithfully executed.

[Be Careful]

Time Warp....The NYT STRONGLY recommended that the DOJ get crackin'.....against Bush, that is......

Aside: Does the imprisonment last only for the duration of the Congress in session?

[Be Careful]

Perhaps Issa should subpeona the author of this article and have him read it aloud into the Congressional Record.

[jjotto]

One thousand dollar fine and 12 months in prison is maximum for contempt of congress, a misdemeanor.

[Be Careful]

I found this to be interesting...Per wiki: Concerned with the time-consuming nature of a contempt proceeding and the inability to extend punishment further than the session of the Congress concerned (under Supreme Court rulings), Congress created a statutory process in 1857.

Therefore, it seems as if this tactic for the now would be moot, since this Congress comes to an end in January...not much time to create a coercive effect...and would probably end up creating a Media Martyr Star instead.

[jjotto]

Congress of both parties is too gutless to assert its Constitutional primacy.

[DJ Frisat]

"If Congress holds witnesses in contempt, the Justice Department should enforce the subpoenas." If Congress holds witnesses in contempt, the Justice Department should enforce the subpoenas.

[Homer] D'oh!!!! [/Homer]

[Menehune56]

Looks like the democRATS are always going to want a black president, black attorney general, and rat majority senate. That way they can’t lose.

[Gaffer]

I think Lois Lerner should have been perp walked directly from the panel room where she pulled that 5A BS and slammed in the jail cell until she saw the light.

[blaveda]

100% correct!

[Dalberg-Acton]

"ensure that the laws are faithfully executed"

[Ray76]

>> Does the imprisonment last only for the duration of the Congress in session?

Under the inherent contempt power Congress may imprison a person for a specific period of time or an indefinite period of time, except a person imprisoned by the House of Representatives may not be imprisoned beyond adjournment of a session of Congress.

Statutory criminal contempt is an alternative to inherent contempt.

[Be Careful]

Thanks....which entity would control the statutory criminal contempt..if DOJ, then no net sum gain here

[GOPJ]

Adam Cohen of the New York Times needs to write about this...

“The IRS Conservative Targeting Scandal:

•Hundreds of conservative groups were targeted
•At least 5 pro-Israel groups
•Constitutional groups
•Groups that criticized Obama administration
•At least two pro-life groups
•An 83 year-old Nazi concentration camp survivor
•A 180 year-old Baptist paper
•A Texas voting-rights group
•A Hollywood conservative group was targeted and harassed
•Conservative activists and businesses
•At least one conservative Hispanic group
•IRS continued to target groups even after the scandal was exposed
•And… 100% of the 501(c)(4) Groups Audited by IRS Were Conservative
There is NO EVIDENCE that a single liberal group went through the same scrutiny as conservative groups.”

What the hell is wrong with this country to put up with this?

list from Dogbert41