Pelosi Demands Grand Jury Proceedings On Bush Aides
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked the Justice Department on Thursday to open a grand jury investigation into whether President Bush’s chief of staff and former counsel should be prosecuted for contempt of Congress.
Pelosi, D-Calif., demanded that the department pursue misdemeanor charges against former White House counsel Harriet Miers for refusing to testify to Congress about the firings of federal prosecutors in 2006 and against chief of staff Josh Bolten for failing to turn over White House documents related to the dismissals.
She gave Attorney General Michael Mukasey one week to respond and said refusal to take the matter to a grand jury will result in the House’s filing a civil lawsuit against the Bush administration.
The White House branded the request as “truly contemptible.” The Justice Department had no immediate comment. The top House Republican called it “a partisan political stunt” and “a complete waste of time,” according to a spokesman.
The Democratic-controlled House voted two weeks ago to hold Bolten and Miers in contempt for failing to cooperate with committee investigations.
“There is no authority by which persons may wholly ignore a subpoena and fail to appear as directed because a president unilaterally instructs them to do so,” Pelosi wrote Mukasey. She noted that Congress subpoenaed Miers to appear before the House Judiciary Committee, which is investigating the firings.
“Surely, your department would not tolerate that type of action if the witness were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury,” Pelosi wrote.
She added: “Short of a formal assertion of executive privilege, which cannot be made in this case, there is no authority that permits a president to advise anyone to ignore a duly issued congressional subpoena for documents.”
Pelosi sent an additional letter to U.S. Attorney Jeff Taylor, the chief federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, whose office would oversee the grand jury. The letters point to sections of federal law that require the Justice Department to bring the House contempt citations before a grand jury to investigate.
At the White House, spokesman Tony Fratto said House Democrats “have been trying to redefine the notion of contempt and they succeeded.”
Both Fratto and House GOP leader John Boehner said the House should focus on passing legislation allowing the government to more easily eavesdrop on phone calls and e-mails of suspected terrorists.
“Rather than passing critical national security legislation, they continue to squander time on partisan hijinx,” Fratto said. Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said “this sort of pandering to the left-wing fever swamps of loony liberal activists does nothing to make America safer.”
The Justice Department historically has resisted directing its prosecutors to enforce congressional subpoenas against White House officials. Fratto referred questions to the department and noted the agency “has longstanding views on this question, which they have repeated recently.”
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, said he hoped Pelosi’s demand would spur the department to “put the partisan manipulation of our system of justice behind it” and take the issue to a grand jury. “To do otherwise would turn on its head the notion that we are all equally accountable under the law,” said Conyers, D-Mich.
The letter was the latest chapter in a yearlong saga that began with the firings of nine federal prosecutors and led to Alberto Gonzales’ resignation as attorney general last August.
The House voted 223-32 this month to hold Miers and Bolten in contempt for failing to cooperate with an inquiry into whether the prosecutors’ firings were politically motivated. Angry Republicans boycotted the vote and staged a walkout in an unusually bitter scene even for the fractious House.
At the time, the Bush administration was no less harsh, saying the information sought by the House was off-limits under executive privilege and that Bolten and Miers were immune from prosecution. The White House said the department would not ask the U.S. attorney to pursue the House contempt charges.
It was the first time in 25 years that a full chamber of Congress voted on a contempt of Congress citation. The White House pointed out that it was the first time that such action had been taken against top White House officials who had been instructed by the president to remain silent to preserve executive privilege.
(AP)
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what ever happened to the separation of powers??
February 28th, 2008 at 3:54 pmPelosi doesn’t acknowledge that Separation of Powers exist; she goes to the Hill everyday with illusions of grandeur.
February 28th, 2008 at 4:01 pmShe will have the bucket of water dumped on her.
February 28th, 2008 at 4:04 pmFrom Judicial Watch’s 10 most corrupt politicos:
“Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who promised a new era of ethics enforcement in the House of Representatives, snuck a $25 million gift to her husband, Paul Pelosi, in a $15 billion Water Resources Development Act recently passed by Congress. The pet project involved renovating ports in Speaker Pelosi’s home base of San Francisco. Pelosi just happens to own apartment buildings near the areas targeted for improvement, and will almost certainly experience a significant boost in property value as a result of Pelosi’s earmark. Earlier in the year, Pelosi found herself in hot water for demanding access to a luxury Air Force jet to ferry the Speaker and her entourage back and forth from San Francisco non-stop, in unprecedented request which was wisely rejected by the Pentagon. And under Pelosi’s leadership, the House ethics process remains essentially shut down – which protects members in both parties from accountability. ”
Good pic BTW. How’s about we impeach “Nasti Peluski” for her shady dealings and incompitence?
February 28th, 2008 at 4:54 pmAnd isn’t there some controversy about the non-union (and possibility of illegal alien) workers on the Pelosi vinyard where high end wine is produced?
February 28th, 2008 at 5:07 pm“She gave Attorney General Michael Mukasey one week to respond and said refusal to take the matter to a grand jury will result in the House’s filing a civil lawsuit against the Bush administration.”
Well, if she can file a lawsuit then I want to file one against her for being a traitor to the United States, and for being a heinous bitch.
Whatsa matter Nancy, cunt pinkos, hildabeast and hussein stealing all of the attention?
February 28th, 2008 at 5:53 pm@drillanwr
Yeah, the Hotair story.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:32 pmhttp://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/14/video-report-pelosi-hired-illegal-immigrants-for-napa-valley-vineyard/
Uh huh … Thought so … So, we can expect a full investigation into Nancy and her “Co.” … just as soon as … yeeeah …
February 28th, 2008 at 7:19 pmShe’s a woman on a mission, she’s got our credit card and by god she’s gonna use it.
February 29th, 2008 at 12:29 am