Guest blogged by Jon Ponder, Pensito Review.
On Friday, just 10 days after the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee issued subpoenas to the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) for notes from a June 2004 interview the FBI conducted with George Bush and Dick Cheney regarding their roles in the CIA leak scandal, the House Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas for documents related to the leak as well as the department’s alleged political prosecutions.
According to a news release from the House Judiciary Committee, “[Chairman] John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) today issued a subpoena to the [DOJ] to provide to the committee a number of previously requested documents by July 9. The Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law voted this week to authorize committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. to issue the subpoena at his discretion. The documents the committee is seeking cover a broad range of issues including the Valerie Plame leak, allegations of selective prosecution, and other matters.”
Last month, the Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Karl Rove’s testimony about his role in orchestrating the DOJ’s alleged political vendetta against former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. Siegelman was convicted on corruption charges in 2006 and sentenced to seven years in prison. He was released in March while his case is being appealed. Witnesses have claimed that Siegelman was persecuted by the Bush White House, under the direction of Rove. Siegelman believes he was targeted because, as a rare popular Democrat in a Republican bastion, he posed a threat to Rove’s quixotic dream of a permanent majority for the GOP.
The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) was prompted to subpoena the FBI’s Bush-Cheney interview notes after Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary, said in interviews promoting his book, What Happened, that he was the unwitting conduit of false information about the involvement of Bush officials in the leaking of Plame’s covert identity. Additionally, testimony in the 2007 perjury trial of Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, indicated that Cheney led a conspiracy involving Libby and Rove to divulge Plame’s identity, without regard to the fact the revelation would compromise the secret CIA program and likely put the lives of foreign U.S. operatives in jeopardy.
House investigators want to know if Cheney and Bush lied to the FBI about their knowledge of the conspiracy during the June 24, 2004, interview in the Oval Office. Lying to federal investigators is crime, even when the subjects of the interview are under oath.
A PDF of the subpoena is here.
First peek in February fer sure. Honest. Still having a hard time trying to get a handle on the stuff after Dick Cheney’s shredder got to humpin’.
80 to 20 votes on FISA means about 30 democrats and all the republicans are bought and paid for.
Unfortunately these subpoenas are going nowhere and will most likely stay going nowhere after (and if) Obama and a democratic super majority is elected.
We live not in a democracy but a republic after all.
Wilbur ~ If pelosi had an kind integrity at all she would resign immediately … and allow the natural constitutional processes to proceed as it was intended.
The US has never been a “Democracy” we have always been a “Democratic Republic” well until Bush stole office.
Ever since the blatant false flag attack of 9/11 we have spiraled down into what can only be described as a “Thoroughly Brainwashed Theocratic Neofascist Police State” run by bumbling idiots, morons & fascist goons that have thrown 98% of the population under the bus for corporate greed.
Not but ONE way this cancer can be cured or at least driven into remission but sadly the majority of the American public are blissfully ignorant to what is really happening.
With a 99.99% complicit MSM they are going to stay that way and most of the rest have been neutered by decades of the constant mantra of “Non-Violence” being spewed over the Orwellian speakers.
Basically we are in deep shit.
subpoenas don’t mean jack if you can’t (or won’t) enforce them.
Sing it, Clark!
Nunyabiz…. I disagree on democratic republic…. except the fact that the illusion of one was in place before 9-11.
As I stated earlier the subpoenas are going nowhere… Clinton Whitehouse precedents be damned.
Deep do do indeed.
Main question is how does the country regain the illusion?
Well… elect Obama and perhaps the veil will be put back in place.
Still it’s better than any other real alternative.
We will soon learn the meaning of the mysterious fire in Dick Cheney’s White House office on Dec. 19, 2007. I wish John Conyers the best of luck as he tries to read the swirling ashes formerly known as “evidence” relevant to the investigation of the Valarie Plame leak case.
The House Judiciary seems to be impotent. Using subpoena power
alone may be effective in their eyes but not enough to suit me.
It is legislative government of the worst kind, not much different than what we have been treated to since Newt in 1993.
In the next 5 mo they just might get 1 of these charges to stick. NOT!!!
Government of the people my ace.