Leahy Threatens Bush Admin With "Contempt" For Missing Third Subpoena Deadline

AP:

A top Senate Democrat on Monday threatened to hold members of the Bush administration in contempt for not producing subpoenaed information about the legal justification for President Bush's secretive eavesdropping program.

"When the Senate comes back in the session, I'll bring it up before the committee," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I prefer cooperation to contempt. Right now, there's no question that they are in contempt of the valid order of the Congress."

Read the whole story: AP

Comments

[tcuoohjohn]

12:12 PM on 08/21/2007

Know what Cheney is hiding?...I do. They turned the national surveillance apparatus on domestic political opponents. Makes Nixon's break-in look like chump change.

[LittleBrother]

11:36 AM on 08/21/2007

Congress is like those inept parents who pretend to control their wild toddler by counting to three: ONE!... TWO!...

But somehow they never get to THREE. And the kid knows it, and so does everyone on the scene except the self-deluding parent.

[GregSolo]

10:48 AM on 08/21/2007

Ooh, more threats. No action. Sounds like the Dems to me. AT least they are consistent.

[Ammobob]

10:40 AM on 08/21/2007

Some more analysis:

Democrats have created a monster for themselves, and they seem unable to free themselves from their rut. They have accomplished almost nothing of their agenda, save a minimum-wage hike. They have punted on Iraq, surrendered on FISA and the TSP, and have allowed themselves to get outmanuevered on immigration. They have spent hundreds of hours on investigations to no real benefit while legislation languishes. Their so-called ethics reforms have done nothing but allow lobbyists even more ways to influence Congress, and earmarks are murkier than ever.

Thanks CQ

[Ammobob]

10:32 AM on 08/21/2007

Nothing much going on in Congress, ao why not ramp up the heat on POTUS.

A new Gallup Poll finds Congress' approval rating the lowest it has been since Gallup first tracked public opinion of Congress with this measure in 1974. Just 18% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 76% disapprove, according to the August 13-16, 2007, Gallup Poll.
That 18% job approval rating matches the low recorded in March 1992, when a check-bouncing scandal was one of several scandals besetting Congress, leading many states to pass term limits measures for U.S. representatives (which the Supreme Court later declared unconstitutional). Congress had a similarly low 19% approval rating during the energy crisis in the summer of 1979.

[LittleBrother]

10:31 AM on 08/21/2007

Congressional "leaders"-- pardon the oxymoron-- act like those idiotic parents who try to bring their brat to order by counting to three: ONE!... TWO!...

Except "THREE!" is pretty much off the table. And the kid knows it, and so does everyone else on the scene except the delusional parent.

[javagirl322]

10:24 AM on 08/21/2007

So... stop talking and do something!!! I'll say it again, this is the most corrupt administration in this country's history.

[Gonzalez]

10:05 AM on 08/21/2007

So when are the democrats going to grow the nuts to bring these idiots in the White House to justice? THe answer - NEVER. They can threaten whatever they want but in the end, they have no COURAGE. The Supreme court will side with their buddy Bush.

[Witchitalineman]

09:59 AM on 08/21/2007

I see that Rove has logged in!

[liberalsRus]

09:59 AM on 08/21/2007

It's disappointing to see Leahy "threaten" again, and if consistent with all the other "blow hard" threats against these assaults on our "way of life" (I wanted to say constitution but it's so overused and abstract) he/they will do nothing. It looks like a bad "good cop bad cop" movie coming out of DC and really diminishes the spirit of the US with each passing day. Let's face it, the damage is done, and nobody can or will take the heroic steps to stop it. We have entered a state of permanent war (very lucrative for Haliburton) and a state of permanent elections (very lucrative for politicians.) Our process has become a cartoon. I say "UNCLE", the democracy is gone.

[Witchitalineman]

09:56 AM on 08/21/2007

Let's hope he holds the Bush Administration in contempt. Do something other than just talk, please!!

[jmc42]

09:51 AM on 08/21/2007

*
Senator Leahy,

No need to threaten, simply force the contempt
citation. You should, by now realize that this White House den of thieves do not cooperate and must be dragged, kicking and lying into doing the right thing.

If you chose not to, then you are doing the wrong thing.

*

[Nyla785]

09:49 AM on 08/21/2007

Where else in life can employees (this administration) tell their employer (that's us) that they won't hand over documents relating to business conducted by said employees to the duely appointed representatives of their employer--even if there's 'sensitive information' where those representatives have been specifically cleared to handle such sensitive information??

Under those terms, any employee could do ANYTHING under the employer's auspices and get away with lining their own pockets and even undermining the company.



Is that 'executive privileage' that protects advisors from consequences for giving ILLEGAL advice??

[Will7]

09:47 AM on 08/21/2007

"A new Gallup Poll finds Congress' approval rating the lowest it has been since Gallup first tracked public opinion of Congress with this measure in 1974. Just 18% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 76% disapprove, according to the August 13-16, 2007, Gallup Poll."

Now, I wonder how that could be? Perhaps if the witch hunts ended and the legislating began, the poll numbers might rise a bit.

Nah - the Democrats are not smart enough to think of that.

[shockmagog]

09:52 AM on 08/21/2007

"Now, I wonder how that could be? Perhaps if the witch hunts ended and the legislating began, the poll numbers might rise a bit."

Wrong again.

6 1/2 years of no investigations whatsoever have backed up. They had to occur sooner or later. And sooner the better, because time is running out for our country.

The obstructionism by the Republicans is the primary reason for the low numbers--you can't have it both ways.

[Will7]

09:56 AM on 08/21/2007

"The obstructionism by the Republicans is the primary reason for the low numbers"

Golly - and all this time I thought the Democrats had the majorities in both Houses.

[Will7]

09:57 AM on 08/21/2007

And the Congressional poll numbers didn't start metaphorically falling off a cliff until the Democrats took over in 2007.

[IMPRISONBUSH]

09:32 AM on 08/21/2007

STOP TALKING ABOUT IT AND " DO IT ".