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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: executive privilege

executive privilege stories: 26 news summaries

1 - 20 of 26 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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(Newser) - Despite President Obama’s promise of transparency, the administration is blocking requests for the White House visitors list, MSNBC reports, defying two federal court rulings that the lists are public record. In addition to denying MSNBC’s request for a list of all visitors since Jan. 20, the Secret Service... More »

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Barack Obama • Secret Service • Freedom of Information Act • executive privilege • watchdog • visitor logs • transparency • Obama administration • President Obama

(Newser) - The White House will roll out a plan next week to oversee executive pay and more deeply regulate Wall Street, the New York Times reports. Officials are still debating the details, but under the proposal, the Fed will supervise compensation at financial firms, banks, and other companies—even ones that... More »

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Barack Obama • Wall Street • executive privilege • derivatives market • hedge fund • executive bonuses

Obama Could Expose Secrets of the Bush Years

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

Feb 10, 09 9:19 AM CST
(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
... More »

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Bush administration • rendition • torture • US attorneys scandal • executive privilege • black sites • warrantless wiretapping

OPINION

 Investigate Bush: Conyers 

Congress must review his abuses to prevent a repeat

Jan 16, 09 11:29 AM CST
(Newser) - As the country moves forward, we can’t afford to repeat the mistakes of the past: it’s time to review the abuses of the Bush administration, writes Michigan congressman John Conyers, Jr. in the Washington Post. Congress must keep pushing for “stonewalled” Bush documents; it should create an... More »

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Congress • executive privilege • John Conyers • probe • interrogation techniques • domestic wiretapping • Iraq war • George W. Bush • criminal investigation

Bush Could Block Probes Even After He Steps Down

Soon-to-be ex-prez has Truman, Nixon precedents for keeping executive privilege

Nov 13, 08 5:34 AM CST
(Newser) - President Bush may be able to maintain his executive privilege to block investigations even after he leaves office, the New York Times reports. Harry Truman successfully claimed he had the right not to testify in 1953, nearly a year after he left office, and Richard Nixon later used Truman's case... More »

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Bush administration • Congress • Congressional investigations • subpoenas • executive privilege • subpoena • US Constitution • George W. Bush

 Bush Aides Must Testify: Judge

Judge rejects administration's interpretation of executive privilege

Jul 31, 08 12:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Turning aside White House arguments that top aides are protected from subpoenas by executive privilege, a judge ruled today that Harriet Miers must testify before a congressional committee on the firings of nine federal prosecutors, the Washington Post reports. Miers and fellow aide Joshua Bolten can, however, invoke executive privilege... More »

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Congress • prosecutor • Harriet Miers • executive privilege • subpoena • Josh Bolten • US attorney firings

'Creative' Bush Order Shields Cheney from Plame Probe 

Cheney's FBI interviews kept from Congress with executive privilege claim

Jul 17, 08 3:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Bush has invoked an unprecedented executive privilege claim to bar FBI interviews with Dick Cheney from a congressional committee probing the leak that exposed Valerie Plame as a CIA agent, Newsweek reports. The Bush order argues that turning over the records of Cheney's grilling concerning the scandal would violate... More »

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Dick Cheney • Valerie Plame • executive privilege • George W. Bush • House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform • Plamegate

OPINION

Separation of Powers? Leave Prez's BlackBerry Out of It

Scrutiny on email deprives executive of key communications tool—though not Congress

Jun 9, 08 4:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - The 44th president will almost certainly kick off his term by quitting email cold turkey, Jamie Sneider writes in the Weekly Standard. With executive-branch communication subject to public-disclosure law, President Bush hasn't send a single message, the former White House aide says—a coping mechanism that "fails to strike... More »

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Dick Cheney • Karl Rove • Monica Goodling • email • BlackBerry • executive privilege • Executive Branch • Presidential Records Act

 Showdown Looms
 Over Cheney Staffer 

VP battling House subpoena for key aide on interrogation policy

May 7, 08 10:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - Whether a key Dick Cheney aide can be forced to testify is at the heart of a pending blow-up between Congress and the White House over a probe into interrogation techniques, Reuters reports. The House Judiciary Committee plans to subpoena Cheney's chief of staff, David Addington—but the vice president... More »

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Dick Cheney • CIA • John Ashcroft • House Judiciary Committee • executive privilege • subpoena • Josh Bolten • waterboarding • interrogation techniques • David Addington • harsh interrogation

Mukasey Nixes Bush Aides Contempt Case

AG rejects House request, saying no crime was committed

Mar 1, 08 5:12 AM CST
(Newser) - A  showdown over executive privilege got more likely yesterday when Attorney General Michael Mukasey said he wouldn't pursue contempt charges against two Bush aides, Reuters reports. Mukasey rejected the request from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to refer the case to a grand jury, arguing that they had committed no crime... More »

