Rove ignores subpoena, blows off Judiciary Committee
By Steve Benen Wednesday Jul 09, 2008 9:00pm
As a rule, Karl Rove’s word isn’t worth much, but today he did exactly as promised — he said he’d blow off a House Judiciary Committee subpoena, and that’s precisely what he did.
Former White House adviser Karl Rove defied a congressional subpoena and refused to testify Thursday about allegations of political pressure at the Justice Department, including whether he influenced the prosecution of a former Democratic governor of Alabama.
Rep. Linda Sanchez, chairman of a House subcommittee, ruled with backing from fellow Democrats on the panel that Rove was breaking the law by refusing to cooperate — perhaps the first step toward holding him in contempt of Congress.
Lawmakers subpoenaed Rove in May in an effort to force him to talk about whether he played a role in prosecutors’ decisions to pursue cases against Democrats, such as former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, or in firing federal prosecutors considered disloyal to the Bush administration.
Rove had been scheduled to appear at the House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Thursday morning. A placard with his name sat in front of an empty chair at the witness table, with a handful of protesters behind it calling for Rove to be arrested.
Rove and his attorney had offered lawmakers a chance to chat “informally” about the U.S. Attorney purge scandal, but Rove wouldn’t have been under oath, and there’d be no transcript or official record of the discussion. Dems, instead, subpoenaed Rove to give formal testimony.
Rove’s lawyer cited (.pdf) executive privilege in arguing that Rove “is immune from compelled Congressional testimony.” The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law didn’t see it that way, and voted to find Rove’s claims of immunity invalid.
So, what happens next?
There are, of course, two pending questions on executive privilege, stemming from White House chief of staff Josh Bolten’s and former White House counsel Harriet Miers’ decision to blow off a congressional inquiry into the same controversy. That question is pending in court, and probably won’t be resolved anytime soon.
In the meantime, the full Judiciary Committee and, eventually, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will have to decide whether to pursue contempt charges against Rove.
Kate Klonick reminds us, “Since Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) threatened contempt last week, we’re expecting a vote on that in the near future, but it won’t be happening today.”
I’d just add that Conyers isn’t likely to let this slide. In mid-May, Conyers 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.”
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nothing happens next.
Jesus H. Fucking Christ on a Rye-Krisp.
Don't these chickenshit motherfuckers EVER get tired of having it stuck up their ass?
paul @ 1:
Agreed. Absolutely nothing.
Find him in contempt of Congress. Pick him up and jail him. It is within their power. Just do it.
How elusive!
According to a story that is posted at www.rawstory.com, Rove wasn't even in the country the day he was supposed to be testifying. I wonder if Karl headed to a place like Ireland. It would be a smart move as they have no extradition treaty with the US and it seems a favortie spot for political thugs to hide their funds while being untouchable to the long arm of the law.
What happens next? Why, a Strongly Worded Letter©, of course!
That seems to fool a lot of people into thinking this corporate stooges aren't all on the same team.
Frogmarch the Turdblossom!
ARREST THE BASTARD NOW NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW -I think!!
There is no law anymore. Just what the fucking Bushies say, whenever they happen to say it.
angryspittle @ 2:
that all depends on whether they find the sensation enjoyable or not.
I personally do not want to know their preference, since it would probably make me sad.
angryspittle Sad but only to true.
On a technical note, what's with the 350K BMP of Rove thumbing his nose at us? I hate to give him more bytes than he deserves.
Now somebody please drag him in in chains. You'd really think that a supposedly co-equal branch of government would get sick of being mocked after, oh, a decade or so.
Now I know what it feels like to live in a banana republic.
There is still debate about whether or not the "executive privilege" cited by Rove's lawyer actually came from the White House, or if it just an elaborate smokescreen to try and bluff Congress into accepting something that has not been legally asserted. emptywheel thinks it's a bluff
angryspittle @ 10:
Indeed.
I hope he's here in Japan. I'll get one of my friends to tell the police he tried to molest her on the train.
I used to look up to people like Conyers, but no more. After the Dems caved on FISA and took impeachment off the table, it seems that the Dems are no different than the idiots on the other side. If you can't enforce a congressional subpoena, then turn off the lights and call it a day. Otherwise grow a pair and have the mother f*^&er arrested. That is if you can find him. What a great lesson this is for our children. Break the law and then receive a get out of jail card becasue the big bad boys on the hill can't get their act together. Pathetic.
this just in from Cheney: "So?"
Tonight David Shuster was subbing on The Verdict on MSNBC. During his story on KKKarl and the lack of verifiable executive privilege for not showing up today, the video went blooey--froze in place--until the story was over. Don't know what Shuster said. But it's amazing how a lot of stories about criminal acts on the part of Bushies are often interrupted on the TV. "Technical problems," unavoidable "glitches," or Karl himself taking matters into his own hands? I firmly believe the boy wonder has been interfering with the media and the internet for a long time. I firmly believe he needs to be in chains, in a stress position, somewhere offshore. What's good for the goose is good for this constitutionally challenged criminal. And I won't call him a gander. He is a vile, amoral, lying evildoer who wants America to fail.
