Anyone catch Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) comments after Harriet Myers failed to show?

[ShaneGR]

I'm paraphrasing, because I don't have a transcript. But basically he said the President was acting like an Emperor, private citizens have NO right to ignore congressional subpeonas, and that the whole thing showed a complete contempt of congressional responsibilities under the constitution. He went on to say he would be supporting a contempt of congress motion the chair of the committtee was talking about filing.

[MonkeyFunk]

1. but it was my understanding

that the House would have to charge Miers with contempt, and the Senate wouldn't be involved.

[spanone]

2. Wow, I'm shocked. He got elected last fall & these are some of the first words out of his mouth

and I'm from Tennessee......

[ShaneGR]

3. It shocked me too, his words were REALLY strong...

When I was listening to it on the radio I thought he was a Democrat until after the clip they said it was the new Senator Corker from Tennessee.

[indepat]

18. And I would bet he has voted the 'puke line in lockstep with other 'pukes

in every vote he has cast.

[caligirl]

4. Crews opinion of contempt here>

A contempt case, which would be brought at the discretion of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, could result in Ms. Taylor and Ms. Miers being sentenced to up to one year in jail and fined up to $100,000. Such a case could take years and would not result in either woman providing Congress with any information.

The best option may be for Congress to pass legislation to give federal courts jurisdiction to enforce the congressional subpoenas. Congress passed a similar a law in 1973 in response to the Nixon administration’s refusal to provide Watergate tapes and documents to the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Finances. Congress could also provide the Supreme Court with the authority to hear a direct appeal of the case, ensuring that the Bush administration’s efforts to radically expand the bounds of executive privilege is heard while the president is still in office.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1316585

[bunny planet]

8. Did CREW comment on the little used option of 'inherent contempt'

I believe that's what Conyers mentioned yesterday and the trial would take place in the House right away.

[kestrel91316]

12. Even IF the USA for DC brought charges against them (and we all

know how likely THAT is), Bush would just pardon them if they got convicted. Game, set, match.

The ONLY way to deal with this stuff is to impeach Bush and Cheney.

[rodeodance]

5. The committee voted on Party lines today---seems he is is all air

[spanone]

6. as I suspected. The party is more important than God and/or truth.

[hootinholler]

17. If they go for Inherent Contempt, I'll take party line votes the whole way.

That would mean she gets hauled into the hearing by the Sgt At Arms.


-Hoot

[cui bono]

7. Wow! Randi Rhodes played a clip of Steve Cohen

and that sounds like what he said too, but Cohen may have been responding to this because he mentioned that someone used the word Emperor. Would never have thought it was Corker.

[Disturbed]

9. The House needs to charge Ms Miers with

Inherent Contempt. This bypasses the Courts. A Sgt. of Arms can be dispatched to arrest and hold until the Subpoenaed person agrees to testify &/or Congress goes out or session.

[Tellurian]

10. Yes, that sounds like a plan...

short and sweet and to the point!

[seemslikeadream]

16. Inherent contempt

Inherent contempt


"Contempt of Congress" as explained by Wikipedia
As explained here (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_Congress), there is clear precedent for Congressional action against executive branch officials:

- - - - - - -

Procedures

Following the refusal of a witness to produce documents or to testify, the Committee is entitled to report a resolution of contempt to its parent chamber. A Committee may also cite a person for contempt but not immediately report the resolution to the floor. In the case of subcommittees, they report the resolution of contempt to the full Committee, which then has the option of rejecting it, accepting it but not reporting it to the floor, or accepting it and reporting it to the floor of the chamber for action. On the floor of the House or the Senate, the reported resolution is considered privileged and, if the resolution of contempt is passed, the chamber has several options to enforce its mandate.

Inherent contempt

Under this process, the procedure for holding a person in contempt involves only the chamber concerned. Following a contempt citation, the person cited for contempt is arrested by the Sergeant-at-Arms for the House or Senate, brought to the floor of the chamber, held to answer charges by the presiding officer, and then subject to punishment that the House may dictate (usually imprisonment for punishment reasons, imprisonment for coercive effect, or release from the contempt citation.)

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. While Congress retains its "inherent contempt" authority and may exercise it at any time, this inherent contempt process was last used by the Senate in 1934, against the Postmaster-General. After a one-week trial in the Senate floor (presided by the Vice-President of the United States, acting as Senate President), the Postmaster-General was found guilty and sentenced to 10 days imprisonment.

The Postmaster General had filed a petition of Habeas Corpus in federal courts to overturn his arrest, but after litigation, the US Supreme Court ruled that Congress had acted constitutionally, and denied the petition in the case Jurney v. MacCracken, 294 U.S. 125 (1945).

[MrMickeysMom]

11. Yes, and Chris Cannon went right after him, which prompted me to call

Utah (even though I live in Pennsylvania) to inform Cannon's staff how right Corker's comment was and what an abomination it was NOT to have shown up when subpeonaed.

[Wiley50]

13. That wasn't Corker, That Was Rep Steve Cohen

I live in TN

Corker is a Repub who won Frist's seat over Harold Ford

Steve Cohen is the best pol we have to offer

He's the Jr Dem on that sub-commitee

God, don't give Corker that kind of credit

In Chattanooga, he's been involved with the internet hosting company
that hosts all those GOP sites

[MonkeyFunk]

15. thanks

that makes a lot more sense.

[wryter2000]

14. self-delete

[4_TN_TITANS]

19. Our other Sen. & former gov Lamar Alexander-R

also came out strong against the Iraq invasion the other day. Oh - wait, he's up for reelection next year...