How to overcome the obstacles to contempt charges for WH rejection of subpoenas

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Next Steps in U.S. Attorneys Scandal: Why Contempt Won't Work

CREW Proposes Alternative Solution

WASHINGTON, July 11 -- Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) issued a new report explaining why holding former White House Political Director Sara Taylor and former White Counsel Harriet Miers in contempt for refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas in the scandal over the firing of nine U.S. Attorneys won't get Congress the information it is seeking. CREW's report explains the legal hurdles involved in citing the two women for contempt and outlines alternative solutions Congress should consider.

A contempt case, which would be brought at the discretion of the U.S.
Attorney for the District of Columbia, could result in Ms. Taylor and Ms.
Miers being sentenced to up to one year in jail and fined up to $100,000.
Such a case could take years and would not result in either woman providing
Congress with any information.

The best option may be for Congress to pass legislation to give federal
courts jurisdiction to enforce the congressional subpoenas. Congress passed
a similar law in 1973 in response to the Nixon administration's refusal to
provide Watergate tapes and documents to the Senate Select Committee on
Presidential Campaign Finances. Congress could also provide the Supreme
Court with the authority to hear a direct appeal of the case, ensuring that
the Bush administration's efforts to radically expand the bounds of
executive privilege is heard while the president is still in office.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today, "These two former
White House officials are being needlessly pushed and pulled in a political
and legal tug-of-war. While the administration continues to put up
obstacles to stop the American people from learning the truth about the
potentially illegal firings of nine U.S. Attorneys, Congress must find a
route to make sure that the government officials responsible are held
accountable for their actions."

On July 2, CREW released Crossing the Line: The Bush Administration's
Efforts to Expand Its Powerful Reach, which details the Bush
administration's repeated constitutional overreaching and abuse of
executive power and prerogative.

The full report is available on CREW's website: http://www.citizensforethics.org


http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/29390

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