Rove, Miers agree to talk to House panel on prosecutor firings
posted at 7:00 pm on March 4, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
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Score one for the House Judiciary Committee. Apparently assisted by the White House, the panel got Harriet Miers and Karl Rove to speak under oath in depositions about the US Attorneys fired by the Bush administration in the second term:
Former top aides to President George W. Bush have agreed to testify before Congress under oath about the firing of federal prosecutors, congressional officials said Wednesday.
Karl Rove and Harriet Miers are to testify before the House Judiciary Committee in transcribed depositions. The committee says it also might call the two for public testimony.
The agreement reached Wednesday ends a lawsuit over whether former White House aides could be forced to testify about matters on which they advised the president.
Most standoffs over executive privilege end before a court has an opportunity to rule on its limits. Both elective branches of government prefer the ambiguity rather than provoking a ruling from the judiciary that one or both might find unpalatable. The surprise here is that it took this long to get an agreement on the boundaries of this deposition, especially since the Bush administration lost in district court in July.
Both the Obama administration and the former Bush administration credit Obama’s office for brokering the deal. They have agreed to request a stay in the lawsuit pending the deposition of both Miers and Rove. If for some reason the deal breaks down, the suit would continue, but a show of effort from Rove and Miers could impact the appeal as well.
In the end, US Attorneys are political appointments and serve at the President’s pleasure. This has always been nothing but a fishing expedition, but perhaps this might bring an end to the chumming that the Judiciary Committee has been doing for the last year and more. It will be interesting to see what the terms of the deal were, and why Rove and Miers agreed to them.
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Yes, that has been argued by Constitutional lawyers. I think when all the DoJ memos are exposed, they will have no other option.
getalife on March 4, 2009 at 8:31 PM
Dude, you don’t miss a trick, do you?
OOOOooooooo!!
hillbillyjim on March 4, 2009 at 8:33 PM
I know I won’t be able to listen to any of it when it happens. Those gas bags will make my head explode.
Cindy Munford on March 4, 2009 at 8:34 PM
You are so shallow.
Cindy Munford on March 4, 2009 at 8:35 PM
getalife on March 4, 2009 at 7:30 PM
Just got back. You still haven’t proven beyond-a-shadow-of-a- doubt that Rove did anything wrong. Don’t give me Valerie Plame, because Richard Armitage did that.
Grayson on March 4, 2009 at 8:18 PM
That should be “political genius/brilliant at political science”.
youngTXcon on March 4, 2009 at 8:37 PM
That assumes all the confidential DOJ memoes can be “exposed.”
Here we go again.
(Know anything about federal pre-emption, kid? I’m trying to write a brief on that tonight.)
Wethal on March 4, 2009 at 8:38 PM
Never heard his side of the stories. He refused to answer questions.Just seem cowardly to me.
getalife on March 4, 2009 at 8:40 PM
I am not so compassionate, but I will offer this: Before you criticize someone else’s appearance, why don’t you post a link to a picture of your godlike self for everyone to critique?
hillbillyjim on March 4, 2009 at 8:40 PM
Also, if the Bush DOJ was in the wrong, why is no one prosecuting Alberto Gonzalez?
youngTXcon on March 4, 2009 at 8:43 PM
Wethal on March 4, 2009 at 8:38 PM
Hell, I was surprised he released any memos.
Pre-emption reminds me of the Bush doctrine.
Have fun writing your brief and thanks for the civil discussion.
getalife on March 4, 2009 at 8:44 PM
If Bush did some wrong by firing some prosecutors, then what do you call Clinton’s actions?
This whole thread is premised on a joke of a lie of a distortion of the truth.
(For those of you too stupid to figure this out for yourself, see coldwarrior’s post’s above.)
Moving on.
hillbillyjim on March 4, 2009 at 8:49 PM
getalife on March 4, 2009 at 8:40 PM
Your sole basis for assuming guilt is refusal to talk to a partisan committee. Again, any actual physical *evidence*?
What would the Bush Administration gained by firing those lawyers? Or do you have some conspiracy theory where this ties into anti-terrorist regulations?
Alberto Gonzalez already testified about this issue. Everything the “Truth Commission” wants to look at has been investigated repeatedly; and, time-an-time again, no one has been proven to be guilty of anything.
