What’s the latest on Sen. [tag]Russ Feingold[/tag]’s (D-Wis.) [tag]censure[/tag] resolution? For one thing, it’s stuck at three co-sponsors (Feingold, Boxer, and Harkin), which is where it’s been for a couple of weeks.
Regardless, Senate Judiciary Chairman [tag]Arlen Specter[/tag] (R-Pa.) said yesterday that he’s moving forward with a scheduled hearing on the resolution, in advance of a vote on the Senate floor.
Specter said he doesn’t know how the controversial resolution will play out before his Judiciary Committee, but suggested it could be brought to the floor under a rare procedural move. The panel could vote to defeat the bill, but send it to the floor anyway with an unfavorable recommendation.
“I think this one may well be the exception” to regular order, Specter said. “We’ll have a hearing on it. We’ll take in do course what the committee action will be.”
According to Roll Call, the Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow, and Feingold said he will be prepared for the discussion. In fact, he already has two interesting witnesses lined up.
Making arguments about the extreme seriousness of the warrantless wiretapping issue — and the need for a Congressional response — will be noted constitutional lawyer Bruce Fein, who served in President Ronald Reagan’s Department of Justice as Deputy Attorney General, and author and legal commentator John Dean, who served at Richard Nixon’s White House counsel before breaking with the president to reveal the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Watergate era.
Fridays are generally pretty quiet in the Senate; tomorrow should be rather lively.