McClellan Hearings May Be Required, Say Congressmen

***UPDATE***

Think Progress reported this afternoon that White House spokesperson Dana Perino told reporters Friday during a press conference that the White House could possibly stop McClellan from testifying before Congress:

QUESTION: Could the White House block him from testifying, if he wanted to testify? Or how does that work?

PERINO: Conceivably?

QUESTION: Yes.

PERINO: Hypothetically, which I'm not supposed to answer a hypothetical, yes, I think so. The law would allow for that. But by saying that, I'm not suggesting that that's what would happen or not happen.

McClellan himself told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Friday that he'd be "glad" to testify about the Bush White House. That and he doesn't see himself apologizing to George Bush any time soon:

"I don't need to ask for any forgiveness from him because my comments are sincere and honest ... it was tough getting to the conclusions I drew, but they were absolutely the truth from my perspective."

The Politico says House Judiciary Chair John Conyers is considering a hearing on the McClellan book to determine the real facts surrounding the Valerie Plame scandal.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) said today that he plans to begin discussions with former White House press secretary Scott McClellan regarding his participation in a congressional hearing.

"I find Mr. McClellan's revelations about attempts to cover-up the Valerie Plame leak extremely troubling. Particularly disturbing is McClellan's assertion that he was specifically directed by Andy Card to 'vouch' for Scooter Libby after the investigation had begun, which, if true, could amount to obstruction of justice beyond that for which Mr. Libby has already been convicted," said Conyers.

---
Florida Congressman Robert Wexler wants Scott McClellan to testify before Congress on the events in his book.

Former Bush spokesman Scott McClellan should testify under oath on Capitol Hill about his explosive new book in which he sharply criticizes his old boss, a Democratic congressman said Friday.

Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Florida, said McClellan, who served as the president's press secretary before leaving the White House in 2006, would be able to provide valuable insight into a number of issues that the House Judiciary Committee is investigating.

Comments

[Troubledwawa]

Scott McClellan won't be the last one in that administration to come clean. I have to admit, he and the future others could have done this a little sooner.

On the bright side; next February, this administration won't be able to block anyone from testifying in front of Congress or a Grand Jury.

[escobar]

Too bad Clinton didn't think of this when Congress wated to know about his sex playmates.

[oncethere]

And these are the self-righteous people who cried, "Clinton lied under oath, we can't have that." Who wasted the governmnent's treasury and nation's time for two years to prove that Clinton lied about sex. It's all too much for me. Is it any wonder that, sadly, so many Democratic senators have experienced brain maladies---from Biden's aneuryisms to Kennedy's cancer----over the last 8 years.

[lornejl]

If anyone uses torrents..­.

http://www.mininova.org/tor/1457316

[kel]

I have to agree if he felt this was all BS at the time he should have stood up to all of them and America -
of course he faced his public beating and spin. You, you left wing blogger (oh, Karl is that all you got?)

I am not so sure how any one of those Press Secretaries dealt with all of the BS, and lies - it's good he's coming clean but at the cost of so many human lives and our world reputation a little to late.
Oh, and this will be old news, someone else will take the fall (Scooter Libby) and in a few days Brit or
a tornado will be bigger news. Move along people we know Bush is full of lies and married to Karl Rove aka Lucifer in real life.

[bxmask]

I think it's easy for someone on the outside to say what he should have done but I believe it was very difficult for him to speak up. The Bush White House has harshly discouraged speaking out. They are bullies and that's why you see top cabinet members dropping out. Bush and Cheney bullied Colin Powell, a respected and decorated war veteran, into pressing for war so I KNOW McClellan felt intimidated. I think it's great that he has come out. I think the same (or more) energy needs to go into this investigation as Congress dedicates to investigating steroids in sports. Bush and Cheney think they are above the law and since they are at the end of their term, this is the perfect fire to hold them accountable for their actions while in power.

[escobar]

I agree.
Well, Angelina just had a baby.....t­hat should draw a lot of press attention.
It is shocking and awesome how little they value human suffering and what greedy traitors they are at heart.

[lobear00]

It does'nt matter when or if , sooner or later, this administration would be doing the same thing their doing at this time. They have done this in the past and not even the congress paid any attention to the people making the charge. The "Media would not give these people the time of day.
Until the Democrats in the congress stop being "cowards and put the Republicans in their place the "corruption in both this administration and on the right in the congress will continue.

