Mukasey refuses probe of Bush aides

[RiverStone]

Source: YAHOO! News

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Michael Mukasey refused Friday to refer the House's contempt citations against two of President Bush's top aides to a federal grand jury. Mukasey said White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential counsel Harriet Miers committed no crime.

As promised, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she has given the Judiciary Committee authority to file a lawsuit against Bolten and Miers in federal court.

"The House shall do so promptly," she said in a statement.

Mukasey said Bolten and Miers were right in ignoring subpoenas to provide Congress with White House documents or testify about the firings of federal prosecutors.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080301/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/congress_contempt

---

Well, we know who writes Mukasey's checks. Will justice ever prevail here? Glad to see Nancy & co. following up with action.:applause:

[stillrockin]

1. Quel surprise.

[Deny and Shred]

29. AG actually claims Executive privelege trumps Constitution

"The contempt of Congress statute was not intended to apply and could not constitutionally be applied to an executive branch official who asserts the president's claim of executive privilege," Mukasey wrote, quoting Justice policy.
Wow, Justice policy initiated by Gonzales - how compelling.
Since Bush claims everything falls under Executive Privlege, then its impossible to do anything unconstitutional.
One superior branch - just like the Founding Fathers intended.

[stillrockin]

39. That's a load of crap. They intended no such thing.

[Hawkeye-X]

2. Fine, Indictments will be issued on Jan 21st 2009

for the entire maladministration. President (Whoever) will nominate and it will be quickly confirmed by a supermajority of Democrats to get the indictments going.

[Elidor]

3. Even though it's not surprising...

It's still rather astonishing to see an AG refuse to enforce the law where it concerns the White House. Cheney has made sure there'll be no need for a Saturday Night Massacre by placing this stooge over Justice.

[WyldRogue]

4. Only thing we can do...

... is sit idly by while this debacle plays out. I mean, who are we right?? Just taxpaying cattle with no rights yet they get their paychecks from OUR tax dollars. Seems to me that they take our money under the premise of working FOR us but their actions as of late has been AGAINST us.

We cry out for IMPEACHMENT.... we get nothing

We cry for out JUSTICE.... we get nothing

We cry out for TRUTH.... we get nothing

Anyone co-related to this abominable Administration are fleecing us to death while they turn that dagger in our backs and on the Constitution.

Funny thing is, those overwhelming * supporters seems to have gone into hiding as I'm sure they'd all be slapped silly for being total idiots for allowing Shrub to screw our country and economy.

[Junkdrawer]

5. "A civil suit would drag out a slow-motion crawl to a constitutional struggle"

Nothing will happen...at all...ever....

[Rageneau]

6. Too bad Feinstein and Schumer couldn't forsee Mukasey being partisan.

He fooled them both completely, like a couple of tourists running into Chris Angel.

One or two other senators saw through Mukasey, but not Diane and Al.

Not their fault. Nobody warned them.

[acmavm]

8. Surely you forgot the :sarcasm: thingey, right? Because this is exactly

how they wanted it to turn out.

[jamesinca]

25. BS

I wrote to Sen. Feinstein about his nomination and she expressed a need to have an AG and not a long drawn out process for integrity. I don't know about Schumer, but that was DiFi's reason.

[MadMaddie]

41. No they weren't fooled they were warned that this would happen

and they were smitten when Mukkasey said he would not be influenced. Screw Schumer and Feinstein.

[movonne]

7. Which dems let this guy become AG...for one schumer..

[NJCher]

9. Mukasey, the purchase

This guy is so bought and paid for.



Cher

[AzDar]

10. Inherent-Fucking-Contempt.

:nuke:

[annabanana]

40. yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

[margotb822]

11. A step in the LEFT direction

Since all those steps to the Right have gotten us in this mess. Another Bush and Co embarrassment for America...

[H8fascistcons]

12. Democrats are responsible

for this debacle, Schumer and Feinstein!!!!!!

[mallard]

16. Re: Schumer and Feinstein!!!!!!

Their friends are also on the Bush gravy train.

[Plucketeer]

13. I just keep thinking....

... these people WORK for us, right? So how far into their offices do my snail mail letters get before they're shit-canned??? Surely, no one (no one that matters anyway) reads them! I expect that sorta shit from my GOP, ass-kissing lackey of a congresswhimp...... but Feinstien? WTF??? A friggin' MORON could exhibit better "judgement" as to character than poor, old Dianne! Disgusting!

[Amonester]

19. Diane's husband makes millions of our money each year.

Why would she want that free ride to stop?

She knows she will not be defeated until the day she shall retire...

Unless many good people wake up soon.

[Baby Snooks]

14. A lawsuit for what?

What does a lawsuit accomplish? Nothing. Which is what the Democratic leadership has accomplished since being given control of Congrees. Absolutely nothing. Except sit and listen to the Emperor fiddle as Rome burns. Nancy Pelosi should have forced the issue in January of 2001 by having a bill of impeachment filed against Cheney and Bush. Both should have been removed. Someone made the curious comment not long ago to me that it doesn't matter. They will be out of office in January. What on earth can they possibly do? With the acquiescence of the Democratic Congress, Madame Speaker in particular, they can do quite a lot.

And as Bush leaves office, he will pardon everyone. Except himself. But then who is going to charge him with anything once he leaves office?

[Occulus]

24. Who will preside over the case?

And how long will it be until the case gets into court?

Whatever happened to the idea of using inherent contempt to throw their asses in jail?

