Leahy: "The stonewalling leaves me...considering citations for contempt of Congress..."

[ProSense]

Leahy wants meeting with Bush on testimony

By Klaus Marre
August 14, 2007

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), at the urging of the panel’s ranking member, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), on Tuesday requested a meeting with President Bush to hammer out a deal that would allow key White House aides to testify before the panel on the firing of several U.S. attorneys.

Leahy indicated that this is a last-ditch effort, saying that his previous efforts to get the White House to cooperate have failed to yield results.

“The stonewalling leaves me and the Senate Judiciary Committee with few options other than considering citations for contempt of Congress against those who have refused to provide relevant testimony and documents to the Congress,” he said.

Leahy noted that Specter, who is unhappy with the conditions the White House wants to place on testimony from top aides but has been seeking to reach a compromise, urged him to contact the president directly.

While Democrats want the aides to testify as any other witness would, White House Counsel Fred Fielding has made a “take it or leave it” offer that would place severe restrictions on any such testimony. The administration does not want the staffers to be placed under oath and said there should be no transcript of the conversation between the lawmakers and the White House aides.

No more deals. Enough! Slap them with contempt!

[jaxx]

1. I wish he'd just do it and quit talking about it.

[TwilightGardener]

2. If you've done nothing wrong, and you don't plan to lie, then why be afraid

of going under oath? Leahy better be talking about INHERENT contempt--capitol jail time, baby!

[spanone]

10. precisely......

[rodeodance]

3. Specter allready publicly said he would accept the conditions of the WH-he

said this at the last hearing (then Leahy said we'd talk about it).

[acmavm]

4. Twelve-More-Days Leahy is gonna threaten them? With what?

'Considering' citations for contempt. Oh this is hysterical. His hissy fits have worked so we thus far.

:sarcasm:

[npincus]

5. "considering"

[rodeodance]

6. enough with the gentleman approach. They play hardball-YOU need to play hardball!

[kestrel91316]

7. Yap-yap-yap-yap-yap. This chihuahua is starting to annoy me.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. When they do it I'll believe it

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. No more deals. Enough! Slap them with contempt!

Only problem with that is, what do you do when they ignore that, too?

[blogslut]

11. Go to Crawford, Mr. Leahy

I believe you can find the president there for the rest of the month.

[bbgrunt]

12. If you hit me again and I find out about it, you better reconsider.

[gordianot]

13. Mr. Specter wants the meeting according to Administration conditions.

Senator Arlen Specter is an administration shill. Any process; investigative, legislative, that involves magic bullet Specter has no credibility.

[rateyes]

14. Dammit. NO COMPROMISES on PUBLIC testimony...

we DESERVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH. Cite them already....quit considering it...DO IT.

[ThomWV]

15. IT MUST BE PUBLIC!

They must be under oath.
There must be a transcript.
They must answer the questions.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Dear Mr Leahy,

Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt
Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt
Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt
Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt
Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt Inherent Contempt

[Anita Garcia]

17. Just do it. nt