"It's Subpoena Time"
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Fri Jun 08, 2007 at 01:46:21 PM EST
Given the "parade" of DoJ officials who have come before Congress and delivered weak testimony claiming to know nothing about how the US Attorney, the next step for congressional investigators is obvious, the New York Times says:
It is time for Senator Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to deliver subpoenas that have been approved for Karl Rove, former White House counsel Harriet Miers and their top aides, and to make them testify in public and under oath.
Especially after this week's laughable testimony from former Missouri US attorney Bradley Schlozman, it's become clear that answers are not going to be had from Department of Justice officials who appear to be suffering from a worrisome memory loss epidemic.
Congress has now heard from everyone in the Justice Department who appears to have played a significant role in the firings of the prosecutors. They have all insisted that the actual decisions about whom to fire came from somewhere else. It is increasingly clear that the somewhere else was the White House. If Congress is going to get to the bottom of the scandal, it has to get the testimony of Mr. Rove, his aides Scott Jennings and Sara Taylor, Ms. Miers and her deputy, William Kelley.
And if the White House persists with its demands that these witnesses only appear not under oath and with no transcipt, Congress must stand its ground. Given the weird disappearance of key emails to and from Karl Rove, there can be no playing around with the truth or risk of condoning perjury. Senator Leahy should deliver the subphoenas and make it clear that they will be enforced.
Tags: Ethics in Government, Alberto Gonzales, US Attorneys, Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, Bradley Schlozman, Pat Leahy (all tags)
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