This is just a Democratic attempt at retribution for losing elections & a distraction from the failing economy.
youngTXcon on March 4, 2009 at 8:51 PM
No, that’s just about the extent of benny’s political acumen, beyond having shower fantasies about Obama.
ddrintn on March 4, 2009 at 9:18 PM
-10
hillbillyjim on March 4, 2009 at 9:26 PM
Meanwhile, we have a tax cheat running the IRS.
ddrintn on March 4, 2009 at 9:31 PM
There’s no “might”. They’ve been wanting to haul these two before the cameras for a show trial for months. They’ll do it and it will be a disgrace and a waste of time. The Dems’ political war continues apace.
CP on March 4, 2009 at 9:47 PM
Both the Obama administration and the former Bush administration credit Obama’s office for brokering the deal
Isn’t it plain as day?!
Now that O’s in the White House they have to wind this thing down so that HE can fire Justice Department employees GWB put in place.
jeanneb on March 4, 2009 at 9:50 PM
I find Harriet Miers’ hair troubling. I cannot take her seriously with that hair.
varnson on March 4, 2009 at 9:59 PM
It doesnt mater what Myers and Rove say hey will be indicted for lying.
davod on March 4, 2009 at 10:27 PM
Un-f***ing-believable.
It says as much about the stupidity of the Texas gang as it does the neo-Marxists in power. When Clinton fired all U.S. Attorneys at once, it was unprecedented, but the conclusion was that he had a right to do so.
Yeah, Miers and Rove are geniuses all right. I wonder if they know the meaning of the word stonewall. Given a choice, Bush II would throw them under the bus the way he did Scooter Libby.
Feedie on March 4, 2009 at 10:37 PM
Oh who cares? Rome is burning and all these morons can do is try and make a federal case of nothing.
Bush should have done what Clinton did and fire them all..then no one would have cared.
But then again Clinton was a Democrat and the same rules do not apply. Remember Berger? Sneaks out classified documents, hides them under a construction trailer and then destroys them and what happened to him? Not much.
Terrye on March 4, 2009 at 10:55 PM
Feedie:
Bush commuted Libby’s sentence. And speaking of stonewalling if Libby had just done what Hillary did time and again and say I don’t remember, I can’t recall etc he would not have been tripped up in his testimony.
Terrye on March 4, 2009 at 10:57 PM
Witchhunts sure beat guvamentin! Maybe Valerie Plame has some freetime in between InTouch shoots for a 20th testimony to complain how her life was ruined by all the unwanted public exposure.
Unemployment numbers Friday. Ready the distraction!
Chuck Schick on March 4, 2009 at 10:59 PM
House Judiciary Committee
Chairman John Conyers, D-Michigan
Two former aides of Conyers alleged that Conyers used his staff to work on several local and state campaigns and forced them to baby-sit and chauffeur his children.
Resolved by House Ethics Committee, December 29, 2006
Cong. Conyers’ wife is Monica Conyers, President, Detroit City Council.
She is currently under FBI investigation related to illegal contracts allegedly obtained by sludge processing company Synagro. At this time, she has not been charged with wrongdoing.
On September 4, 2008, Kwame Kilpatrick announced his resignation as mayor of Detroit, effective September 18, 2008, following a guilty plea to two felonies for obstruction of justice.
***************
John Conyers is leading the investigation of Rove and Miers and he represents the most corrupt city in the country and his wife is part of the corruption.
slp on March 4, 2009 at 11:10 PM
Harriet Miers’ hair
Veronica Lake, 1946?
slp on March 4, 2009 at 11:12 PM
You are right, but I think a full pardon was in order. Bush should have fired Fitzgerald, the media be damned. Fitzgerald knew Libby wasn’t the source of the leak (Armitage) and Bush left everyone twisting in the wind. I’m glad to know Cheney argued with Bush about this up to the day of the Obamanation. I hope Cheney dishes big-time in a memoir, but he may be too polite.
We have a right to expect more of our presidents, even if they are imbeciles.
Feedie on March 4, 2009 at 11:12 PM
Feedie:
Bush did not leave anyone twisting in the wind. He is not the one who was shooting his mouth off to reporters and if Novak had not printed that silly story it would not have even been an issue.
Bush can not fire Fitzgerald after the Justice Dept asked for a special Prosecutor. That is just ridiculous.
I understand that Cheney felt the need to stand up for Libby, but Libby did not have to put himself in that position. He was not convicted for outing anyone, he was convicted for perjury.
Terrye on March 4, 2009 at 11:17 PM
In other words, Libby an attorney himself did something lawyers always tell you not to do: he talked too much. I don’t think he meant to lie, but there were inconsistencies in his testimony. Bush commuted his sentence because he did not want to second guess a jury. Maybe he thought it was the right thing to do.