Mob hit.
So, where's the part where the House Judiciary Committee peeks into their big-boy pants and finds a pair...?
dog, meet pony
Another letter....yawn. Don't they realize they are the laughing stock in all political circles around the world?? What's going to happen in 5 days, another nastier, worser letter? Wow. Don't let the public's immense disdain for Congress get in the way of those missives. It's time to turn off the lights and lock the doors because no one is home anyway.
Bush is nothing but a shitstain. The demise of the republic will end not with a period, an exclamation point or any other punctuation mark. Just this fetid, pathetic little shitstain.
We don't have a country.
We have the mafioso executive.
They have their henchmen in congress.
A few people who try to do something but too few.
It is joke, and it is on us.
Rove can act with such impunity because he realizes that the Democrats will do nothing to stop him or his fellow Republicans. Rove understands that the Democrats have done an excellent job of pretending that Article II Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution [the impeachment clause] does not exist. That is why he continues to thumb his nose at the Democrats for the simple reason that he knows that he can get away with it. Yet liberals and many other Americans will continue to vote for Democrats in the [apparently] vain hope that they are somehow different than their Republican counterparts.
Drop him in Bertha's Eye!!!!!!!!!!
doodly-squat happens next.
congressional democrats will-as usual-wait till the last damned minute to take any kind of action. i can't decide which has been a bigger embarrassment to the nation: the corruption of the bush administration, or the sheer cowardice and negligence of the ostensible 'opposition'.
Sociopaths always blow off Judiciary Committees. It is in their nature to blow off anything hinting at authority, laws and rules.
rhiles2760 @ 28:
Better yet. Drop him in a pile of pig shit and throw a lit match into it. hopefully, no one will be around to put it out. Methane burns hot, so hopefully there won't be any trace left of the scum bag.
deputise me please. I'd pay a couple grand (plane flight and hotel on short notice) to haul his ass in. Tomorrow don't work but, I have the weekend free.
My only fear is that if he resited I might hurt my back. I'm only 6 1 180#.
Mark Groubert @ 4:
This is what I think will happen.
For the wimps in Congress, election to a public office by one's fellow citizens means abdicating their responsibility to enforce the rule of law. It's easy when your orders come from their corporate masters as delivered by the 30,000 lobbyists, the corporations' courtiers. They will be suitably rewarded.
What happens next?
What should happen is that Congress orders the US Marshal pick up Rove, stick him in an orange jump suit replete with handcuffs and ankle chains, and frogmarch him into the hearing. And when he's done, returned to his cell for the remainder of his contempt charge.
What will happen next?
Not a damned thing. You're seeing it in the photograph above.
to rove and bush/cheney this is their
Amerika and no one tells them what
they have to do. gop = fascist state
now does anyone deny that bush = hitler?
Harry @ 33:
Yeah, sure. Dream along. Both H. Meirs and J. Bolten did exactly the same thing
and where are they today? Out running around free as a bird...Waiting for Judge
Bates in the D.C. District Court to render a ruling as whether or not they were in
contemp of Congress. I see more of the same occurring..and that is, of course, NOTHING.
....and still Republicans insist America is not on the decline. The country is run by disrespectful criminals, with no regard for the Constitution.
I'll volunteer to help drag doughboy terdblossum by his feet to DC. I'll take however much time it requires but I can't guarantee I'll be able to resist a few elbows, jabs and kicks on the way. Actually when you think about it, this asshole is responsible for the mess this country is in because of the crooks lies, smears and dirty tricks this crime boss pulled off.
Find him in Inherent Contempt; send the Capitol Police after him; lock him in the 200 year old jail cell in the basement of the Capitol Building for a couple of weeks then frog march him in front of congress and swear him in.
--- Well maybe bathe him first.
Congress Should supoena Rove's co-conspirators in the Siegelman case. They'll roll over so fast on Rove that you would swear that they were show dogs.
I'll admit that I don't know all the finer points of politics or law, but it seems to me that perhaps the best strategy on Rove is to wait until after Bush is completely gone from office to start working on any official charges against Rove. That way he CAN'T be pardoned (how could Bush pardon him for something he hasn't been accused of?).
Then (if we're lucky) we get President Obama, and a real Congressional majority and then it will be time to send Karl to prison, where he belongs. Provided that Obama and the rest of the Dems find their SPINES (a big IF).
Makes sense, yes? I mean, we've let Rove around free for years after the Plame outing, so what's a few more months?
lmab @ 38:
Especially John McShame....he repeatedly stated in a Town Hall meeting earlier this
week that "American in not on the decline" and in fact, sort of implied that "all is well."
