By Kenneth J. Theisen, 7/26/07
The stakes in the attorney firings probe were raised on
Thursday, July 26th when 4 leading Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee
sent a letter to Solicitor General Paul Clement asking for a perjury
investigation of the embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Clement could
appoint a special prosecutor to investigate. Also on Thursday, chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee Patrick Leahy announced that Karl Rove is being
subpoenaed setting up a further confrontation with the Bush regime. Leahy also announced
the issuance of a subpoena for J. Scott Jennings, a White House political aide.
Rove and he are to comply by August 2nd.
In the letter addressed to the Solicitor General, it was
stated, “It has become apparent that the attorney general has provided at
a minimum half-truths and misleading statements” The attorney general should be
held to the highest ethical standards.” Gonzales has provided conflicting
testimony to Congress in the attorney firings” probe. He has stated that there
was no significant internal regime dissent over the NSA warrantless wiretapping
program despite the fact that several high officials had threatened to resign
over the illegal program. Gonzales had also testified that he had not talked
about the dismissals with other Justice Department officials. But Monica
Goodling, his former White House liaison, contradicted this in her testimony
before the House Judiciary Committee. She reported a meeting where Gonzales
attempted to “coach” her testimony by outlining his recollection of events and
then asked her for her reaction. She told the committee she felt
“uncomfortable” about that conversation.
Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Leahy said, “We
have now reached a point where the accumulated evidence shows that political
considerations factored into the unprecedented firing of at least nine United
States attorneys last year”For over four months, I have exhausted every avenue
seeking the voluntary cooperation of Karl Rove and J. Scott Jennings, but to no
avail. They and the White House have stonewalled every request. Indeed, the
White House is choosing to withhold documents and is instructing witnesses who
are former officials to refuse to answer questions and provide relevant
information and documents.” E-mails supplied to the Judiciary committee
show that Rove and other White House officials were intimately involved in the
attorney firings, including the president. Leahy also sent a letter to the
Attorney General on Thursday giving Gonzales general 8 days to correct, clarify
or otherwise change his testimony “so that, consistent with your oath,
they are the whole truth.”
The Bush regime has raised “executive privilege” as a
defense to supplying documents to the Congressional probe. It has also directed current and former White
House officials not to testify before Congress.
Compelling Karl Rove to testify or turn over documents is highly
confrontational. So far he is the highest aide of Bush to be subpoenaed. If he fails to comply, which is almost
certain, Congress could issue a contempt citation. White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former
White House Counsel Harriet Miers have previously refused to comply with
subpoenas and citations were voted against them recently (See “Judiciary
Committee Votes Contempt Citations Against Bush Regime Officials”).
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