House Democrats Pass Contempt Citations

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

By LAURIE KELLMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House Judiciary Committee voted contempt of Congress citations Wednesday against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and President Bush's former legal counselor, Harriet Miers.


House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., left, and Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas take part in a full committee markup, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 25, 2007, for a proposed contempt citation against two White House aides who have refused to comply with subpoenas on the firings of federal prosecutors. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The 22-17 party-line vote - which would sanction the pair for failure to comply with subpoenas on the firings of several federal prosecutors - advanced the citation to the full House.

A senior Democratic official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the House itself likely would take up the citations after Congress' August recess. The official declined to speak on the record because no date had been set for the House vote.

Committee Chairman John Conyers said the panel had nothing to lose by advancing the citations because it could not allow presidential aides to flout Congress' authority. Republicans warned that a contempt citation would lose in federal court even if it got that far.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070725/D8QJR1SO0.html

[msongs]

1. whatta shock, they actually took ALMOST action nt

[indepat]

2. All the 'pukes must like the Congress getting junior's middle finger shoved up the Congress's

collectively ass almost daily. What a farce, what a disgrace to their oaths of office.

[knight_of_the_star]

3. I would say this is taking action

Now if Bush blocks the prosecution of the contempt citations issued then he can be charged with Obstruction of Justice, then we have our incontrovertible criminal act for impeachment.

[thecrow]

4. exactly

What knight of the star said.

[InkAddict]

6. What judge would deny Obstruction?

or legitamize the totalitariansim of our tiny despot?

[pschoeb]

7. Firstly the House has to vote on the citations, which they won't until after the August recess

So the House has to still vote for citations now that the Judiciary Committee has approved it. If it's passed then(in September, yeah recess!), then they will be prosecuted in court unless a deal is brokered, which as the article claims is the most likely outcome, as neither really want it to go to court, as this could take forever as it probably would be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court if the Repugs loose. It's also quite possible a deal will be worked out even before the vote in the House in September.

[reprobate]

9. It can't go to court because Bush won't let it be prosecuted.

And that's the time the fools will be arrested and put in the Capital's jail.

It will change from criminal contempt to civil contempt. In criminal contempt, if found guilty the accused goes to jail for a set time. In civil contempt it's said the accused holds the key to the cell because he will be released just by doing the thing that he was arrested for not doing.

And by Bush prohibiting prosecution he is committing obstruction of justice, which is a high crime and an impeachable offense.

[knight_of_the_star]

10. I somehow doubt there will be any kind of deal

Short of getting those two back before the Judiciary committee under oath and in public testifying as they were supposed to where they will most likely perjure themselves. That and it still is possible that Bush might somehow pull a fast one amounting to Obstruction between now and September without the citations being issued.

[burrowowl]

5. K&R

and about time ALREADY!

[AtomicKitten]

8. go get 'em Dems

make them squeal like little girls