Executive Privilege

July 2008

'Creative' Bush Order Shields Cheney from Plame Probe

newser | Newsweek | Jul 17, 08 3:07 AM CDT

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 the president's right to confidential communication with his advisers. More »
Lawmakers Make Much of Karl Rove's Empty Seat

newser | Washington Post | Jul 11, 08 6:27 AM CDT

Karl Rove ignored a subpoena ordering him to appear before a House committee probing alleged abuses of power in the Justice Department yesterday—and the committee didn't let that get in their way. Lawmakers printed a name card for Rove, pointed a mike at an empty chair, fetched a cool glass of water for the absent Bush strategist, and disparaged his absence freely, reports Dana Millbank in the Washington Post. More »

April 2008

Executive Privilege Goes to Court

newser | Mother Jones | Apr 25, 08 9:48 PM CDT

The civil suit brought by Congress as it investigates the 2005-06 firings of US attorneys is becoming a groundbreaking constitutional tussle that could decide the true scope of executive privilege. The precedent that could be set in the ruling from a US district court is now more significant than the truth behind the firings, Mother Jones reports. More »

March 2008

House Sues Bush Aides Over Subpoenas

newser | Washington Post | Mar 10, 08 6:40 PM CDT

Lawmakers sued two top Bush aides today to make them testify about the sacking of federal prosecutors in 2006. The House Judiciary Committee suit seeks to enforce subpoenas against White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former Bush counsel Harriet Miers, who have refused to testify or supply subpoenaed papers. "We will not allow the administration to steamroll Congress," one lawmaker said. More »
Mukasey Nixes Bush Aides Contempt Case

newser | Reuters | Mar 1, 08 5:12 AM CST

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 by refusing to testify to Congress about the controversial firing of 9 US prosecutors. More »

February 2008

House Holds 2 Bush Aides in Contempt

newser | Associated Press | Feb 14, 08 5:18 PM CST

The House voted today to hold two Bush insiders guilty of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate in last year's US attorneys scandal, the AP reports. Angry Republicans boycotted the vote and walked out in protest. Democrats censured chief of staff Josh Bolten and former Bush counsel Harriet Miers for ignoring congressional subpoenas into whether prosecutors were fired for political reasons. More »
Judge Allows Private Group to Quiz White House Techs

newser | Associated Press | Feb 12, 08 1:05 PM CST

As part of the investigation of millions of missing White House emails, a private group can examine the records of the office charged with preserving communications, a federal judge ruled yesterday. The judge made it clear that letting any private group look into White House affairs was highly unusual and the group would have access to only a "very limited" amount of information, the AP reports. More »

January 2008

473 Days of White House Emails Missing

newser | Washington Post | Jan 18, 08 3:53 AM CST

An internal White House study found that email messages weren't archived for hundreds of days between 2003 and 2005, the Washington Post reports. The disclosure follows the White House admission that administrators recycled back-up tapes for the first three years of Bush's presidency, possibly losing millions of emails during a time that included vital communication leading up to the war in Iraq. More »
2007's Biggest White House Whoppers

newser | Slate | Jan 1, 08 4:10 PM CST

In her second annual roundup of the Bush administration's most egregious legal arguments, Dahlia Lithwick of Slate offers her top 10 doozies: The United States does not torture State-secrets privilege used to shield almost anything. Almost anything Alberto Gonzales said. The nine US attorneys were fired for cause. Anyone who talks to the president is barred from congressional testimony by executive privilege. More »

December 2007

Committee Votes to Hold Rove, Bolten in Contempt

newser | Associated Press | Dec 13, 07 12:37 PM CST

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to hold Karl Rove and Josh Bolten in contempt today, the AP reports, for ignoring subpoenas on the US attorneys scandal. The White House, however, says the citations will likely die on the Senate floor. “I vote knowing that it’s highly likely to be a meaningless act,” Sen. Arlen Specter said. “In this context, we have no alternative.” More »

November 2007

Bush Can't Protect Rove, Senator Says

newser | Associated Press | Nov 29, 07 1:21 PM CST

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, but Bush had no hand in the firings, the committee ruled. More »
Dems Threaten White House With Contempt

newser | Associated Press | Nov 6, 07 7:24 AM CST

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 US attorney might prosecute the case. More »

October 2007

WWII Vets Slam US 'Torture' Techniques

newser | Washington Post | Oct 6, 07 4:05 PM CDT

Silent for 60 years, a handful of WWII vets are admitting their old interrogation tricks — and slamming alleged torture techniques used by the US today. Almost two dozen ex-fighters met for a ceremony by the Potomac yesterday, the Washington Post reports, but one refused the award, protesting the Iraq war and the grilling methods used at Guantanamo Bay. More »

August 2007

Cheney Admits He Has Secret Wiretap Documents

newser | Washington Post | Aug 20, 07 11:29 PM CDT

Vice President Dick Cheney will resist efforts by Congress to force him to produce dozens of documents relating to a warrantless wiretapping program conducted by the National Security Agency, the Washington Post reports. Cheney's counsel acknowledged for the first time yesterday that the vice president's office has documents relating to the controversial program. More »
Bush Aide Stonewalls Senators

newser | Associated Press | Aug 2, 07 3:29 PM CDT

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 »

July 2007

House Committee Charges Bush Aides With Contempt

newser | Washington Post | Jul 25, 07 3:16 PM CDT

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 to charge Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers. More »
House Panel Schedules Contempt Vote

newser | Washington Post | Jul 24, 07 9:35 AM CDT

Congress is speeding toward a constitutional collision with the White House over the US attorney firings, the Washington Post reports. The House Judiciary Committee votes tomorrow on contempt citations against current chief of staff Joshua Bolten and ex-counsel Harriet Miers. President Bush has said he will challenge any attempt to prosecute them. More »
White House Expands Exec Privilege Claims

newser | Washington Post | Jul 20, 07 5:00 PM CDT

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 convene a grand jury in an executive privilege case." More »
Bush Chief of Staff May Face Contempt Charge

newser | Reuters | Jul 20, 07 6:23 AM CDT

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, Reuters reports. More »
Miers May Face Contempt

newser | Washington Post | Jul 12, 07 5:37 PM CDT

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 President Bush. The panel also found that the President's claim of executive privilege was inappropriate. More »