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Nancy Pelosi • Democrats • Harriet Miers • House of Representatives • executive privilege • Josh Bolten • US attorney firings • Michael Mukasey • George W. Bush

OPINION

2007's Biggest White House Whoppers

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

Jan 1, 08 4:10 PM CST
(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
... More »

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Bush administration • Alberto Gonzales • Sara Taylor • executive privilege • Lewis Scooter Libby • US attorney firings • Geneva Convention • George W. Bush

Bush Can't Protect Rove, Senator Says

Executive privilege doesn't hold; ex-aides ordered to testify

Nov 29, 07 1:21 PM CST
(Newser) - President Bush’s attempts to protect Karl Rove from testifying about the firings of US attorneys were shot down today by the Senate Judiciary Committee, meaning Rove will likely face contempt charges unless he complies with congressional subpoenas, the Associated Press reports. Bush had cited executive privilege, which protects advisers,... More »

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Karl Rove • Patrick Leahy • executive privilege • US attorney firings • Michael Mukasey • George W. Bush

Dems Threaten White House With Contempt

Last warning on mum aides in probe of
fired attorneys

Nov 6, 07 7:24 AM CST
(Newser) - Democrats have threatened a vote holding White House aides in contempt of Congress if they don't cooperate with an investigation into last year's firing of federal attorneys, the AP reports. A citation, approved this summer by a House judiciary committee, was filed yesterday. If approved by the entire House, a... More »

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Congress • White House • Harriet Miers • subpoenas • executive privilege • Josh Bolten • contempt of congress

Bush Aide Stonewalls Senators

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

Aug 2, 07 3:29 PM CDT
(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... More »

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Bush administration • Congress • Karl Rove • Senate • White House • Sara Taylor • Patrick Leahy • executive privilege • Judiciary Committee • US attorney firings • Scott Jennings • scandal

Rove Won't Testify, Citing Privilege

Counsel orders adviser to keep mum; Gonzales stands pat on testimony

Aug 2, 07 6:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - The White House has ordered Karl Rove to keep quiet—despite a subpoena by congressional Dems probing the US Attorney firings. In a political fait accompli, counsel Fred Fielding told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the adviser is "immune from compelled congressional testimony" about White House machinations. More »

MORE ABOUT:
Alberto Gonzales • Department of Justice • Karl Rove • investigation • Attorney General • Senate Judiciary Committee • White House • executive privilege • National Security Agency • warrantless wiretapping

House Committee Charges
Bush Aides With Contempt

Judiciary Committee votes along party lines to issue contempt citations to Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolten

Jul 25, 07 3:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - The House Judiciary Committee voted to issue contempt citations to two of President Bush's top aides for defying subpoenas related to the US attorney firings scandal, edging Congress closer to a Constitutional showdown with the White House over its claims of executive privilege. The committee voted along party lines 22-17... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Bush administration • Congress • US attorney • Democrats • Republican • Harriet Miers • executive privilege • contempt • Josh Bolten • US attorney firings • District of Columbia • contempt of congress • constitutional showdown • Constitution • George W. Bush

White House Expands Exec Privilege Claims

Congressional Dems face new obstacle in
US attorneys probe

Jul 20, 07 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - White House officials have made a broad new claim to executive privilege that would block the Justice Department from pursuing contempt charges initiated by Congress, the Washington Post reports. Citing a Regan-era legal opinion, they argued that "A US attorney would not be permitted to bring contempt charges or... More »

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Bush administration • Congress • US attorney • Democrats • White House • executive privilege

Bush Chief of Staff May Face Contempt Charge

House panel rejects privilege claim

Jul 20, 07 6:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten may face contempt charges over the administration's refusal  to turn over subpoenened documents. A House panel yesterday voted 7-3 to reject the White House contention that the documents—sought in the probe of the dismissals of US attorneys—are covered by executive privilege,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
US attorney • House Judiciary Committee • Harriet Miers • executive privilege • Josh Bolten • Linda Sanchez

Miers May Face Contempt

House panel finds former attorney to Bush was out of order in stiffing subpoena

Jul 12, 07 5:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - In a 7-5 vote, a House panel found that former White House counsel Harriet Miers was out of order when she rebuffed a subpoena calling for her to testify about her involvement in the US attorney firings last year. Miers declined to appear before the Judiciary Committee  under orders from... More »

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Democratic Congress • Attorney General • US attorneys scandal • Harriet Miers • subpoenas • executive privilege

Bush Aide
Will Invoke
Exec Privilege

Promises to answer limited questions as "willing private citizen"

Jul 11, 07 5:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Former Bush political director Sara Taylor will answer limited questions from Congress but steer clear of anything she thinks would violate executive privilege, according to a copy of her opening statement released early this morning. Taylor is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee later today as part of... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Bush administration • US attorneys scandal • Senate Judiciary Committee • Sara Taylor • executive privilege

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