Terrye on March 4, 2009 at 11:22 PM
Nah, I think Veronica Lake had the peekaboo femme fatale look.
ddrintn on March 4, 2009 at 11:26 PM
Thanks Jim.
BTW, (best first name evah ;-) )
hawkdriver on March 4, 2009 at 11:51 PM
They may be, but it goes back to the limitations of the former president and his gang. The executive branch cannibalized itself over a synthetic issue at the behest of Democrats and the Democrat media. Bush’s betrayed base would have cheered, but he couldn’t hear outside his own bubble.
If anything, Novak’s contribution exposed and clarified. Novak got the real story and he never had use for the creative typing of the NYT or WP. His journalism is something sorely lacking in today’s Obamazombie press corps. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.
Feedie on March 4, 2009 at 11:59 PM
Sure, if you’ll take that paragon of beauty Ruth Bader Ginsberg aside and do the same thing.
Here’s a clue: Professional women shouldn’t be judged by their appearance any more than men.
Jenfidel on March 5, 2009 at 1:45 AM
“This has always been nothing but a fishing expedition….”
No. I think there is real fire behind the smoke in one of the firings in NM. The others are mild cases of jade but NM stands out as having something rotten behind it unless testimony and a full airing clear the WH.
lexhamfox on March 5, 2009 at 2:21 AM
You’re talking about the dismissal of David Iglesias who refused to move prosecution forward against ACORN for voter fraud (He later resigned and guess what? NObama’s people have put him back in as U.S. attorney helping Gitmo detainees.)
Funny how ACORN comes up again and again.
See the patterns here, lexham?
Yep, it’s still a political witchhunt–I wish Godspeed to Rove and Miers in their testimony.
This is nothing but a Stalinist show trial.
Jenfidel on March 5, 2009 at 3:37 AM
“This is nothing but a Stalinist show trial”
couldn’t agree more. Let’s appoint a “special prosecuter” and spend $40 millon and let him/her poke around for ,oh, lets say five years, and see if they can uncover anything. I wonder if Ken Starr is busy? Does this bee es ever end? The hypopcrisy is is as obvious as a stained dress….
greataunty on March 5, 2009 at 6:09 AM
WHAT.
THE.
FRAK.
Cylor on March 5, 2009 at 7:22 AM
I must have not been paying attention when all this happened.
The attorneys are:
“political appointees”
“who serve at the pleasure of the President”
“Bill Clinton fired a bunch when he took office”
But for some reason Congress needs to “investigate” what Pres Bush did?
katiejane on March 5, 2009 at 9:05 AM
…depends on the “profession”…
right2bright on March 5, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Never heard his side of the stories. He refused to answer questions.Just seem cowardly to me.
What? invoking the 5th amendment is cowardly? Who knew?
I R A Darth Aggie on March 5, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Libby an attorney himself did something lawyers always tell you not to do: he talked too much.
And by “too much” you mean at all? a criminal attorney of my acquaintance has advised me to don’t say nothing. You can’t get charged with a process crime if you don’t participate in the process.
Always invoke your 5th amendment rights to counsel and too keep you mouth shut.
I R A Darth Aggie on March 5, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Frogmarch them.
sethstorm on March 5, 2009 at 3:24 PM
“All he has to do is tell the truth if he has nothing to hide.
Why be a coward all this time?
Getalife”
About what?
He testified 5 times for the grand jury.
However they, The Grand Jury were investigating a possible crime, a possible leak of a CIA employee.
His track record is clear, if you want to question him about some ‘possible crime’ he will, just name the “Possible Crime”
If you can’t name a possible crime then what are they investigating?
What CRIME are they investigating?
Can’t be replacing “at will” “political appointments”.
They can be replaced any time, for anything, including nothing at all.
It’s been this way for a longgggggggggg time.
Were “Politics” involved with the hiring and replacement of “Political Appointees?”
Uh ya, more than likely yes.
That’s why Eric Holder is now the US AG, “POLITICS’, Obama won the election.
Should we have an investigation of Obama to find out if “POLITICS’ were involved with his selection of his “Political Appointees?”
Sounds kinda stupid don’t it.
DSchoen on March 6, 2009 at 12:54 AM
I do wish Rove would get up there and say “suck it, buttwipes”. Then turn around, drop trou and bend over.
Of course, this is a dangerous maneuver if Barney Frank is in the room.
SKYFOX on March 6, 2009 at 6:50 AM
Then he’d be arrested for indecent exposure, cuffed, stuffed and thrown in jail until he can post bond.
sethstorm on March 6, 2009 at 8:23 AM
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