[longislandlol]

They want to run out the clock---

[angelbravo]

They will do that. Its just a matter of how long before info trickles out.

[numbnuts]

There good at that. Look at the Florida recount!

[dawlishgal]

How dumb does Bush think people are? If they stonewall an investigation, people will assume that they are even more guilty than they probably are . Certainly there must be some crooked illegal immora destructive crony-rewarding l thing that they forgot to try..at least I would be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt if they make a full disclosure of exactly what they did and why--if, indeed, they even know why).

[SouthpawSass]

Bush knows how dumb people are... He was President for 8 years and we let him get away with murder...

[fumes]

we? i didn't vote for him either time! he's had the tone of a phony used car salesman from the beginning. lose the ''we''.

[TLV]

Only roughly 58,000,000 American voters were that dumb. The rest of knew what was going on for a long time.

[lobear00]

Well ' Bush himself is very "Dumb, The Media has been protecting this administration in covering up all the crimes commited and not reporting it to the public. Let's not forget "Corporate Media is controlled by "You guessed it "Republicans.
All the Hearings in the congress by the "Democrats were blocked by the "Republicans, this has been their little plan since the Democrats took control in 2007.

[hypnotoad72]

An inference, but a valid one. Assumptions are never a good thing, but if I were them, I'd let Scott have his say and then respond to them and get it over with. There are other perspectives.

[badinko]

"what did the president know and when did he know it"

on Olbermann on Wednesday, Mclellan flat out stated that the president stated "yes I did" when asked whether he authorized the leak of the operative's name. As far I know, his testimony would be the first piece of direct evidence against the president in this case.

With all the evidence against libby and rove as well, who clearly were protecting the president, all democrats and republicans should investigate and impeach this president for his crimes. Although we cannot expect Republicans to show such moral fortitude to the fundraising king of their party, all democrats should and all democrat voters should contact their representatives and hold their feet to the fire if they dont do the job they should have been doing all along, especially in the face of direct testimony from an insider and member of the administration stating that the president committed treason.

[TLV]

"WHAT HAPPENED" is probably the most stupid title for a book I've seen in a long, long time. McClellan most likely wanted to add a "DUH!" and then question mark at the end so as to appear clueless to all the secrets he was privy to but denies knowing about.

I realize Fleisher was press secretary at the time, but I say it's time to reopen the 9/11 hearings with all McClellan says he's willing to spill. A group of dark-skinned, educated young men - many of whom claim to still be alive - didn't make the Twin Towers come down at free fall speed.

[juangault]

TLV, you're treading on the line that nobody wants to cross. Maybe it would be better to get some real dirt on the Kennedy assassination, where we had two govt. reports, one contradicting the other.

[TLV]

Ah, yes. The Kennedy assassination. Now who was that George H.W. Bush who worked for the CIA at the time and claimed to be tracking someone about to kill Kennedy? Hmmm. That name sounds so familiar.

[badinko]

I agree with you 100%.

[ResistanceisFutile]

Bush books a room for McClellan in Gitmo. How soon before we read that headline?

McCellan is another brick in the crumbling wall.

Despite what his distractors say, McClellan was on the inside and is now only confirming what was already known of suspected.

[NYCdowntown]

They want to block! ?? That seriously says "We don't want him telling the truth!"

GOP is cooked!

[juangault]

It'll be interesting how this all pans out, especially if the next president has the testicular fortitude to bring on the justice, and not sweep it under the rug. There's a possibility of an end to the Republican party as we know it. This is Paul's opportunity, to restart the Republicans under a new name (The Federalist's?) on the premise of fiscal responsibility, governmental, corporate, and private. Put the human issues into the realm outside govt concern, ala the Libertarian angle. America can be sustainable, if it can stay out of bankruptcy, and stop being tempted by heaven or hell. The heaven of everyone being happy, the hell of perpetual foreign war and it's expense.

[SouthpawSass]

Eventually, Perino will realize she too is being used... Only, she probably won't mind.

[OleHippieChick]

Bwah! :-PPPP

[ethancorso]

Perino is not being used...she­'s a wiling participant.

