Senate Democrats Subpoena Mukasey Over Detainees

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats on Tuesday subpoenaed Attorney General Michael Mukasey for testimony and documents about the Justice Department's legal advice to the White House on detention and interrogation policies since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., complained to Mukasey that after five years of efforts to glean the information, the committee still has seen only a fraction of the documents it is seeking.

"There is no legitimate argument for withholding the requested materials from this committee," Leahy wrote in a letter to Mukasey that accompanied the subpoena.

The document compels Mukasey to appear before Leahy's panel on Nov. 18 and bring with him documents from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel concerning the legality of White House policies toward military detainees.

Leahy wrote that Mukasey might satisfy the subpoena "initially" by providing an uncensored index of the legal memoranda he is seeking.

Leahy is unlikely to get the documents, given the waning months of the Bush presidency.

At a committee hearing last month, Republicans complained that Leahy's effort to get the documents was partisan and the request too broad for Mukasey to comply before the Nov. 4 election.

Nonetheless, the panel voted Sept. 25 along party lines to approve Leahy's authority to issue the subpoena.

Additionally, Bush could declare the requested materials off-limits under executive privilege, as he has in other disputes over Congress' access to executive branch deliberations.

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On the Net:

Senate Judiciary Committee: http://judiciary.senate.gov

Justice Department: http://www.usdoj.gov

Comments

[PepperzMom]

"At a committee hearing last month, Republicans complained that Leahy's effort to get the documents was partisan and the request too broad for Mukasey to comply before the Nov. 4 election."

And what does the 11/4 election date have to do with the work required of Mukasey? He's not up for election...can't he multi-task???