VIDEO: Congresswoman Sanchez wants Rove in jail on Bush League Justice. With Jonathan Turley...
http://www.hotpotatomash.com/2008/07/bush-league-j-1.html
I hope they throw his ass in jail - where it belongs!
seamus @ 15:
Read this (again?) carefully. Nowhere did Luskin mention Exec Priv. That "excuse" for not testifying has not come up explicitly. Everyone just seems to be assuming it.
ChrisM70 @ 42:
Well, in my humble opinion, it's something, some times referred to as the "rule of law"
and he is a criminal and waiting for justice in not somthing I am willing to do.
More sternly worded letters! STAT!
Why wouldn't Rove thumb his nose at Congress?
Congress is about as useful as a whistle on a plow.
doggiebobo @ 37:
Those two are different. They did have letters with claims of Exec Priv (unlike Rove).
Karl Rove isn't in Japan, he's in Sweden invited by a rightwing think tank to speak at a yearly forum for Swedish politicians.
They booked him for it months ago.
He's collecting atleast $40,000 that he then can use to pay his lawyers with when he gets back.
ChrisM70 @ 42:
Gerald Ford gave Nixon a blanket pardon.
I don't think a damn thing is going to happen.
What happens next? A suprise timed for the nominating conferences (both of them), followed by a suprise around Sept 11, then another suprise during October (last week before polling day) all aimed at perserving a Republican majority in Congress and at the White House.
JTM @ 46:
Are we reading the same text? Rove's lawyer stated that he(Rove) did not appear
because of "EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE". What am I missing?
We have three branches of Government.
The Judiciary which upholds the opinion of the President.
The Congress which upholds the opinion of the lobbyists.
And of course the Executive which kicks and screams until it gets what it wants.
The press is merely here to deny us information.
Smokey @ 45:
This one looks about right:
http://www.brocktonpolice.com/about/jail_cell.jpg
xoites defends Constitution @ 56:
Well, now you have a government that is anything but a democracy. An aristocracy, an oligarchy, a plutocracy, a theocratic plutocracy, a monarchy, a fascist government, a dictatorship??? Take your pick.
doggiebobo @ 55:
Luskin mentioned Exec Priv in the July 1 letter (but that's before he got a letter from Bush's lawyer). In his most recent letter - which is one that says Rove isn't coming - Luskin never mentioned Exec Priv. And there's a good reason for this. Exec Priv must be asserted by the Preznit. Given that Bush hasn't done so, Luskin can't claim that Rove has it.
Neo-classical secular humanist @ 58:
I think i want more options.
JTM @ 59:
True, and the House Judiciary Committee voted that Rove was not subject to "executive
privilege", so WTF other explanation(legally) can be offered for his "no show"? NONE
that I know of, so his ass should be arrested the second he steps off his plane when
returning from Sweden and tossed in the the Capitol Bldg. jail for he is "in contempt
of Congress"...
Go after these arseholes. Impeach them, imprison them... but no, we're bloody complicit passing FISA laws.
Come on! Guaruntee you, in fact I bet my entire bank account that they'll never even bother going after clear contempt that Rove just showed and he's not even in the bloody executive branch anymore!
I'm not sure what's worse. I'm really not sure.
Andrew @ 6:
If he's gone, I say good ridance. Let's change the locks so he can't get back into the country.
jake3988 @ 62:
Damn, had not thought of it until now, but since Rove is now a Faux political analysis,
maybe his contract with Faux gives him the right to ignore any and all laws.
doggiebobo @ 61:
The United States Congress just violated the 4th, 9th and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution at the behest of the White House. The odds of them interupting Bush's agenda is almost nill.
Our criminal justice system - AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS - has completely broken down. We are witnessing the death of Democracy.
jake3988 @ 62:
I think in order to get started we need to impeach most of Congress. I have no idea how to go about that.
Does anybody know?
xoites defends Constitution @ 60:
You've got it now. The only real threats to democracy are complacency on the part of the electorate and centralized, corporate media contral. You've got those, too. It remains to be seen whether or not the citizenry can fend off efforts to control the internet, the only alternative to the latter threat.
Neo-classical secular humanist @ 58:
Unfortunately, this is the truth. But I would guess fewer than one in a hundred know any of this. Nor do they care. Bushco has stacked the courts, bought the media, intimidated the congress, and terrified the populous. That was Karl's agenda all along. And now he's sitting on a beach somewhere laughing all the way to the bank.
doggiebobo @ 61:
Please don't talk about people being thrown in jail for "contempt of Congress," since that isn't what happens. Plain ol' contempt (of Congress) gets taken to a grand jury by the AG to get an indictment. This is what Mukasey has refused to do with regard to Miers and Bolton.
What needs to be done so that Rove is arrested by the Sgt at Arms and tossed in the jail in Congress (which no longer exists, actually) is to vote hold him for inherent contempt.
