Contempt Of Congress By The End Of This Week? (Hopefully The First Of Many!)

[kpete]

Contempt at last?
Johnson, Dudley may be held in contempt of Congress by week's end
Posted by Kate Sheppard at 4:26 PM on 16 Jun 2008

U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and Susan Dudley of the White House Office of Management and Budget may be held in contempt of Congress by the end of this week for failing to turn over documents related to recent controversial decisions on smog and California's request for a waiver that would let the state set tougher auto-emissions standards than the federal government.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is slated to vote http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=2012 Friday on whether to hold Johnson and Dudley in contempt, if the documents are not turned over by then.

The Oversight Committee has subpoenaed documents that detail the White House's role the EPA's decision-making process in these two cases. "I regret that your failure to produce responsive documents has created this impasse, but Congress has a constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the executive branch," Oversight Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) told Johnson in a letter warning him of the contempt vote. "I strongly urge you to reconsider your position and comply with the duly issued subpoenas."

The House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming had also threatened to hold Johnson in contempt, but struck an 11th-hour deal to get the documents they had requested.

more at:
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/6/16/151445/253

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

1. I've had a lot of contempt for congress for some time now.

[pleah]

2. K&R In hopes that they actually hold SOMEBODY in contempt!

[warren pease]

3. Wow! They're going after the really big fish now.

Who's next, the special assistant to the third undersecretary of the department of labor responsible for drawing a big red X across all claims against employers and a big green OK on all documents relating to union busting.

The anticipation is killing me.

Maybe they're practicing up to say the word "inherent" right along with the word "contempt" so that someday, long after the Bushies have escaped to the extradition-free country of their choice, if a democratic president indulges in a little extra-marital affair, they're ready to scream out the words to compel testimony from any sleaze ball with time on his hands and the need for a little pocket money.

As written above, I've had nothing but contempt for congress for a very long time now, and no congress has been more repulsive than the 110th. There's something about watching collaborators make excuses for their collaboration that just turns my stomach.

But thanks to Preppy Dismal, I'm going to try and hold back if I can get a little of that horrible tasting pink junk down...


:puke: :puke:



Ooops. Pardon me.


wp

[hvn_nbr_2]

4. "May be" held in contempt?

Fat frickin' chance. But I hear that Nancy is doing a spin-off video of Bush's "looking for WMDs" video. She'll be looking around her office for Congressional authority and spines. "Nope, no authority there. Not there either. No spines over here."

[jtrockville]

5. INHERENT contempt? If not, Mukasey isn't going to prosecute.

So what's the point?