House files lawsuit to force Bush administration officials to testify

[texastoast]

Source: The Arizona Republic

House files lawsuit to force Bush administration officials to testify
The Associated Press
Mar. 10, 2008 08:09 AM

WASHINGTON - The House Judiciary Committee has filed suit to force former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten to provide information about the firing of U.S. attorneys.

snip

In a statement announcing the lawsuit, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers said, “We will not allow the administration to steamroll Congress.”

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Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0310houselawsuit.html?source=nletter-%%__AdditionalEmailAttribute1%%

[stubtoe]

1. Took long enough for them to get tough about it.

Well at least it's happening at last.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. Irv Nathan has his hands full with this one

I hope he's up to the challenge. The WH is planning to tear apart any legal right to sue that exist and portray this as a bitter political move.

This will be very interesting.

[Deny and Shred]

3. Wow, they actually filed it. Putting the onus on BushCo to explain

their secrecy - what a novel idea.

"Conyers says he is confident the federal courts will agree that the Bush administration's claims to be immune from congressional oversight are at odds with constitutional principles"
Wanna bet Senator?

[Alter Ego]

4. Just a nitpick here...Conyers is a Rep not a Senator.

Otherwise you're correct.

[ejbr]

5. The Supreme Court will rule in Bush's favor...

to hell with the law!

[JDPriestly]

7. Probably not. A privilege excuses the witness from responding

to certain questions or providing certain information. The witness must appear or answer and object to the question or request for documents and state the grounds for the objection. I think that is pretty universal regardless of the grounds for the privilege. But, in ordinary court cases, a witness loses the right to object if the witness does not show up or does not respond to a written discovery request.

So, my guess is that the Supreme Court would not make an exception to those procedures just because Bush or the witnesses are invoking the executive privilege.

[ejbr]

8. We'll see.

As it is Scalia thinks torture is legally permissable.

[bdamomma]

10. yup, these thugs made sure that they stack the courts with loyal

bushies. One more reason why we have to vote a Dem in the WH, to fumigate the Courts of these vile vile people.

[claire_m]

21. They always do, the maggots!

n/t

[99th_Monkey]

6. I like Wexler's suggestion more, send the freaking Sgt.-at-arms & Federal marshals

to arrest and jail these lawbreakers. They DO have authority to do just that.

[bdamomma]

11. apparently they have the means and laws in place to do

something like this, and stop this crying of not enough votes crap!!!

[liam_laddie]

12. Would LOVE to see this!

Maybe the prayers of the Founding Fathers from beyond are being heard.

[Bush_MUST_Go]

17. If anyone in DC still actually CARED about our Constitution, they would do this.

[bdamomma]

9. not to be disrespectful Chairman Conyers, they will keep

"steamrolling" Congress until you guys wake up and should have done this a long time ago, these repigs are just laughing at you all.

[Veilex]

13. .....

I wish this would make a difference. All it does now is allow the offending parties to plea the 5th amendment...which might as well be claiming executive privilege for what it will do....which is stop any investigation from proceeding.

We need to stop pursuing the small fish and go after the whale. Bush needs to be impeached.

[uppityperson]

14. Good. k&r

[tom_paine]

15. Lawsuit? The Old American Republic is so OVER!

Can't you see it? Can't you smell it? The Constitution and Bill of Rights are long gone. Bushie Corruption is practiced happily, shamelessly and out-in-the-open.

Things have broken down to such a degree that the Democrats of what was formerly a co-equal branch of governent but is now akin to the Reichstag after 1934, are trying any tiny loophole to try and force the Bushies to accede to the rule of law.

But as history tells us over and over and OVER again, tyants like Hitler and Bush piss all over the law, laughing. If you cannot stop them, physically stop them by arresting them and carting them off in chains, then you cannot stop them.

This tragic-comedy is over, and this last act is a farce with a pre-ordained conclusoon.

The Bushies will laugh at this and ignore it. Nothing more will we done or said. Down the Memory Hole, like so much else. Period. End of story.

[annabanana]

16. Well Spitzer sure saw to it that THIS would get NO press, didn't he?

phooey

[pleah]

18. I was just thinking the same thing.

sigh

[Bush_MUST_Go]

19. Spitzer didn't break the news! Wasn't it the NY Times with bad timing?

[DainBramaged]

22. I'm getting angry with the NY Times

They alwways seem to break news that hurts us.

[claire_m]

20. Good!!

n/t

[superconnected]

23. It's going to be like tax evasion for the mob. We'll only get the bush admin

though technicalities. But we certianly should go for them.