Might seem a small difference, but inherent contempt hasn't been used for 70 years or so. I'm not saying that it would be the wrong thing to do (and I say that so that certain pinheads don't read this a being written by a right-wing troll); I'm just saying it's a much bigger deal than (plain) contempt and, therefore, is less likely to happen.
JTM @ 59:
Executive privilege only extends to official duties of the Executive Branch. Karl Rove was never head of the Justice Department. He was the Assistant Chief of Staff. Karl Rove was acting outside of his official duties. Karl Rove cannot claim Executive Privilege and his lawyers know it.
Of course it would be wrong for a citizen to obtain a taser online and perform a citizen's arrest to compel Mr. Rove's testimony, but it would be a thing of beauty to watch.
xoites defends Constitution @ 65:
Yeah, but just wait until Jan 09 when Obama is sworn in as prez...then we will see
a "big change"....Right? Wanna bet...or just "dream along" with others who seem
to think the Obama Express is gonna change all the evils done by this admin.
So I think we're all agreed then. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens next.
Pssst, do something about it.
xoites defends Constitution @ 65:
Apples and oranges.
FISA was as much about concealing complicity by Democrats as about protecting Bushco.
But no Democrat has any reason to prevent Rove from being roasted for both Siegelman and the US Attys.
Therefore, while I doubt they'll go as far as inherent contempt, they will do something.
The real question is whether Bush will do something to save Rove or let the bus roll over him
doggiebobo @ 73:
Obama violated the United States Constitution yesterday as well as his oath of office and is not fit to serve.
Two Words:
Inherent Contempt
Get ready for more angry letters from Conyers and more stern words. Nothing more. Karl figured it all out. And the Democrats are too weak for even pudgy piggy Turdblossem.
Conyers isn't likely to let this slide? Umm, yeah he is.
I Like Pie @ 71:
All Bush needs to do is say "I asked Karl to look around and make sure se didn't have any crooked governors" and Rove is clear. That's what I meant by the question being whether Bush will save him or let the bus roll over him. Because if Bush doesn't say something like this, Rove has no Exec Priv defense (as you wrote).
If voting could really change things it would be illegal.
xoites defends Constitution @ 76:
Right. None who voted against the constitution are fit to serve.
Tro da bums out.
Johnny2Bad @ 82:
I say impeach them, but i do not understand how.
Does anyone know?
angryspittle @ 81:
It has become a privilege.
xoites defends Constitution @ 83:
Happily, Articles I & II of the Constitution have a built in remedy....Elections.
That is till they "compromise" on that.
JTM @ 75:
And please inform us as to what that other "something" is? If ONLY recourse is inherent
contempt, assuming bush does not grant Rove executive privilege, then what prey tell
are the other "somethings"?
Johnny2BadObamaCaved @ 85:
The last wo Presidential elections involved voter fraud. Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004.
I just looked it up. We would need a Constitutional Amendment to impeach Congress.
Update: Conyers is giving Rove 5 additional days to comply. (Really, I'm not making this up!)
theWalrus @ 88:
Any idea as to 5 days from when? Labor Day is September lst, maybe Cornyers is
giving Rove 5 days from that date...or 5 days following Thanksgiving....Just saying
Don't reelect the ones who are giving you grief.
As American citizens we have come to the end of the road. Our Government is no longer ours. The Constitution is a pretty brown parchment in the National Archives; no longer a living document. Our media is owned by people who, if they don't already, would like to own us as well.
theWalrus @ 88:
The difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to be credible.
Actually, I've seen the video of what happened when John Conyers delivered the subpoena to Rove.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT2Ubujppzg
so what?
rove's right. the democrats have been a parade of patsies and pantywaists for the last 45 years.
i'd call them p*ssies, except there's considerably more muscle strength in the average american vagina than there is in john kerry's right bicep, or harry reid's stiff upper lip/
as for obama, he's delivering change, alright. about 37 cents worth anually for every american. gee, thanks, bro. you put up about as much fight as a jellyfish on a beach, minus the sting.
see why the kids are all sayin' "A HERO AIN'T NUTHIN' BUT A SANDWICH", barry?
Well, what else is new? They take away our rights and then do whatever they want. Or do they do whatever they want and then take away our rights?
"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right."
Clearly, Rove will not testify. Why don't they subpeona the smaller fish? The other people involved in this? If you can't get to the big fish you go after the little fish...
This is so maddening.
Why would they even try to do anything now when the president will just provide a pardon to Rove just as he did for Libby. When the congress first convenes after the new president takes office, so long as it's not McCain, there will be alot more weight behind theses subpoenas. I think they should slow down and ride out the remainder of this term and not cause anymore trouble for America. Rove will be available next year.
This brings up an interesting thought. I wonder if Bush will attempt to pardon all crimes committed by his administration in some sort of blanket action. I don't think anything like it has ever been done, but I don't see where there is anything that could legally stop it from happening now.
xoites defends Constitution @ 91:
Oh, no.....it's UN black helicopter time!
theWalrus @ 96:
Because backing down from the wittle fish is weawy weawy embarrassing!
