WH: Justice Dept. will never be allowed to pursue contempt of congress charges...

[cynatnite]

Bush administration officials unveiled a bold new assertion of executive authority yesterday in the dispute over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, saying that the Justice Department will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege.

The position presents serious legal and political obstacles for congressional Democrats, who have begun laying the groundwork for contempt proceedings against current and former White House officials in order to pry loose information about the dismissals.

snip:

Mark J. Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University who has written a book on executive-privilege issues, called the administration's stance "astonishing."

"That's a breathtakingly broad view of the president's role in this system of separation of powers," Rozell said. "What this statement is saying is the president's claim of executive privilege trumps all."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/19/AR2007071902625.html?hpid=topnews

[aquart]

1. Time to abolish executive privilege. I never liked it, anyway.

[caligirl]

2. America's new dictator, President Kim Jung Il the second.

[Amonester]

3. Money Trumps Peace

Shouted The Dicktachimpherr.

Next thing to go out the window: Inherent Contempt.

Along with what is left of Democracy in the U.S. of A.

(Which, at this stage, is not much...)

[Swamp Rat]

5. Welcome to the United States of Dystopia

[caligirl]

4. Revoke executive priveledge.

[countmyvote4real]

6. BushCo will leave office laughing all the way to the bank.

They outlandishly believe that they have executive privileges and yet we wait for the new Democratic majority to do something other than be mesmerized by the audacity of the * regime claims.

Enough is enough. Impeach now. Do it for our history. If not now, we are lost.