Bush Aide Stonewalls Senators

Rove snubs Judiciary Committee; 29-year-old staffer pleads for sympathy
By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 2, 2007 3:29 PM CDT
Bush Aide Stonewalls Senators
Protestors hold up signs including a picture of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, left, and a copy of the Constitution, as White House political aide Scott Jennings, foreground, prepares to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007, before the Senate Judiciary Committee...   (Associated Press)

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.

Jennings said he would answer questions only if directed to do so by a court. "I hope that you can appreciate the difficulty of my situation," he said. "It makes Odysseus' voyage between Scylla and Charybdis seem like a pleasure cruise." Unamused, committee chairman Patrick Leahy shot back, "Mr. Jennings, I am not here to play games." (More executive privilege stories.)

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