Charles @ 98:
You really should credit your quotes, you know.
doggiebobo @ 86:
No.
Put him in jail. No need for questioning just yet. Practice some enhanced interrogation techniques on him and see what he is willing to tell.
xoites defends Constitution @ 100:
Joker or clown, you don't seem to know who runs this planet. Here's a hint....it ain't you.
Pawn @ 97:
He won't have to. The next administration and the next Congress will want to put this all behind us and move on to newer and more modern ways of screwing us.
Charles @ 103:
Well, poop!
I Like Pie @ 71:
Ultimately, whether he was acting outside his official duties or not will be decided by the Supreme Court, and Scalia and the gang of five are already drinking gallons of water in preparation for pissing all over this.
JTM @ 101:
Huh? "No" you're not going to tell me the other "something" or "No", you don't really
know what the other something is? Just need some clarity please.
Nothing is going to happen. Congress has shown it's stripes in regard to the rule of law when they caved in to the FISA assault on the Constitution. The reality is that Rove could walk into the hearing, take a crap on the committee chair's desk, teabag him for good measure and walk away without any serious repercussions.
Install new congress. The current one sucks.
Ryoko @ 108:
Does anybody have a spare Congress?
Will somebody please f'n arrest him?!?
Folks, forget about Conyers. Doesn't anyone on this blog read the Detroit Free Press? The feds are after Conyer's wife, a Detroit city council member, for taking bribes. Reportedly, they have her on tape. It's a three ring circus in Detroit right now. Conyers is the last person who should be anywhere near any issue involving the DoJ or White House. He should have relinquished his Chairmanship to the ranking Democrat some time ago. The pertinent question is "why doesn't Pelosi do something about Conyer's obvious conflict"? It is unacceptable that the Democratic leadership has allowed this to happen. I suspect that the White House knows that Conyers will never pull the trigger on them while they have a gun pointed at his wife's head. Think about it.
xoites defends Constitution @ 67:
louisville sluggers!
JohnnyBravo @ 110:
No, noone will arrest him or any other Bush criminal. Our Congress proved yesterday that they do not think much of the Constitution. We have no reason to think this is our Government anymore. In fact i think we need a divorce.
Conyers is as bad a Bush enabler as Pelosi, Reid, and Hoyers.
crcg @ 111:
Could/would you be kind enough to share with us( "not in the know" as to Conyer's
wife), some specific info; for instance a website we can go to in order to read more
as to what you say is going on in Detroit?
Gawd I would pay to see that pig get his ass kicked!!!
Mark Groubert @ 4:
I won't hold my breath on this Pelosi to do a damn thing!
And they wonder why thier approval rating is lower than the lowest of scum, Bush!
This is from the open thread:
12 Ron Says: mudshark @ 10:
mudshark @ 8:
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi was quoted today saying that the House Judiciary Committee should address the issues that Kucinich raises in the House Judiciary Committee.
This is a quote from a letter I just got from Congressman Wexler.
More of the letter.
Speaker Pelosi’s Shift on Hearings and Rep. Kucinich’s New Article of Impeachment
After stating unequivocally that impeachment “is off the table,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated to CBS News today that the House Judiciary Committee should address the issues that Rep. Kucinich’s has raised in his impeachment resolution.
Pelosi’s words provide genuine hope for our cause of accountability for this Administration. We must use Speaker Pelosi’s openness to new hearings in the Judiciary Committee to pursue aggressively the serious allegations against Bush and Cheney relating to lies about the Iraq War, the illegal use of torture, the improper disclosure of the identity of a covert agent, the political firing of US attorneys, and on and on.
I again congratulate Congressman Kucinich on his continued leadership and work on behalf of this vital cause.
This issue now reaches far beyond the substance of the Judiciary Committee’s original inquiry regarding the firing of US Attorneys for political purposes. The crisis at hand relates to our most fundamental laws and of our Constitution. It is, in many ways, more serious than the Constitutional crisis surrounding Watergate – yet the national media ignores the facts and ramifications of this renegade Executive.
Congress has a duty to protect the balance of powers. Mr. Rove, Mr. Bolten, and Ms. Miers have taken actions that severely undermine these powers, and we should not rely on a federal court alone.
The political tide begins to be turning and that is why I feel so strongly that we should aggressively push for inherent contempt for Karl Rove and impeachment hearings for President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
Thanks you for your work and your commitment to our constitution.
- Congressman Robert Wexler
Now, I’ve been wanting to comment on this all day.
I think the reason that they may have been keeping things off the table is because they have been waiting for this moment. If George Bush is under impeachment, he can’t pardun anyone. The Dems may have just sprung the trap.
What happens next? Nothing happens next. Why? This is why: Pelosi: Let Rove slide. Pelosi sucks.
