Karl Rove, The White House And The Rule Of Law

Today was the deadline for a Judiciary Committee subpoena issued to Karl Rove, demanding his appearance before the Committee to testify on his role in the politicization of the Department of Justice and the politically selective prosecutions of Democrats. Unfortunately, Mr. Rove chose not to show up.

The claim that Mr. Rove and the White House make is that high-level aides to the president are totally immune from compelled congressional testimony. Not that there are certain subjects they cannot discuss in a public hearing, nor that the White House has a right to review questions that are asked, but that they are in a class entirely by themselves -- a separate group that is above the reach of a subpoena and, consequently, above the law.

Over the past 18 months, congressional inquiries have uncovered a level of politicization that runs the breadth of the administration and profoundly threatens one of the core elements of our democracy -- equal justice under law. We have seen it in the firing of nine U.S. Attorneys for partisan political purposes, in the hiring practices at the Justice Department, and apparently in the politically selective prosecution of Democrats like Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. Thorough investigation of these abuses of power requires that Congress get answers from the Executive Branch. By ignoring the Judiciary Committee subpoena, Karl Rove and the White House once again showed their utter disregard for our system of checks and balances, for Congress as a co-equal branch of government, and ultimately for the American people.

The question that now confronts the Judiciary Committee and, ultimately, the full House of Representatives, is what action to take in the face of such blatant defiance of the rule of law. As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I am considering all options. Regardless of the path we take, the end result must be the same: the full restoration of our Constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no one -- not Karl Rove and not the president -- is above the law.

Comments

[mamajama]

Throw the bastard in jail.

[karela]

Absolutely!!! Go get 'em Congressman. Somebody with muscle is going to have to stand up to them if we are to have a nation of laws again. I hope that you do not falter. Please use all the authority the law allows you to bring back our system of checks and balances!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

Congressman Conyers,

You are the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Didn't Congressman Kucinich offer two "privileged resolutions" to separately impeach Cheney, H.Res. 333/799, and Bush, H.Res. 1258?

Under the House rules, since both impeachment bills are "privileged resolutions", don't they require "immediate action" by Congress?

Our Constitution requires accountability.

While you are asking for the rule of law to be followed with respect to a subpoena issued to Rove, haven't you participated with Pelosi and others in blocking the impeachment action against Cheney? Against Bush?

Doesn't your action as the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee effectively nullify the rule of law under the Constitution and effectively endorse the actions taken by the imperial president?

We used to have the rule of law. What happened to it?

[Swedishgal]

Congress has allowed them to get away with everything so why would they think any different? If I ignored a subpoena a bench warrant would be put out on me and I would forced to go and serve jail time so why isn't the 'boy genius'? Don't give him a pass! Hold him to the same standards as the rest of us! They've been allowed to get away with too much already!

[Joeblue]

I think you need to investigate Ms. Pelosi, she acts as if she is being blackmailed into not doing her job.

[cae]

Rep Conyers, you say that no one-neither Karl Rove nor the President-is above the law. But so far they and many others in this administration HAVE BEEN above the law. Yet basically NOTHING has been done. So your words sound good, but we have heard them soooooooo many times before and no results.

DO SOMETHING! STAND FOR SOMETHING! (Like how about the rule of law--is that asking too much? If so, please resign and get someone in there with some honor and backbone)

[gloriar8]

Lots of people are saying congress doesn't have time to impeach Bush, before he leaves office. Really?? What the hell else are you doing? As far as Rove, the energy you used to write this editorial should have been used to arrest the b*stard. If you people don't feel the outrage of the citizens of this country, then I know you will be overwhelmed when the people take to the streets like they did back in the 60's. If Tricky Dick had tried to flaunt power by usurping the constitution, his a** would have been gone faster than he did. Congress got paid a lt less then, but they did a helluva lot more than you people do now. Pelosi is a joke. I am a woman and I am sorry to see that she got that position, she's done nothing to warrant it.

Stop asking us what to do, you know what to do. But since you did ask us what to do, how about put some of your salary back into the coffers.

[archerlane]

Stop talking or writing about what you are going to do and DO something.

Why Blog about what you are doing? I do not pay taxes for blogging, I pay taxes for representation.

Your time would be better spent filling out the forms to drag him in to custody.

[cuchulain]

Representative Conyers,

Why have you and the Dems in general allowed this to happen? Bush is the most unpopular president in our history, yet the democratic leadership still seems afraid of him. The Republican brand is down the tubes, but you still seem unwilling to establish your own in opposition to that tainted brand.

You just handed that most unpopular president a major victory with the FISA vote, and you're rolling over on Rove and the rest of the subpoenas. Do you think the American people are stupid? We all know that if we were subpoenaed and didn't show up, we'd be in jail in a New York minute.

Please do your duty to the Constitution. No more extended deadlines, and extensions of those extensions. Arrest him. And then barrage the media, in unison, with why. Tell everyone within earshot what Rove has done. Tell the nation what Rove and Bush and Cheney have done. Tell them that they have lied, committed felonies repeatedly, and have gotten away with them. Yes, felonies. As you know, the illegal wiretapping program was a felony, just to name one.

