Tell Congress: Show Some Self Respect

[babylonsister]

Tell Congress: Show Some Self Respect
Submitted by davidswanson on Thu, 2008-06-26 22:57.


By Steve Fox, Campaign Director, American Freedom Campaign Action Fund



In exactly two weeks, we are going to find out whether members of Congress have any respect for the institution they represent. We will see whether they have the courage to stand up to the Bush administration and defend the Constitution they took an oath to protect. Specifically, we will discover whether they are willing to take the measures necessary to ensure that Bush administration officials testify before Congress.

On July 10, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to investigate the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006 and the questionable prosecution and imprisonment of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Karl Rove, a potentially key figure in both incidents, has been issued a subpoena to testify before the committee. Rove's lawyer has said that Rove will not appear.

Congress has a few options here. First, if Rove fails to appear, they could pass criminal contempt charges against him, as they did against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. This is good, but will not result in immediate testimony.

The second option is to have Karl Rove arrested, under the theory of inherent contempt, and brought to Congress to testify. This is better, but may still be eventually unsatisfying if Rove ends up testifying yet asserts executive privilege repeatedly in order to avoid disclosing important information.

more...

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34379

[colt equalizer]

1. The obvious question is "how does it benefit them each financially to show some self respect".

I am old enough to know nothing in Congress happens unless it's members stand to gain financially or politically from it, no matter which party.