[SouthpawSass]

They prefer their press people to be a bit, how shall I say, dopey... McClellan seemed a bit dopey. Then it became obvious he just wasn't comfortable lying. Tony Snow on the other hand, having come from FOX, seemed more at ease with deception.­..

[JoJoKewl]

- + BraveLeonidas See Profile I'm a Fan of BraveLeonidas
Leather panties ABOVE six-pack abs?

Sounds like someone is having daydreams about night things...

Of couse I misspoke. Thank you for correcting me. When you coming out of the closet??? Tell Jeff Gannon and Ted Haggard I said howdy wontcha???

[AMJordan]

Psst--I think Leather-Stocking Tail has gone away.

[AMJordan]

I guess I was wrong.

[ProfessorDuh]

By attempting to censor the congressional hearings, the White House is admitting they are desperately afraid of the truth being aired.

[returnofthejedi]

Agreed....­.....would only add that at that point Congress should be about tired of this little charrade game and get on with responsible competent hearings.

[oncethere]

Kathleen Parker, in her column today, compares McClellan to the quiet, unassuming "serial killer next door" who finally reveals himself to be a horrible human being. She calls him "incompetent," a "loser" and possessed of a "social disability­." She believes he should have quit his job if he thought his boss was devious and dishonarable.

This is a bizarre take on McClellan. None of it feels right. It is an expression of a mean-spirit with a smiling face. It feels like she is pasting what would be an appropriate analysis of Bundy onto an ordinary Republican. I don't think it's possible for someone to get it more wrong.

Parker's column is a glimpse into the Republican psyche---and it is one that is incapable of taking any responsiblity for the bad acts which McClellan seems to be trying to bring to light.

[ThunderclapNewman]

Parker long ago ascended to the heights of GOP Hackery.
She lacks every intellectually reflective quality required of a real journalist.

[BatMasterson2]

Or descended to the deepest darkest depths.

[TakeSake]

The loyalty of which they speak of is personal loyalty to W, Cheney, etc. Not loyalty to oneself, the U.S., the Constitution, etc. Only loyalty to W matters. W is like feudal king or a corrupt, idiotic Roman emperor; any perceived or real slight against him is tantamount to an attack on him and on the state, for they are one and the same.

To the Bush family, McClellan did the second worst thing: he criticized, and therefore attacked W, as someone who was supposed to be loyal. The worst thing to the Bush family is for them to owe someone - it is their goal that everyone owes them. They therefore have no responsibility, they have plenty of strings to pull. I don't think McClellan will have that problem.

The people who noisily attack McClellan owe something to the Bush family in proportion to how loud they are.

[ProfessorDuh]

She is just taking her cue from Bush. Bush is now throwing a temper tantrum over his former press secretary's violation of the crime family code of omertà.
Being so stupid, of course, Bush doesn't realize that he is now officially nothing, and this is merely the beginning of a savaging of his reputation the likes of which we haven't seen since Herbert Hoover and beyond. The Bush family name will be forever ruined, and Bush himself will become a synonym for "stupid, craven, lying, fascist filth."
Bush retains only the power to further damage his reputation, along with this nation, and it's a sure bet he will exercise it.

[ProfessorDuh]

High praise indeed, coming from a woman who has always been a shrill, lying GOP shill.

[willymanet]

If White House accusations that McClellan is telling lies have any substance, why block him from testifying under Oath before the congress?

Something is not right here; if I believe someone is telling lies, I will allow him to get into more trouble by testifying under oath, because by that he will be telling lies under oath, which is a serious offense with serious jail time.

The White House is speaking with both mouths and they think we are not intelligent enough to use our brain.

It is unbelievable to think that these are the same set of people that were leading this country for the past 7 years. No matter what happens, we should ensure that the Republicans lose the WhiteHouse, because if they loose, alot of sh*t is going to come out and we the public will be in for a shocker.

Vote for Obama, Hillary, Green Party, for anyone on the ballot in November but McCain and we will see the behind the sceen operations of the White House for the past eight years.

[bumpersticker]

It would appear that "Under Oath" is the great fear of this administration. They avoid it at all costs, and they may try to block knowers of truth from going under oath. What a tragic testament for the nation when the light of truth is the testament so feared by those we have entrusted with our national soul.

[chroipahtz]

For the same reason Karl Rove refused to testify in the Siegelman case for a long time despite having no doubt that Siegelman was making it all up.