Let's go further...why is Pelosi a fucking pussy? Could be because the whole FISA situation wasn't just about spying on US...they've been spying on Congress, too. I am eagerly awaiting Sibol Edmonds releasing those documents. If only we would ever know just what the administration is holding over the heads of our elected officials. This is why there should have been term limits. Now, it's moot. They can know anything about anyone - with no limits as to who they can spy on or what they can gleam from it. Now, anyone who might be elected doesn't need to air dirty laundry, it's already known - by the government. Great way to keep everyone in check.
This is bullshit. If you or I were to shoot Congress the bird, we'd find ourselves in a jail cell, not just being held in contempt. But that total POS Rove can not just shoot them the bird but do it with a smile and the knowledge that nothing will ever happen to him. He lives to continue to fuck up this country.
Heckovajob, asshole.
xoites defends Constitution @ 118:
Not gonna happen. If it does, I will stand at State and Madison and eat my hat. But I live knowing that I won't have to worry about a sudden infusion of fiber into my lacking diet.
Not. Gonna. Happen.
MsJoanne @ 120:
If you have to stand on a corner and eat your hat i want to be there to help. I would prefer eating a hat to living in this fascist state.
Well, we know what should happen next, he should be fucking arrested, handcuffed, and booked like a common criminal.
Executive privilege?? Take it away! If it's a privilege, it's not a right.
But as always, Democrats are just gonna sit there and do... NOTHING.
I think the Democratic strategy is to not rock the boat too hard, get Obama in the White House, and try to keep a slim majority in the Senate and the House. They are going about it the old Democratic way, bend on anything related to security (FISA) and the economy (CAFTA and ANWAR) so the Republifascists can't call them out. That and so many Blue Dogs are suck the teet of corporate America, so you have a very watered down party which is not adept at cleaning up the messes of the worst administration in all of our lifetime.
Yeah maybe it's asking too much, but you would think if there was ever a time to go for a real 50 state strategy, impeachment and immediate withdrawal from this war would be the two best starting points.
You get the libertarians on the war, economy and constitutional issues, you get the disenfranchised former elitists paying 4 dollars at the pump, and you have the center and left.
Get Soros to fund a TV channel to counter the MSM/Fox spin, and send out surrogates on a daily basis to keep on message.
Enough of us waiting to get 60 votes in the Senate, a Dem in the white house and the majority in the House.
Get some fucking verve Dems!
xoites defends Constitution @ 121:
Full fascism is upon us. Corporate welfare; socialism works well for giving tax dollars to companies but not to any of the people in this country. The company's own us. When we're hungry enough we do anything. I believe it was Kissinger who said Control the food and you control everyone. Well, the companies are taking that first stab. You wanna eat? Work at McD for $5.00 an hour. Work for two hours just to pay for gas to get you to that crappy job. Benefits? HA! Forget about it. And you'll like it, too.
Look at today...Bush vowed to veto building housing for homeless vets because he doesn't want to have to pay prevailing wages to those who build them.
Yeah, we are already well into a fascist state.
All of Rove's hard work helped get us here.
He shouldn't be in a jail cell, he should be hanging at the end of a rope.
MsJoanne @ 124:
If Dick Cheney can set up a Shadow Government is there any real reason the citizenry couldn’t set up a real Government? Elect our own congress and President and appoint our own judges; pay our taxes to it and let this “demockery” die on the vine?
crcg @ 111:
Wow! That new FISA law worked fast.
MS @ 122:
Rove can't claim privilege since he's on record stating that this scandal was never discussed with Bush. In order to claim privilege, he'd have to acknowledge that Bush was directly involved.
Ask Nancy Pelosi to put Rove on the table, since there's room now that she cleared off the massive impeachment that should have been there years ago.
Office of the Speaker
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-0100
Oh wait, it's an election year, there's no time to follow the law or oath of office...
Pelosi will only allow impeachment to proceed long enough to get people to forget about the FISA clusterfuck. It's a diversion. She has no intention of allowing it to run its course.
I read the Detroit Free Press right in between I read the Altoona BiWeekly Coupon Saver and the New Rochelle Jewish Singles Standard
To the person who asked about Monica Conyers:
DetNews.com // 6 hrs ago
Federal investigators have electronic surveillance evidence that allegedly links Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers with receiving a payment or payments in connection with a city-approved sludge contract.
And this:
The Media intertwined with Monica Conyers and the Mayor's Father in taking payoffs from out-of-state companies seeking City Contracts?
As was predicted here, Detroit has plunged below the abyss. Four on the Detroit City Council are being investigated for taking Payoffs for City Contracts - and some (maybe Monica Conyers) are believed to have been on FBI surveillance Video accepting the Payoffs.
The practice was so common that a Detroit News Anchor was involved in lobbying for a firm bidding for a City Contract and apparently was caught by the FBI surveillance and has been indefinitely suspended from her anchor position. The Detroit TV station (FOX 2) News anchor, Fanchon Stinger, even accompanied a Detroit Developer that received a controversial, lucrative City Contract to a meeting with Monica Conyers.
