On the Attack: Are the Dems Moving Toward A Contempt Vote?

[EV_Ares]

Washington Dispatch: For months, the Democratic leadership has held off on a confrontation with the White House over the U.S. attorneys scandal. A ruling today may signal that they're returning to the offensive.

By Nick Baumann

Is this the return of the summer showdowns between Capitol Hill Democrats and the White House?

The Senate Judiciary Committee moved a big step closer to contempt citations against top Bush administration officials today. Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) ruled that White House claims of executive privilege "are not legally valid." A Senate aide tells Mother Jones the committee could begin contempt proceedings as early as next Thursday if current and former administration officials do not comply immediately with the subpoenas.

More than four months have passed since the House Judiciary Committee voted to cite then-White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers for contempt. Bolten, Miers, and other administration officials had refused to comply with congressional subpoenas for testimony and documents relating to the U.S. attorneys scandal. But with the committee vote a fading memory, the full House still has yet to vote on the measure. On the Senate side, Leahy never followed through on vague threats to cite the President for contempt if the White House didn't provide the documents Congress had subpoenaed. And despite a letter House Oversight Committee chairman Henry Waxman sent three months ago (PDF) requesting information on the 5 million emails the White House "lost," they are still nowhere to be found.

entire article @ link: http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2007/11/contempt-leahy-summer-showdowns.html

[rndmprsn]

1. i'll believe it when i see it....

there's been a lot of huffing and puffing, but no fire....we'll see

[mikelgb]

2. if they are, they are moving along like snails

[bluerum]

3. If it is really contempt pertaining to national security issues, why wait

till next Thursday for crying out loud!!

They bent the justice system over a barrel, pissed in our eyes and are now kicking the shit out of our dogs.

If nothing else the bushovicks are incompetent political hacks. Charging, prosecuting and convicting them should be simple.

[Grey]

4. Yeah, right, Don't hold your breath! n/t