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House passes contempt citations for Bush aides
02/14/2008 @ 12:53 pm
Filed by Nick Juliano
Republican walk-out to protest vote
Democrats passed contempt of Congress citations against two Bush
administration figures Thursday after the charges had spent months in limbo.
On a vote of 223-to-32 House Democrats succeeded in passing the contempt
charges against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former counsel
Harriet Miers, after Republicans walked out in protest.
House Republicans staged a walk-out Thursday afternoon to protest the
contempt vote and the failure by the chamber's majority members to bow to
President Bush's demands on a controversial spying law. (Video below)
"We will not stand here and watch this floor be abused for pure political
grandstanding at the expense of our national security. ... Let's just get up
and leave," Republican Leader John Boehner advised his colleagues as they
dramatically left the floor Thursday afternoon.
The walkout followed a series of GOP disruptions Thursday, including a vote
scheduled in the middle of a memorial service for Rep. Tom Lantos, who
passed away this week.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer took the floor to rebut Boehner's actions,
chastising the Republicans for voting en mass against a measure to give the
House more time to work on updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act. And he took aim at President Bush for trying to stoke national security
fears to force quick action from the House.
"Every one of us wants to keep America and Americans safe," he said,
eliciting applause from Democrats remaining in the chamber. "Not one of us
wants to subject America or Americans to danger. The president's assertion
is wrong."
Hoyer noted that the House has only had since Tuesday night to consider the
final surveillance law passed by the Senate, and he accused the president of
creating a false sense of urgency to provoke quick action and preclude the
full legislative process.
"It is somewhat ironic that on the one hand they say we ought to be doing
something, and on the other hand they walk out to preclude us from doing our
business," Hoyer said after the GOP walkout.
As much satisfaction as Bush administration critics will get out of the
contempt citations, which were approved by the Judiciary Committee last
July, finally getting the endorsement of the full House, it is unlikely that
they would lead to prosecution any time soon. Attorney General Michael
Mukasey recently told Congress he would not prosecute the contempt charges
because Bolten and Miers were following Bush's order that they not appear.
Speaking before he had led his GOP colleagues from the floor, Boehner
accused the Democrats of playing political games by considering contempt
citations before passing a long-term FISA update.
A House bill to update FISA passed in October, but it did not include a
provision to give legal immunity to telecommunications companies. Bush has
said he would veto anything without telecom immunity. The Senate took him
seriously enough to include the "amnesty" provisions in its bill, which
passed Tuesday.
The contempt citations against Bolten and Miers resulted from their failing
to respond to congressional subpoenas for information on the 2006-2007
firings of federal prosecutors.
"This is not a confrontation we have sought, and is one we are still hoping
to avoid," Rep. John Conyers, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said
earlier Thursday. "However, I believe on the merits our case is quite
strong. Unlike other disputes involving executive privilege, the President
has never personally asserted privilege, the Committee has never been given
a privilege log, and there is no indication the President was ever
personally involved in the termination decisions."
The action, which Democrats have been threatening for six months, was the
latest wrinkle in a more than yearlong probe. The citations charge Miers
with failing to testify and accuse both her and Bolten of refusing Congress'
demands for documents in the investigation.
Thursday's vote was the first time in 25 years that a full chamber of
Congress has voted on a contempt of Congress citation.
02/14/2008 @ 12:53 pm
Filed by Nick Juliano
Republican walk-out to protest vote
Democrats passed contempt of Congress citations against two Bush
administration figures Thursday after the charges had spent months in limbo.
On a vote of 223-to-32 House Democrats succeeded in passing the contempt
charges against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former counsel
Harriet Miers, after Republicans walked out in protest.
House Republicans staged a walk-out Thursday afternoon to protest the
contempt vote and the failure by the chamber's majority members to bow to
President Bush's demands on a controversial spying law. (Video below)
"We will not stand here and watch this floor be abused for pure political
grandstanding at the expense of our national security. ... Let's just get up
and leave," Republican Leader John Boehner advised his colleagues as they
dramatically left the floor Thursday afternoon.
The walkout followed a series of GOP disruptions Thursday, including a vote
scheduled in the middle of a memorial service for Rep. Tom Lantos, who
passed away this week.
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer took the floor to rebut Boehner's actions,
chastising the Republicans for voting en mass against a measure to give the
House more time to work on updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act. And he took aim at President Bush for trying to stoke national security
fears to force quick action from the House.
"Every one of us wants to keep America and Americans safe," he said,
eliciting applause from Democrats remaining in the chamber. "Not one of us
wants to subject America or Americans to danger. The president's assertion
is wrong."
Hoyer noted that the House has only had since Tuesday night to consider the
final surveillance law passed by the Senate, and he accused the president of
creating a false sense of urgency to provoke quick action and preclude the
full legislative process.
"It is somewhat ironic that on the one hand they say we ought to be doing
something, and on the other hand they walk out to preclude us from doing our
business," Hoyer said after the GOP walkout.
As much satisfaction as Bush administration critics will get out of the
contempt citations, which were approved by the Judiciary Committee last
July, finally getting the endorsement of the full House, it is unlikely that
they would lead to prosecution any time soon. Attorney General Michael
Mukasey recently told Congress he would not prosecute the contempt charges
because Bolten and Miers were following Bush's order that they not appear.
Speaking before he had led his GOP colleagues from the floor, Boehner
accused the Democrats of playing political games by considering contempt
citations before passing a long-term FISA update.
A House bill to update FISA passed in October, but it did not include a
provision to give legal immunity to telecommunications companies. Bush has
said he would veto anything without telecom immunity. The Senate took him
seriously enough to include the "amnesty" provisions in its bill, which
passed Tuesday.
The contempt citations against Bolten and Miers resulted from their failing
to respond to congressional subpoenas for information on the 2006-2007
firings of federal prosecutors.
"This is not a confrontation we have sought, and is one we are still hoping
to avoid," Rep. John Conyers, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said
earlier Thursday. "However, I believe on the merits our case is quite
strong. Unlike other disputes involving executive privilege, the President
has never personally asserted privilege, the Committee has never been given
a privilege log, and there is no indication the President was ever
personally involved in the termination decisions."
The action, which Democrats have been threatening for six months, was the
latest wrinkle in a more than yearlong probe. The citations charge Miers
with failing to testify and accuse both her and Bolten of refusing Congress'
demands for documents in the investigation.
Thursday's vote was the first time in 25 years that a full chamber of
Congress has voted on a contempt of Congress citation.
