Finally — Rove subpoenaed by House

May 22, 2008

A week ago, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) casually told some associates, when he thought no one else was listening, “We’re closing in on Rove. Someone’s got to kick his ass.”

And what was it, specifically, that warranted this ass-kicking? Conyers said the committee wants Rove to testify about his role in the imprisonment of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, among other things. “We want him for so many things, it’s hard to keep track,” Conyers said.

This afternoon, Conyers made clear he wasn’t kidding.

The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday subpoenaed former White House top political adviser Karl Rove to testify about whether the White House improperly meddled with the Justice Department.

Accusations of politics influencing decisions at the department led to last year’s resignation of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

The subpoena issued Thursday orders Rove to testify before the House panel on July 10. He is expected to face questions about the White House’s role in firing nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 and the prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, a Democrat.

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers had negotiated with Rove’s attorneys for more than a year over whether the former top aide to President Bush would testify voluntarily.

The next question, of course, is whether Rove is likely to show up in response to the subpoena. It’s not exactly a lock. In fact, it’s far more likely he won’t honor the subpoena than he will.

In a May 21 letter to the House panel, Luskin called the subpoena a “gratuitous confrontation,” noting that Rove has been similarly ordered to testify by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Luskin maintained Rove would not testify because of an ongoing legal dispute over whether the White House could claim executive privilege in refusing to publicly share conversations Bush had with top advisers. Instead, he wrote, Rove could discuss the issues with congressional investigators — but only behind closed doors and without a transcript being made of the session.

“While the committee has the authority to issue a subpoena, it is hard to see what this will accomplish, apart from a Groundhog Day replay of the same issues that are already the subject of litigation,” Luskin wrote in the letter, which was released by Conyers’ staff.

As for Conyers, struck a disappointed tone in his public statement.

“It is unfortunate that Mr. Rove has failed to cooperate with our requests,” Conyers said. “Although he does not seem the least bit hesitant to discuss these very issues weekly on cable television and in the print news media, Mr. Rove and his attorney have apparently concluded that a public hearing room would not be appropriate. Unfortunately, I have no choice today but to compel his testimony on these very important matters.”

Conyers’ entire letter to Rove’s attorney is online.

Stay tuned.

So what, precisely, keeps them from locking up Turdblossom for contempt of Congress? Do they have not have that power? If they do, why the hell won’t they use it for those who refuse to testify?

If any of us tried to pull this crap, we’d be playing catch with Michael Vick in Leavenworth.

  • Mark, I believe contempt of Congress charges are enforced by … the US Attorney for D.C. So when the case involves the USA’s, it gets a little complicated.

    Personally, I think they should use enhanced interrogation techniques to get the information they need. I have it on good authority that it’s perfectly harmless and very effective.

  • I think they’re dragging their feet so George Bush can’t pardon him. Once Georgie Boy is gone I think Rove will find out he’s in real trouble.

    I’m going to watch some reruns of OZ and dream.

  • Conyers may have shot himself in the foot when he said he wanted to “kick [Rove’s] ass”. That kind of talk just gives Rove an excuse to fight the subpoena which he wouldn’t have had otherwise.

    This case is extremely important to the future of our democracy, but I fear it will be viewed as a partisan witch hunt and dismissed as Washington politics by the average observer.

  • Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but isn’t that what Federal Marshalls are for? I’d love to see Tommy Lee Jones go after him. What a helluvan action movie that’d make. Maybe Mike Myers could play the turd.

    Seriously, it might cramp the dirty tricks Presidential campaign to have to run it from Libya or some other “friend” of the U.S. that doesn’t extradite.

  • Even if the Justice Department refuses to act I believe the House of Representatives can take Rove into custody and hold him until he testifies.

  • “he does not seem the least bit hesitant to discuss these very issues weekly on cable television and in the print news media”

    This could be that little thing about the “under oath” aspects of actually testifying. Even imaginative parsers and legal hair splitters such as Rove’s attorney, generally still believe that this means “no lying or spinning” and anyone can see that Turd Boy is fond of both lying and disseminating when speaking to the cable television and print news media.

  • Who cares at this point, even if he does show up all we are going to get it the standard republican, “I don’t recall” non-sense.

    Until someone starts locking these clowns up for obstruction there is no motivation to remember anything.