If you recall, there was much speculation that Monica Conyers was being "persuaded" to change her positions as she would flip 180 degrees from an earlier passionate argument from one City Council meeting to the next. She also wrote the Michigan Governor a letter that contained many falsehoods concerning the Council improperly pursuing Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (according to Conyers). That letter, which she has acknowledged was wrong on most of the facts, was found to be sent via the Mayor's Fedex account to the Governor, leading journalists covering the story to believe the Mayor's representatives crafted the letter signed by Conyers.
The Detroit Free Press has reported Conyers is a target of the Investigation and her phone has been tapped - and Bernard Kilpatrick, the father of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, is also believed to have been involved in the illegal payoffs!
Besides the Mayor's Father's alleged involvement, the latest news also details that a COOPERATING WITNESS in the FBI investigation, James Rosendall, made a $10,000 donation to Kilpatrick's political action committee while his company, Synagro Technologies Inc. of Houston, lobbied the city for the contract. The Mayor and his staff also advocated for the deal. Rosendall, now a cooperating witness in the FBI investigation also appears to have had coaching regarding local politics
and methods. Rosendall, an official with Houston-based Synagro Technologies, a waste-management company, is listed on campaign finance disclosure forms submitted to the state, as "regional vice president." His employer was listed as James Saalfeld, general counsel for Meritage Hospitality Group in Grand Rapids.
Tuesday, Saalfeld said he never heard of Rosendall and his company, which runs fast-food restaurants, has no Detroit outlets. "I'm flabbergasted. This is absolutely bizarre," Saalfeld said.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Attorney: Feds have not approached Monica Conyers
Corey Williams / Associated Press
DETROIT -- A lawyer for Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers says federal investigators have not approached his client in a probe of a $47 million sludge recycling deal.
Detroit attorney Steve Fishman says the government has not attempted to question Conyers, the wife of influential U.S. Rep. John Conyers. Fishman said Wednesday he hopes to meet with investigators to find out more about the nature of the case.
Former Conyers spokesman Sam Riddle Jr. says he was questioned by the FBI and that Conyers is a target of the investigation.
Conyers is one of five council members who voted to approve a contract last November with Houston-based Synagro Technologies.
Fishman says Conyers denies doing anything wrong.
Reeves: FBI contacted me
By Zachary Gorchow • Free Press Staff Writer • July 10, 2008
UPDATED AT 3:45 P.M.
The FBI has contacted Detroit City Councilwoman Martha Reeves, Reeves said today, possibly the latest move in the federal bribery probe of the Synagro Technologies sludge recycling contract.
Reeves told the Free Press the FBI left a message at her residence Wednesday when she was not home. She said she tried calling the agency and left a message, but has not heard back.
The first-term councilwoman was one of five council members who voted in favor of the Synagro contract last November and is now the third known supporter of the contract -- along with Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers and Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins -- to be contacted by the feds or under federal scrutiny. Sources have told the Free Press that at least four members of the council, council staff, departmental personnel and people outside of government are under investigation in the probe.
"I’m not surprised at anything," Reeves said today when asked if she was surprised by the call.
Asked if she planned to have an attorney present when she talked to the FBI, Reeves said, "I don't feel that I need a lawyer, and I don't want to answer any more of your questions" and ended the interview.
Reeves has said previously she has done nothing wrong.
The FBI made a surprise unannounced visit to Collins' home Tuesday. She also denied any wrongdoing.
Monica Conyers has not responded to numerous attempts for comment since the scandal broke nearly two weeks ago. She has been absent from the council for two weeks and informed the council it was a for a medical leave.
Prior to ending the interview, Reeves said she would not return or donate campaign contributions she has received from two men who worked for Synagro that are under investigation in the probe -- James Rosendall and Rayford Jackson.
Records show Rosendall gave Reeves’ campaign fund $3,000 over a two-year span in 2006 and 2007. Jackson donated $1,000 in 2007.
Reeves said her campaign has since spent the money and she saw nothing wrong with the donations because she did not solicit them.
Wednesday, three council members -- Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. and Councilwomen Sheila Cockrel and JoAnn Watson -- said they would either return or donate to charity the campaign contributions they received from Rosendall
purge_not_surge @ 128:
Good luck on calling...voicemail keeps us little people in check. Letters and faxes are better but probably filed in the circular upon receipt.
Not a thing we can do. We're collectively fucked.
Conyers Opens Door to Inherent Contempt for Rove
Karl Rove has simply refused to appear, as he is legally required to do. His actions, endorsed by the Bush/Cheney Administration, are a challenge to our system of checks and balances and Congress must respond to this type of outrageous behavior with appropriate severity.
Today, Judiciary Chairman John Conyers courageously stated today that inherent contempt will remain an option for the House of Representatives so long as Rove and this Administration refuses to abide by the law.
