White House Obstructing Plame Investigation

The Bush Administration is actively blocking Congress' investigation into the outing of once-covert CIA agent Valerie Plame, according to House Oversight Committee chairman Henry Waxman.

In a letter sent today to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Waxman notes that "White House objections are preventing Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald from disclosing key information to investigating officials." Among the documents being withheld are interviews taken from White House officers during Fitzgerald's investigation into the leak of Plame's identity.

"Over the summer, Mr. Fitzgerald agreed to provide relevant documents to the Committee, including records of interviews with senior White House officials. Unfortunately, the White House has been blocking Mr. Fitzgerald from providing key documents to the Committee," Waxman writes to newly appointed Mukasey. "I ask that you personally look into this matter and authorize the production of the documents to the Committee without any further delay."

Waxman's letter provides one of the first tests for Mukasey, who stressed during his confirmation hearings that he would operate independently from White House directive. The letter also provides greater insight into the extent of collaboration between Fitzgerald and the oversight committee.

Read the full letter here. Emptywheel has more here.

Comments

[Beelzebul]

The Army has upped the ante. They're now willing to buy your patriotism for $40,000 dollars if you'll go fight the global war on terror.

Forty thousand smackers! YEEEEEEEEE­HAAAAAAAAW­WW

USA! USA! USA!

[Turnip]

Nuttin' means Treason like the G.O.P.

[ignorantwillyharper]

I can feel and see a lot of tragedy for both Bush and cheney, after they leave Office. It's the old saying...y­ou can pay me now, or pay me later.

[Turnip]

Loyal Bushies.

Guilty of treason.

Send them the way of the Rosenbergs.

Sell tickets to offset the deficit.

[esquire07]

Valerie Plame is an American Hero.

She has the courage to stand up against the Bush Criminals.

If only the good for nothing whorebag coward democrats - led by the biggest slut on the Hill - Nancy Pelosi - had 1/100th the Courage of Ms. Plame.

Bush/Cheney and Criminlas must be Impeached and Hung by their necks until they are dead.

[w&cheneysuck]

And this all surprises you? Until PELOSI gets the courage to do the right thing and Impeach, you can blame her for not being more forceful. Don't kid yourself for a minute; the Congressional members with the most tenure hold all the POWER! She has made a deal with the devil; we just don't see (yet) what she gets out of the deal. More power perhaps?

[Turnip]

The Bush administrations incompetence led to the destruction of New Orleans and over 3,000 dead on 9/11.

Their lies lead to a war with over a million innocent civilians killed.

Their thievery has led the nation to the edge of bankrupty.

Why would anyone be surprise they committed treason as well?

[Clarabell]

Looks like "ammobob" owns the site today. What happened to "usindependents" who was yesterday's nutcase?

[zjr909]

"A third-rate burglary." Mr. Nixon's famous last words. He, too, dismissed a garden variety crime as too unimportant to worry about. But, as he learned, it's the little things that count. If (and that a very bit "if") Mr. Bush can ever be held accountable for his actions, it's this outing of Valerie Plame that will begin the process. So, please, don't dismiss it as yesterday's news. It may well be the centerpiece of history's assessment of the Bush presidency.

[BenjitheWolfdog]

Letters don't move this Administration and won't until Congress does something that shows they mean business. Until HR 333 goes to the floor for a vote they can expect the Bushies to ignore demands for documents. Time to turn up the heat and hold REAL impeachment hearings, then and only then will the Bush house of cards (and cons) will collapse.

[Ammobob]

Let's see, 400+ investigations since taking power and NOTHING. A million documents turned over already and NOTHING. No appropriations bills and no legislation (a good thing. The 110th DO NOTHING Congress setting DO NOTHING records everyday they are in session. You go PIGMAN! You go CONMAN! On Harry, On Nancy, On Turban Durbin, Ho, Ho, Ho. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

[Bobby]

Let me list the lies and crimes...

The reasons we went to war in Iraq... reasons like weapons of mass destruction, the "mushroom cloud" fear, Iraq was involved in 9/11, democracy in Iraq, Iraqi oil will pay for the war, we will be treated as liberators.

There are still many questions that are unanswered about 9/11. Like, why did Dumbya and Cheney have to testify TOGETHER, and without being sworn under oath?

Plamegate.

Katrina.

Illegal wiretapping.

Torture.

Firing Justice Department attorneys because they refused to follow the Bu$h doctrine.

War profiteering.

Being in bed with BIG oil.

That's just the beginning. Put impeachment BACK on the table, you useless piece of crap Nancy. Grow some spine like Waxman and Feingold.

[BadChristian]

"We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality—ju­diciously, as you will—we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."




the reality based world has been forced to the virtual realm.

And they don't get to study anything important, since it's all National Secrets (a lie... SHHH). They can study Chris Mathews sweaty lip and the Faux News Body language analysis and witch craft detectors. They can listen to people tell about how we tortured them, and how we don't consider what they call torture, torture... And we didn't do it the way they say we did (It was sunnier).

[Ammobob]

Henry the 'Pigman' Waxman is on another fishun' trip. And the Bush Administration refuses to bait their hooks, go figure.

Was the testimony in question sworn?

[falco]

Typical of our government and media. They keep us focused on their charades, but not the right ones. It is appalling that the investigation is being stymied, but what is worse is that they focus on "who outed Plame" instead of "what was Plame working on?" Do you really think this is all about retaliation for her husband's little article about WMD? She was outed because she was working on something that Cheney didn't want revealed, thus the cover-up of her being outed because they didn't like what her husband had to say. (Do you really think the government is so petty that they are going to expose a CIA agent because of an article? They own the media. The article could have been squashed at a higer level.) You see, arms dealers sell to both sides. How embarrassing it would be to find out that our banks fund both sides of the war - every war. Read history. The Rothschilds and their cronies - Bushes, Rockefellers, Harrimans, Dulles, the list goes on, have held themselves above nations, loyalty to none other than themselves and keeping the money and fear machines running. Don't believe me, do the research yourself.