  • Does anyone think that Mr. Rove will actually answer any substantive questions?

  • If he doesn’t show, I hope they lock his ass up in a federal pmita prison. People in this country can’t not show up for something as least as traffic court without a warrant being issued for their arrest and this arrogant doughy asshole better not be allowed to flout a Congressional subpoena.

    And while they’re at it, they need to re-subpoena his aide, and Harriet Miers and all those folks they let off the hook before. Speaking of which, Is it still too late to draw and quarter Scooter Libby at dawn?

  • Racer X – so you think that it will be seen as a partisan witch hunt to investigate the partisan witch hunts, dismissals, and selective prosecutions at kkkarl is famous for.

    That just sounds too insane – but you’re right if the point is the MSM will “catapult the propaganda” and the rule of law will mean nothing.

    Is the American public really so stooooopid that they will blame investigating roves as “partisan” if they investigate all the illegal partisan actions he directed?

    That is a pretty big piece of crap for even the MSM echo chamber to hurl.

  • Everyone seems to forget – kkkarl seems to have a pretty “powerful” ally in the clintons – his lies are now one of the pillars her miserable campaign is predicated on.

    Don’t know – but my guess is this just results in another nasty letter from conyers.

  • “…Conyers had negotiated with Rove’s attorneys for more than a year over whether the former top aide to President Bush would testify voluntarily.”

    As the sands through the hourglass, so go…the days of our lives.

  • This congress has sat on it’s thumbs and allowed the worst administration in history to leave office without one impeachment hearing, and no check in the advance of the power of the executive branch. They have sold out our republic, the president has the power of absolute dictator. We don’t even have habeas corpus, a right of man since 1115.

    The entire congress needs replacing, their corruption and ineptitude is so blatent, they have allowed this administration to cause US hatred around the world. Incompetence in depth. They “wish” asshole turdblossom would show up and testify. Now, they are pretending they are getting tough with that excrement, but they will do nothing.

    Harry Reid is an incompetent bureaucrat, he is like a confused old woman. Nancy Pelosi has known of the torture since 2002, and whored any decency she might have had by covering it up. They all need new jobs.

  • The guard force at the Capital is under the control of Congress and can arrest someone ignoring a congressional subpoena. Whether the leadership has the cahones to do that is doubtful. The Bush thugocracy is running out the clock, and will issue pardons as it goes out the door.

    Unless Congress finds a spine in the next several months, highly doubtful, the bar has now been set so low that any future administration will know that accountability is an anacronism, and will behave accordingly. Look for more Watergates, Iran-Contras, political prosecutions, disappearences. The Banana Republic of North America.

  • Congress can retain Mr. Rove under a well vetted law of inherent contempt (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_Congress) which is most likely not pardonable by the president. Although itt has not been used since 1934, the the power is there and there was a SCOTUS decision naming it as an inherent power of Congress early on. Since Rep. Conyers is examining an issue that Mr. Rove (and his lawyer) has stated that the president has never discussed with him, executive privilege proabably does not apply.

    It will be interesting to see if they go through with it. Contempt was threatened with Harriett Meiers too, but was never applied.

  • Listen to us!!! We ack ack ack—Conyers ack ack acks…and nothing comes of it. It seems in America, from Congress ‘down’ to us-all we have in the nature of a spine is the ability to gripe!
    IF CONYERS is going to make statements as to this fat-faced creep Rove’s future, he’d better clarify to the voting populace how our spineless congress intends to carry out this task!
    a. Can they issue a subpoena?
    b. Then what? Do federal marshalls go to the fat-faced Rove’s house and cuff him?
    c. Then what? Does he post bail?
    d. Than what?
    If you detect my skepticism, you’re right on. Remember, we’re speaking of the congress we elected in 2006 to: (a) stop war funding, (b) endorse HR 676-HEALTHCARE for all, (c) stop protecting AT&T from spying on us, (d) stop torture,(e) oversee release of our border agents wrongly held in prison!!!
    So, far all I’ve seen is a plastice faced Pelosi and girly-man Reid rolling over to give the Bush Crime Family all it requests. DO WE TRULY THINK CONGRESS WILL REALLY ‘DO’ ANYTHING WITH REGARD TO THE ‘CONS? HARDLY.
    In the meantime…let’s all ack ack ack!

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