We must now bring Mr. Rove (and other renegade Bush officials) in compliance with the law.
This is a defining moment for Congress: Will we continue to allow legislative power to be eroded by an out of control executive branch that ignores the rule of law - or will we finally put an end to this congressional capitulation and properly force Administration officials to testify in full view of the American people?
It is time for Congress to hold Karl Rove in inherent contempt. I congratulate Chairman Conyers' positive move in this direction, and we must work to move other Members of Congress in support of the use of inherent contempt. Inherent contempt properly enables the House Sergeant of Arms to physically take custody of Mr. Rove and bring him to the House of Representatives to testify.
How do you think a state or federal judge would react to a witness refusing to comply with a legal subpoena? The wayward witness would be arrested.
Should the Congress of the United States be shown any less respect than any courtroom in the nation?
Should the Congress react any differently than how any American judge would react? Absolutely not.
We are long past the time for threats and negotiation. We must bring Mr. Rove in front of the full Judiciary Committee, under oath. No administration official - not even the President - is above the law. They cannot be allowed to redefine it at will. We must all appear when called or suffer the consequences.
xoites defends Constitution @ 118:
Fox News has a dishonest Anchor!?
Ok this is from a letter I recieved this evening from Congressman Wexler. The below are quotes.
mudshark @ 133:
MsJoanne @ 132:
I think it is time to convene the Third Continental Congress.
xoites defends Constitution @ 137:
Perhaps it is. :)
Wise_Fool @ 138:
I am begining to think so. We no longer have a Government that works in our interest. Perhaps it has been decades since we have, but it could not be more painfully obvious than right at this moment.
And per comment #134
Damn it, my block quote skills suxor.!! '>_< ;
Sry, Xoites
Oh, no problem. :)
#137...I wish there were something we could do. Too few realize the colossal clusterfuck we're in and anything a small group would do (and we are just that - a small group) we'd be labelled psycho fringe anti-Americans.
Our power was impeachment...a power we no longer have.
MsJoanne @ 142:
A psycho fringe anti-American?
Wow! Now that would be a step up!
If you organize, you will be arrested. If you take violent action it falls into THEIR hands. They will come out and talk about the blond haired, blue eyed terrorist and then everyone will be a suspect.
This is a police state. Our rights have been taken away and now they are going to destroy the economy and force us from our homes into the streets where they will round us up and jail us or kill us off. Our currency is being systematically destroyed.
This is simply about numbers. The insane idiots that run this planet have already decided. They feel that they must reduce the world's human population by a large percentage due to conflicts with available resources. Whether resource shortages are true or not, ultimately they will use that as justification to keep the race alive.
My guess is that our government will also release one or more viruses. A likely place to get the ball rolling is the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. That way thousands of people will be incubating a super flu while traveling back to their respective countries. Then a panic will ensue and martial law will be declared in almost every country simultaneously. Then the inane morons will slither off to their underground military bases until the bodies decompose. Then they'll slither out of their holes and set up a slave planet.
I don't really want to concern myself with what someone decides to label me. My movie carreer is over anyway. In fact it never got started.
You want to stand up for something you have to face the consequences.
MsJoanne @ 142:
Our power, as the People, is what is called unity. And what I like to call the all-mighty power of the "HEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLL NAAWWWWWW!"
People require their friends to tell them what they are doing is the right thing, these days. This is no time to call yourselves small, weak, or pathetic in any way. TELL your friends what you feel, then tell the people at the water fountain at work. then tell that guy you've never met in the quickie mart. tell them to get online and find like-minded people.
Our reliance on any form of government to help us is a crutch. we are spoiled by our illusions of comfort. find your courage, it is in your brother's heart - and in your neighbor's eyes. and in yourself, with them.
Charles @ 144:
They can't arrest us for organizing. I refuse to be involved in violence. That answers your first two concerns.
The rest of your concerns seem to be very speculative.
They have to go through all the judicial system red tape. It is the way our system works. No Pig Man is above the law.
xoites...Why the hell do you think they've taken away our personal freedoms? Just because they can? There is a reason. And it's not a good one. You must understand the level these people are playing on. Congress is nothing but a scripted play. Do you really think W thought this all up by himself? Or Cheney? They're doing what they're told. Whatever this is about is HUGE.
They want to know what we're saying, what we're doing, what we like, what products we purchase, where we go, what time we go certain places. They want to know these things for a reason.
These people start wars for fun. They kill people for breakfast and lay people off from their companies for lunch and fuck prostitutes in the evening. Whatever the worst possible acts you can think of, they have done. They are complicit and active in a massive criminal enterprise. And it's not just the good old USA. These people have been organized for generations. The things we're seeing were conceived generations ago.
#147...X, they couldnt legally listen to us either. But they did. They certainly won't allow "homegrown terrorists" to organize. We're fucked no matter how you slice it.
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