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December 2, 2008 8:56:55 AM CST

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Congressional investigations

Congressional investigations news stories

13 Stories

Bush Could Block Probes Even After He Steps Down

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

New York Times New York Times 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 as a precedent. Experts believe Bush will revive the claim if subpoenaed by any of the congressional committees probing alleged misdeeds during his administration. More »

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

Senate to Hold Drug Water Hearings

Lawmakers press EPA to establish task force on contaminants

Associated Press Associated Press Mar 11, 08 6:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Alarmed by an AP story, two top senators vowed yesterday to probe drug traces in US drinking water. Sen. Barbara Boxer and Sen. Frank Lautenberg plan to lead hearings next month to "protect our residents and clean up our water supply," Lautenberg said. The first of AP's three PharmaWater stories reported that antibiotics, sex hormones, and dozens of other drugs float in water consumed by 41 million Americans. More »

More about:  Environmental Protection Agency • pharmaceutical • drinking water • Congressional investigations • Congressional oversight • Barbara Boxer • water supply

House Page Program Under Fire Again

Bipartisan support for probe into charges about teen pages

Associated Press Associated Press Dec 13, 07 3:07 PM CST
(Newser) - House leaders called for an independent investigation yesterday into “allegations” related to teenage pages after two Republican resignations from the House Page Board. The Republicans faulted House Clerk Lorraine Miller, a page program administrator, for not “immediately” alerting them to misbehavior. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, who resigned, said four pages have been ejected this year due to shoplifting and sexual misconduct. More »

More about:  Nancy Pelosi • John Boehner • Congressional investigations • congressional pages • Ginny Brown Waite

Budget Batters FDA Oversight of Foreign Drugs

Commissioner to testify before Congress today

Washington Post Washington Post Nov 1, 07 4:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - The federal Food and Drug Administration's spotty record inspecting foreign drug manufacturers will be even worse next year as its budget drops just as developing countries are flooding the market with new medications, reports the Washington Post . Foreign drug plants are inspected only once every eight to 12 years because of budget restrictions, as opposed to every two years required for American makers. More »

More about:  China • India • FDA • prescription drugs • imports • developing countries • Congressional investigations • oversight • House Energy and Commerce Committee

Did Drug Officials Boost GOP Reps?

White House arranged appearances to prop up weak candidates, Dems charge

Washington Post Washington Post Jul 18, 07 5:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Public appearances by top guns in the Office of National Drug Control Policy may have been used to support vulnerable GOP Congressman in the run-up to the '06 elections, a Democratic lawmaker charged yesterday. Henry Waxman, chair of the House Oversight Committee, said it was part of a larger White House scheme to politicize federal agencies. More »

More about:  Congress • White House • Henry Waxman • Congressional investigations

CIA Dirty Deeds Detailed in Documents

Illicit 'family jewels'
of Watergate era declassified

Washington Post Washington Post Jun 27, 07 5:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - Assassination plots, illegal wiretapping and spying at political conventions were among the lowlights illuminated in hundreds of pages of CIA documents from the Watergate era declassified yesterday. Illicit acts known in the agency as the "family jewels" included a $150,000 CIA payment to a mobster to kill Fidel Castro and a plan to poison an African premier. More »

More about:  CIA • Michael Hayden • Richard Nixon • Congressional investigations • oversight • Watergate • family jewels

Democrats Don't Live Up to Hype

New majority's accomplishments are
few, and mostly symbolic

Economist Economist Jun 12, 07 4:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Seven months after wresting control of Congress from Republicans, Democrats have failed to make good on their promises, writes the Economist . Almost none of the bills introduced in the first "100 hours" has become law, AG Alberto Gonzalez still has a job, and an Iraq pullout is nowhere in sight. More »

More about:  George W. Bush • Iraq war • Congress • Republican • Democrats • Alberto Gonzales • Democratic Congress • Senate Democrats • Congressional investigations

No. 2 at Justice to Step Down

Washington Post Washington Post May 14, 07 6:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty will quit the Justice Department after admitting he misled a Senate committee in its investigation into nine fired US attorneys. Three other top Justice officials have resigned in recent weeks, but McNulty, AG Alberto Gonzales' second-in-command and himself a former US attorney, is the highest-ranking casualty of the scandal to date. More »

More about:  Department of Justice • Alberto Gonzales • investigation • Attorney General • US attorney • Congressional investigations • Paul McNulty

Comey Defends Fired Attorneys

Most were strong performers, former deputy AG tells
House panel

The Hill The Hill May 4, 07 8:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - Most of the U.S. attorneys axed en masse by the Justice Department last year weren't underperforming, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey told a House panel yesterday. Comey, who left Justice over a year before the firings, said he'd rated the attorneys' performance for Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson in 2005. More »

More about:  Congress • Bush administration • scandals • Alberto Gonzales • US attorney • Democratic Congress • Congressional investigations • Monica Goodling • James Comey

Bush Still Gonzo For Alberto

Senate testimony "increased my confidence," says President

New York Times New York Times Apr 24, 07 7:06 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Bush is sticking with his beleaguered attorney general despite negative reviews of his performance at last week's Senate hearing from both sides of the aisle. Bush said the testimony from Alberto Gonzales on the pink-slipped U.S. attorneys, roundly characterized as evasive, "increased my confidence in his ability." More »

More about:  George W. Bush • Bush administration • Alberto Gonzales • Attorney General • US attorneys scandal • Congressional investigations • Senate hearings

Gonzales Refuses to Resign

Bipartisan criticism peppers AG's Senate testimony on U.S. attorney firings

Washington Post Washington Post Apr 19, 07 4:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said under oath today he had only limited involvement in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys and "did not do anything improper." Testifying before  clearly hostile lawmakers, he spurned calls that he step down, saying, "The moment I believe I can no longer be effective, I will resign." More »

More about:  scandals • Alberto Gonzales • Attorney General • US attorney • Senate Judiciary Committee • US attorneys scandal • Congressional investigations

Four Years of Rove E-mails
Go Missing

E-mails may have covered attorney firings

Washington Post Washington Post Apr 13, 07 8:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - Four years of emails from Karl Rove that are being sought in a congressional investigation are missing and may have been deleted by Rove himself, the Republican National Committee acknowledged yesterday. The RNC operates the server for non-official e-mail accounts Rove and other White House players use for political business; critics say they are also improperly used to circumvent documentation laws. More »

More about:  Bush administration • politics • scandals • Karl Rove • email • US attorney • Republican National Committee • executive privilege • US attorneys scandal • Congressional investigations

Email Outs Politicized Attorney Firings

Washington Post Washington Post Mar 14, 07 9:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Emails the White House handed over to investigators today outline a systematic plan to fire U.S. attorneys who were too independent. D. Kyle Sampson, chief of staff to Alberto Gonzales, shot off a memo just after Bush's second inauguration suggesting Justice retain only attorneys who had "exhibited loyalty to the president and the attorney general." More »

More about:  Bush administration • Department of Justice • Alberto Gonzales • US attorney • Congressional investigations • Kyle Sampson

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