Again, if the American people commit a felony, they go to jail. If they refuse to obey a subpoena, they go to jail. When Bush and Rove and Cheney commit felonies, they skate. Or, leave office and get ginormous book deals, speaker fees, writing gigs and heaven knows what else to enrich them.

Please stop the madness.

[ohmercy]

And Mr. Conyers, while you are at it let's do something about the media and political and corporate coverage.
Is there some way to overthrow them?
Arrest them for dereliction of duty?
Throw them in jail for abrogating their responsibility to the public as the fourth estate?
Anything?

;-}

Meanwhile, go get them.
Please do not let these bums get away scot free.
Many of us know that the wheels of justice grind exceedingly slow... but it really is time.
And YES before the election so the public understand what a crooked, fasciist leaning administration we have had.
NO MORE.

[The 13 Colonies]

I agree, OFF to Jail . Nobody is above the law....................................

[jazzman]

Thanks John Conyers for your determination to investigate and pursue the Administration on these matters. However, you have one obstacle that you will never be able to overcome. It's called the Democratic Leadership. You see, for some strange reason they are just as determined to let Bush get away with breaking the law, politicizing the government, and destroy the Constitution as he is in doing it. So, what we have here is not a breakdown of the rule of law by an administration but a breakdown of the Constitution and governing by the entire US government. Therein lies the true tragedy.

"Impeachment is off the table..." Nancy Pelosi

[Ozy]

You sir are a disapointment!

You are in a system which is corrupt and are stuck in a no win situation. You are just one of the reps and not a true leader. You have my sympathy but not my admiration. What a sad world when the Bush administration can ignore checks and balances,commit crimes and sh^! on the constitution. Amreica is getting what it deserves We who have done our service to America are ashamed of you all!

[OgreDaddy]

Representative Conyers can only do so much on his own.

He's up against a very well planned strategy put in play by Cheney, Rove and the OLC.

They have deliberately challenged constitutional law in every way possible
knowing full well that any counter offense will get dragged out all the way to the supreme court.

And there, they have stacked the deck in their favor.

The members of Congress who ARE doing what they can have run into stone walling at every turn
by those who have benefitted so handsomely from Bush administration policies.

There's a serious power struggle in Washington lead by a few honorable patriots
against the most corrupt administration and Congress in U.S. history.

[dana94591]

Right on, Representative Conyers!!!! Go get 'em!!

[Repub4Obama]

Please issue a bench warrant for failure to appear. It would happen to us little guys if we did that. What's to think about? Issue a warrant and arrest him, arraign him, and bring him to testify. The only question is one of timing.

If you do this now, he will postpone until Bush can issue a Presidential Pardon, just like Bill Clinton did for all of his cronies.

Please, do whatever it is you decide to do, but please do something. Inaction is immasculating our democratic process.

[WannaReadAtWork]

What to do?

Arrest him.

Please. Do it now.

[Torus34]

Rep. Conyers;

What specific action have you taken to redress Mr. Rove's failure to appear before Congress?

And please, Sir, don't cite your editorial. It does nothing, and you well know it.

What legal actions you take as a legislator must, ultimately, be the test of your words as a political entity.

[guajiro]

" May, 22, 2008 ---- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) issued a subpoena Thursday to former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove for testimony about politicization of the Department of Justice (DOJ), including the case of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, who was jailed for bribery in what was widely seen as a political prosecution."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Conyers_subpoenas_Karl_Rove_0522.html

Any more questions?

[FunkyP]

Yeah; who will enforce this subpoena?

[veracity]

Chairman Conyers, can you IMAGINE Nixon White House officials, Clinton White House officials, cigarette company executives, oil company executives, mafia underlords, Vietnam war generals, & other American citizens _REFUSING_ to appear before Congress to testify on issues vital to Ameica's governance?
Well, that is precisely the scenario you and Speaker Pelosi's 110th Congress have presented the history books. "No, we won't go! before Congress," Karl Rove, Harriett Meirs, & Josh Bolton declare... so Speaker Pelosi scurries back to her war-lobby donors, and pretends not to notice.

For Shame!

Speaker Pelosi should SHUT DOWN THE CONGRESS, and DEMAND that Karl Rove answer the simple question, under oath: "Did you have ANYTHING to do with the prosecution of Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, or no?"
Recall that Mr. Siegelman was (probably) robbed of his 2002 Alabama reelection as Governor by a midnight vote count in a Republican district behind closed doors, much as Kerry lost Ohio in 2004). t

Recall that 2002-2003 was the height of the Bush's administration's public approval polls, and that in concert with the huge GOP political donations war chest, and Republican control of the White House, Senate, Congress, and most federal courts (including USSC), Republicans thought they could get away with anything - even snatching election wins from a sitting Dem. goverrnor, and then tossing him in prison for daring to run for reelection!

Speaker Pelosi's failure to make this the leadership issue it deserves to be is at best criminally negligent, at worst, criminal complicity in corruption.