Waxman: New Bush Statement on Rove Conflicts with Executive Order

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/printer_22933.shtml

Waxman: New Bush Statement on Rove Conflicts with Executive Order
Author: Rep. Henry A. Waxman
Published on July 18, 2005, 12:22


Dear Mr. President:

In June 2004, you said that you would fire anyone found to be involved in the disclosure of Valerie Wilson's identity as a covert CIA agent.1 Today, you significantly changed your position, stating that you would remove Karl Rove or other White House officials involved in the security breach only "if someone committed a crime."2

Your new standard is not consistent with your obligations to enforce Executive Order 12958, which governs the protection of national security secrets. The executive order states: "Officers and employees of the United States Government ... shall be subject to appropriate sanctions if they knowingly, willfully, or negligently ... disclose to unauthorized persons information properly classified."3 Under the executive order, the available sanctions include "reprimand, suspension without pay, removal, termination of classification authority, loss or denial of access to classified information, or other sanctions."4

Under the executive order, you may not wait until criminal intent and liability are proved by a prosecutor. Instead, you have an affirmative obligation to take "appropriate and prompt corrective action."5 And the standards of proof are much different. A criminal violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, which Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald is investigating, requires a finding that Mr. Rove "intentionally disclose" the identity of a covert agent.6 In contrast, the administrative sanctions under Executive Order 12958 can be imposed without a finding of intent. Under the express terms of the executive order, you are required to impose administrative sanctions – such as removal of office or termination of security clearance – if Mr. Rove or other officials acted "negligently" in disclosing or confirming information about Ms. Wilson's identity.7


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[thinkingwoman]

1. Go Waxman Go! nt

[blm]

2. Waxman is a good governance, anti-corruption lawmaker. My favorite type.

.

[ClassWarrior]

3. Go Rep. Waxman - Attorney General 2008!!

NGU.

[Snotcicles]

18. I'll second this Henry Waxman has been a true stand up Democrat

for a long time. He is the one we have always been able to count on.

[Beetwasher]

4. The Press Loves To Ignore Waxman

Unfortunately. He's right on the money. Bush is legally obligated to do something about Rove according the EO. The press will not report this though.

[BeHereNow]

5. "Sting like a wasp" Waxman-

Waxman is the Heavy Weight Champion of democracy.
Knocks them out in the first round everytime...
BHN

[EST]

6. A self convicted criminal for two years, now.

On this issue, alone.

[Rose Siding]

7. King Cuckoo Bananas cannot be accountable to his own order!

If he were a dem, the repub congress would be speed dialing cable stations to schedule the perp walk.

[GreenPartyVoter]

Hurray for Waxman!

[berni_mccoy]

8. HOT DAMN AGAIN!

Waxman's ON FIRE!

[ooglymoogly]

22. you should also put the graph for drug co's

great graph, very telling on what is going on.

[KoKo]

9. They ignore both Waxman and Conyers. Who will inforce this Executive

Order, though? With the Evil Empire in charge there's no one who can make Bush follow through. Will the "Press" do their job and ask Scotty about this? :shrug: Should be a real test to see if they are serious about getting answers to those questions they keep asking him, or if it's all for SHOW ...like to make us think they are FINALLY doing their JOB!

[Just Me]

34. Hmmm,...

I wonder if there's any precedent of courts enforcing law against a POTUS. I'll have to do some research on that sometime.

This is pretty minor, though,...breach of an executive order by the executive. Maybe, this is just a distraction or obfuscation from the bigger stuff. :shrug: Dems can play that game, too.

[gordianot]

10. There they go again (a Congressman) thinking that the law is important.

Congress writes the laws, just who do you think will enforce it? :sarcasm:

[msongs]

11. Yessss a democrat speaks up. conyers should be up soon...

african americans to the rescue of the nation.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[bunny planet]

12. Just sent Waxman's letter to Keith Olberman. He'll be back on the air this

week after vacation. I'm hoping he's already covering it tonight, but if not, he probably will tomorrow.

[bleever]

13. Good one, bunny. I fully expect he'll cover it, and

we'll have you to thank.

:hi:

[bunny planet]

14. no actually his email today says he's covering blivet's weasel words on

firing a WH employee who is indicted (rather than just involved) so KO was going to cover this anyway. Just not sure whether or not he was aware of Waxman's letter. I can only watch the first 15 minutes or so tonight, so I'm hoping Keef cuts to the chase right away.

Hi to you too Bleev.
:hi:

[tuvor]

15. bush is fucking OBLIGED to address this NOW.

But who's there to make sure he follows regulations?

[dxstone]

16. Kicked and NOMINATED!

Everyone must see this HERE, since the goddamned 'lib'rul media' won't touch it with a 10-foot pole...
Bravo to Waxman!... and Conyers, Boxer and Pelosi...
The Fantastic Four of the Dem party!
d

[Disturbed]

17. Can the Pres be sued to follow the law?

Why can't a legal org. sue this phony, arrogant, ignorant poor excuse of a Pres.?

[geckosfeet]

19. jab jab jab hook, jab jab jab hook,,,,,,

[Roland99]

20. Go Waxman! His "Iraq on the Record" should be required reading

for every high school/college student in the country!

