From The Hill, 6/29/07:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/democrats-take-next-steps-toward-enforcing-subpoenas-2007-06-29.html
By Elana Schor
The chairmen of the House and Senate judiciary committees on Friday
began enforcing the five subpoenas that the white House challenged
this week, setting off on the path to a contempt of Congress citation.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) wrote
to White House Counsel Fred Fielding, asking President Bush to
relinquish or expand upon his broad claim of executive privilege to
withhold documents and testimony relating to the mass firings of U.S.
attorneys.
“[Y]our blanket assertion of executive privilege belies any good faith
attempt to determine where privilege truly does and does not apply,”
Leahy and Conyers wrote.
The chairmen requested specific, document-by-document analysis of
where executive privilege claims apply to the bloc of records that the
Democrats seek.
Obtaining a full explanation of the executive privilege claim — only
the second such assertion of Bush’s presidency — would allow Leahy and
Conyers to “facilitate ruling on those claims and our consideration of
appropriate action to enforce our subpoenas.”
Once Leahy and Conyers issue their ruling on the legal justification
for the privilege claim, one or both judiciary committees are free to
take up a contempt of Congress citation for the White House.
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Go get 'em, guys
Harry
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