Bush Aide Will Invoke Exec Privilege

Senator stands behind subpoenas in US attorney probe

(NEWSER) - Patrick Leahy has a message for White House officials who object to subpoenas issued in the US attorney firing investigation: See you in court. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman took the dispute over executive privilege to the airwaves today, saying, "If they don't cooperate, yes, I'll go that far" when asked about a congressional vote on contempt charges. More»

On torture, wiretapping, and more, Bush legacy rests with successor

(NEWSER) - Good government groups spent years suing and lobbying to expose the Bush administration’s secrets. Will President Obama spill the beans on his predecessor? Politico outlines major secrets Obama can choose to air or keep:

• US attorney firings: Claiming executive privilege, Karl Rove refused to testify. But Rove has been re-subpoenaed, and Obama may get to make the final choice.

Slate runs down the Bush team's most dubious legal claims

(NEWSER) - In her second annual roundup of the Bush administration's most egregious legal arguments, Dahlia Lithwick of Slate offers her top 10 doozies:

1. The United States does not torture
2. State-secrets privilege used to shield almost anything.
3. Almost anything Alberto Gonzales said.
4. The nine US attorneys were fired for cause.
5. Anyone who talks to the president is barred from congressional testimony by executive privilege.

Rove snubs Judiciary Committee; 29-year-old staffer pleads for sympathy

(NEWSER) - Karl Rove didn't show up, but the White House sent a 29-year-old aide to field Senate Judiciary Committee questions about the US attorney firings today. Scott Jennings, the first administration figure to testify while still in office, followed the path laid out by ex-boss Sara Taylor in refusing to answer substantive questions, reports the AP. More»

Sara Taylor respects former boss's executive privilege claim

(NEWSER) - Former White House political adviser Sara Taylor never discussed the ouster of nine US attorneys with President Bush, she told the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The subpoenaed Taylor said little else about the Justice Department scandal, citing executive privilege, but waffled occasionally between discretion and disclosure—for instance apologizing for having called one fired attorney "lazy" in an email. More»