[rrrevolution]

21. Waxman Assumes Bush Can & Does Read

It is clear that during Bush's entire presidency that he has relied upon Rove and other Neo-Cons to TELL HIM what he needs to know, and never reads anything for himself. Let alone an Executive Order.

You will recall during a Bush campaign his handlers tried to portray him as a reader of classic literature, which was a huge fiasco because the obvious next questions were what he thought about these works. He had trouble with the titles.

At this stage it is apparent that Bush is the puppet and Rove the voice and string puller. Intellectual analysis is hard work, and Bush is going to avoid it as long as there is brush to clear from his ranch - or there is an opportunity to play golf and instruct the press "now, watch this drive."

If Waxman wants Bush to know about this Executive Order and do something about it, he should hire an actor dressed as a funny childhood character to sing it to him while Bush is at his next photo opportunity with children. (He is particularly partial to books about pet goats -- so you might want to try that first).

[Amonester]

26. "To read? What's that good for?" - ** (...)

The ChimpError is pretty sure it's "above the law."
The lonnnnnnng nightmare continues...


Welcome to DU! :hi:

[dissent1977]

27. Welcome to DU

:hi:

You will fit in great here. I loved your suggestion about the childhood character. :rofl:

[Mist]

23. If I read this correctly, * could merely "reprimand" KKKarl? n/t

[Just Me]

24. Ewww,...so, Bush has an affirmative duty to take action!!!

His failure to do so is further evidence of a conspiracy to cover-up a crime, yes? :bounce:

[Rainscents]

25. You go Waxman!!!

:kick: :bounce:

[McCamy Taylor]

28. Remove his security clearance. Should have done this already for PR.

Indeed, ROVE should come forward, apologize for being such a mindless dick, say Texas politics didnt prepare him for national security blah, blah, blah... he is REQUESTING that * revoke his security clearance until the investigation is over so that the country can put this matter behind it and get on with fighting the war against terrorism blah blah blah...Karen Hughes will be taking over his current job. He has offered his resignation, but * insists that he remain as a political adviser, so reluctantly he will stay in Washington out of a sense of loyalty to * blah blah blah...

Ooops. I said I wasnt going to give the WH any advise. Oh, well. Doesnt matter. He will never do the smart thing. He is no Richard Nixon. There is no Checker's speech in him. He is just a poor slob who is addicted to power.

[eauclaireliberal]

29. But Plame was just a pencil-pusher, so what's the big deal?

I shit you not, that's what the Freetards were saying a few days ago. Had they not banned me for trolling (telling the truth) I would have explained that a desk at CIA headquarters is a lot closer to classified information than that asshat's camo-colored computer monitor.

[chomskysright]

31. was it perhaps Bolton and not Rove? re: Plame....

from a great little e-newsletter: Peace, Earth, and Justice:

Rove Set-Up?
Posted by: lex on http://PEJ.org Saturday, July 16, 2005 - 04:42 PM

PEJ News - C. L. Cook - Known as the ultimate political dirty fighter, is
it possible the Mayberry Machiavelli was himself set-up to take the fall in
the Valerie Plame outing case?

www.pej.org


Was Karl Rove Set-Up?
C. L. Cook
PEJ News
July 16, 2005


Justin Raimondo, at antiwar.com speculates Novak's source is none other
than controversial Bush nominee for the ambassadorship of the U.N., John
Bolton. Bolton, in a previous political incarnation served as
Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, a
position that would see him receiving intelligence briefings based on the
work of Valerie Plame-Wilson.

Raimondo ties Bolton and his friends at the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC), a heavy-hitting political think tank whose membership is
a veritable Who's Who of the current administration, and Dick Cheney's
Office of Special Plans, a parallel intelligence organization long at odds
with the CIA and State Department. Raimondo suggests, the outing of
Plame-Wilson was not a simple matter of malice, but a broader swipe at the
CIA; a serious blow to their intelligence gathering capabilities that
weakened the security of the nation.

[Virginian]

30. Republican laws only apply to non-republicans n/t

[ronnykmarshall]

32. Keep it going, Henry!!

I love my congressman!

[El Fuego]

33. Woo hoo! This makes my day!!

GO WAXMAN!!! :woohoo:

[Lab2112]

35. RE: Waxman: New Bush Statement on Rove Conflicts with Executive Order

Bush will just brush off this reminder that his loyalty should be to America, and not to his slimy friends (Rove & Co.).

LAB

[melissinha]

36. My take on Executive Order 12958

We aren't so naive to believe that Bush will reprimand his puppetmaster... we know it.. but the point that Waxman and the other is making is to present the rules and regulations that Rove has undoubtedly broken, not to mention fibbing to the FBI and let the American people (his people's constituents and future voters) really understand what has gone down "in the context" of the Executive order.

Basically, the American people don't know the standards and rules to which people in the WHite House should be held. WE need to spel them out so that people can make the connection and realize that even "neglegent behavior..... in essence is punishable... besides didn't ROve say.... er yeah... "the information will soon be declassified" UM...doesn't that mean he acknowledges that it is CLASSIFIED and that means he KNOWINGLY did it.

[annabanana]

37. Did Randi talk about this yesterday?

I called and the gal who answered said that Waxman had spoken to her yesterday...