Every single person reading this post would have been sitting in a jail cell from the day of their refusal to appear. Think on that.

[merh]

26. The US District Court for the District of Columbia

will be the court having jurisdiction. If they follow legal precedence they will have to find in congress favor. If POTUS has the DOJ appeal to the SCOTUS, again, the chances are SCOTUS will find that absolute executive privilege does not exist. This will be a crucial lawsuit and this is a necessary step, to finally try to restore the balance of powers.

History in the making, it will make or break our nation.

[OR Ruminator]

27. That sounds right, But...

I hope you're right and that SCOTUS decides the right way. But if they don't, is there a constitutional remedy? And what are the chances for ratification?

We have to get this cleared up for the survival of our nation.

[merh]

31. there is no remedy

not legally.

congress could pass laws that would provide remedy, but if SCOTUS doesn't uphold them, they are worth nothing.

This will make or break our nation.

[Occulus]

32. See, that's why I think they should go with the inherent contempt option.

It's rarely used, so it's no huge loss if the court rules that the two can't be jailed for refusing to appear to testify under subpoena (!!!). And, that option doesn't rely on an already corrupted judiciary to get the business done.

I have a very very bad gut feeling about this case when I think of it in front of the SCOTUS, which we all know is where it'll end up.

[merh]

34. The only saving grace is that the possibility of having a democratic president

are great. So do the conservatives, including the conservative members of SCOTUS, want a democratic president to have unfettered powers?

[sofa king]

43. What it does is clear the decks for Congressional arrests.

The civil case will come to nothing--hopefully thrown out quickly--and Congress will be left with no other option than to exercise inherent contempt.

Once they do, this bullshit about a unitary executive will be thrown in the crapper forever.

You can bet the civil suit will be issued promptly, because they're going to want the case tossed sometime around October of this year. Then, after the election, and to prove a point, Congress will ceremonially toss Miers' and Bolton's asses in the can--a warning to all future Presidents that this sort of evasion won't wash, ever again.

[nradisic]

15. The fucking scumbag!

Republicans are all scum! Repeat ad infinitum...

[abq e streeter]

17. yeah but at least congress is all over the Roger Clemens case

[Xipe Totec]

18. Time to probe the Mucus himself n/t

[live love laugh]

20. And this was part of the Friday news dump--amidst Ricin scares on the West Coast.

It's appalling.

[MadMaddie]

42. Don't forget that Boeing lost the huge Air Force contract to

Airbus...lost in the Friday news dump. 9000 jobs....

[lovuian]

21. so its pretty obvious Congress has no power

not even subpoens power
boy watergate looks so far away

[napi21]

22. I'd love to hear his rational for that decision. Why and under what

circumstances does he think it's OK to ignore a subpoena?

I know what he REAL reason is, but he couldn't put that in his written decision. I wonder if we'll ever hear?

[ladywnch]

23. Now will they file inherent contempt charges and have the both of them

arrested/jailed?

Also, if they do arrest them can Bush have them released? They would be jailed in the Capitol building right? Can jr force entry and have them released?

[otohara]

28. Mukasey is a lawyer’s lawyer. He will not leap to quick judgments,” Schumer said

Hours before Leahy’s press conference, however, Schumer in a telephone call already had laid out his thoughts to the chairman and also relayed a message that Feinstein had planned to support the nominee, according to aides.
Schumer, Feinstein ‘surprise’ thwarts efforts on Mukasey

snip

But Schumer and Feinstein withheld announcing their decisions until late that afternoon. For Schumer, a decisive meeting came later in the day, around the same time as Leahy’s press conference. Mukasey assured him he would enforce any law Congress passes to explicitly state that certain interrogation techniques — such as waterboarding — are illegal under U.S. torture laws.

“Judge Mukasey is a lawyer’s lawyer. He will not leap to quick judgments,” Schumer said in his statement. “When we want him to do so, such as on torture, we will be disappointed. But when he resists those in the administration who want quick and facile answers . . . it is they who will be disappointed.”

The New Yorker, one of the most outspoken critics of the Bush administration, had been in an awkward position because he recommended Mukasey for the post before Democratic opposition grew. Both Schumer and Feinstein said they believed a Mukasey Justice Department would be markedly better than the tumultuous tenure of the resigned Alberto Gonzales.

Feinstein had made up her mind Thursday that she would support the nomination, but her office was still finalizing a statement when they caught wind of Schumer’s decision on Friday, one of her aides said. They decided to withhold the statement until Schumer was ready to make his announcement after both his afternoon meeting with Mukasey and the Leahy press conference. She followed up with a guest column explaining her views in Saturday’s edition of the Los Angeles Times.http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/schumer-feinstein-surprise-thwarts-efforts-on-mukasey-2007-11-06.html

[sattahipdeep]

30. Decline to a low, destitute, or demoralized state....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3200173&mesg_id=3200173

[HuffleClaw]

33. so now HE's in contempt ?

what recourse is there when the top cop in the land won't obey the law?

[RiverStone]

37. Get a new top cop...

After the Dems take back the White House.

I see no other way...

[ConcernedCanuk]

35. Bush has aides???

.
.
.



http://www.bustedtees.com/shirt/georgewbushhasaides/male

[Thor_MN]

36. Time to charge Mr. Magoo with obstruction of justice.

Shouldn't be to hard too prove...

[Olney Blue]

38. You mean my government is lying to me?

Oh, i forgot. I don't have a government.

[trof]

44. Wait...I thought 'WE' wrote his paycheck.

But I guess that's old fashioned thinking now.
:-(