Twenty former U.S. attorneys challenge White House immunity claim

[Ichingcarpenter]

WASHINGTON — Twenty former U.S. attorneys, both Republicans and Democrats, urged a federal judge Thursday to intervene in a constitutional battle over whether two White House officials should be forced to testify before Congress about the firings of nine U.S. attorneys.

The former top prosecutors, including two who served under President Bush, argue in court papers that the judge should reject the Bush administration's assertion of blanket immunity for presidential chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers in the congressional investigation.

Democrats in the House of Representatives say they were forced to sue in March, more than a year after they launched the probe, because the administration has refused to allow Miers and Bolten to provide crucial information about the reasons the prosecutors were fired. The case also could determine how former presidential adviser Karl Rove responds to a subpoena in a related congressional investigation.

The lawsuit accuses administration officials of injecting partisan considerations into the firing decisions and making "questionable or outright false statements" in subsequent explanations to Congress.

>>>>>>>>>>>snip

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/38916.html

[DCKit]

1. Who'd 'a thought that treating your "friends" like shit would ever bite you in the ass?

The number of people - and family members - I know who are embarrassed or in outright denial of ever having voted (R) is **HUGH**. Anyone else having the same experience?

[SpiralHawk]

2. Dear BushCo republicon cabal: try obeying US law. For once.

Pretty please.

Or karma is going to bite your corrupt asses.

Hard.

Eventually.

There is NO ESCAPE.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

3. K & R

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. The number has been updated to 24 attorneys not 20

With this statement:

"If permitted to enforce its subpoenas for documents and testimony, Congress has a unique ability to address improper partisan influence in the prosecutorial process," the former prosecutors wrote. "No other institution will fill the vacuum if Congress is unable to investigate and respond to this evil."





The prosecutors who signed on to the document are: Steve Sachs, who was appointed by President Johnson; George Beall, an appointee of President Nixon; Roxanne Conlin, James K. Robinson, Atlee W. Wampler III and Edward G. Warin, appointees of President Carter; Leon Kellner, Dan K. Webb and J. Alan Johnson, who were appointed by President Reagan; William Braniff, an appointee of the first President Bush; Zach Carter, Edward L. Dowd, B. Todd Jones, Doug Jones, Donald K. Stern, Sheldon Whitehouse and Alan Bersin, who were appointed by President Clinton; Bush appointees Iglesias and Matthew D. Orwig, and Richard Rossman, who was appointed by the court in 1980.

Four watchdog groups filed their own court papers Thursday also siding with Congress. Conservative groups Judicial Watch and the Rutherford Institute joined the Brennan Center for Justice and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, both liberal groups.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hq-4ZBiiUcq8IsbGQ0SHW04WS4kgD90VH9VO0

[EFerrari]

5. If this claim of immunity had any merit, John Dean could never have testified.

I hope the pile on continues against these felons.

[elizfeelinggreat]

6. k & r

[Kaleko]

7. The link in the OP is kaputt

This should work:

Former prosecutors challenge White House immunity claim
By Marisa Taylor | McClatchy Newspapers | Thurs May 29, 2008

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/100/story/38916.html

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. Thanks it was working they updated the story and changed the http.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/244/story/38916.html

[hootinholler]

8. and making "questionable or outright false statements" in subsequent explanations to Congress.

Is way illegal.

-Hoot