Guest Blogged by Steve Heller of VelvetRevolution.us
The torment and imprisonment of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman, allegedly via the hands of Karl Rove and his political hitmen operatives, has been extensively covered by The BRAD BLOG.
Over the weekend, Velvet Revolution.us (co-founded by The BRAD BLOG) sat down with him for an exclusive video-taped interview in Alabama. The entire interview will be posted soon, but we have posted two excerpts on YouTube. Both are embedded below.
Siegelman wants you to let Congress know that Rove must face the consequences of his actions. So do we.
Rove has been subpoenaed to testify before Congress tomorrow, July 10th, regarding the politicization of the Justice Department. The House Judiciary Committee wants to question Rove about his knowledge of the persecution prosecution of former Alabama Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman and the U.S. Attorney firing scandal.
But Rove’s attorney, Robert Luskin, has informed the Judiciary Committee that Rove will not attend the hearing.
Luskin has offered to make Rove available to the committee behind closed doors and not under oath. Luskin also insists that there be no transcript of the questioning and that Rove would not respond to written questions from the panel.
The Judiciary Committee has rejected that so-called “compromise.”
We join Siegelman’s request, as stated in his interview, in asking you to please contact the House Judiciary Committee and your House Representative to politely but firmly insist that they hold Karl Rove in contempt of Congress.
You can call the House Judiciary Committee at 202-225-3951 and you can email them via this page.
You can call your House Rep. at 202-224-3121. More contact info for your specific Representative can be found here.
As Siegelman notes about Rove during the VR interview, in the first posted excerpt (seen at right)…
…
We won’t know the truth until Congress digs it out, and that’s why it is so incredibly important that anybody that reads your blog or listens to it or watches it gets on the phone, gets on their computer, or writes Congress and tells them to hold Karl Rove in contempt if he does not show up to testify on July 10th.
…
[H]e needs to be held in contempt, needs to be arrested, needs to be brought in and made to sit before Congress and answer questions.
In the second excerpt (video at right, below), Siegelman goes on to point out that only Congress currently holds the power to reveal the truth about what went on in this sordid affair…
The only place that the American people can turn to restore justice in this country and to preserve our democracy is the United States Congress. We have to ask Congress to find the truth and to hold those people accountable who are responsible for these perversions of justice.
As Judiciary Committee member Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) said last month, “We really cannot allow the co-equal branch of government, the legislative branch, to be trampled upon by the executive branch.”
Her Judiciary colleague Linda Sanchez (D-CA) echoed: “We really need to set our foot down and show there are consequences to people who laugh in the face of Congressional subpoenas”.
Amen to that. Let’s hope Congress really does use what is known in the vernacular as a “spine.”
Again, please contact your House Representative and the House Judiciary Committee and demand they hold Karl Rove in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with the subpoena. If he does. Which he will.
While I agree that the Siegelman case demands immediate action, and I will be calling my representative and the Judiciary Committee.
But I find myself asking once again, what good will it do? John Conyers has proven he is capable of nothing more than a strongly worded letter. I fear that is all we will see happen. Contempt charges won’t mean a thing either. Harriet Miers and Josh Bolton are laughing at the current contempt of congress charge.
Sadly, Conyers and the rest of the committee don’t have the balls to do anything more than what they have done to this point (which was nothing more than lip service).
I wish they’d actually do something substantial, but they have had 16 months to do something, what makes you think they will start now? They are all talk and NO action. I am almost as done with them and their inaction as I am with the republicans and their gleeful shredding of the Constitution.
Billman, I absolutely share your frustration, these jellyfish Dems. have repeatedly failed in their duties as the “loyal opposition.” It’s been driving me freakin’ crazy!
But I feel that it’s never a waste of time to push for justice, even if, as so often has happened lately and throughout history, justice is denied or delayed.
We must keep striving for justice, accoutability, and the rule of law (not to mention clean elections!). If we give up and stop trying, all is surely lost.
You’ll see pelosi pole dance and pick up quarters … before rove testifies . . .
Steve, thank you for the direct reply.
Rest assured, I will still be making calls and writing them to pursue this and other matters.
But honestly, I can’t help but come back to the saying of; The best prediction of future behavior is past behavior. And based on that, I
am losinghave lost a lot of faith in the people I felt would make a tangible difference.The republicans are willing to pull ever dirty trick in the book (and then some) to get what they want, and the current crop of democrats roll over and take it with all the fight of 2 month old puppy.
I truly hope for clean elections, but when even someone like Brad has issues at his local precinct and has to file a complaint, my skepticism is running pretty high.
Now, back to the issue at hand. I believe there is no possibility Rove will testify. And no chance the judiciary committee or congress will do anything (beside say how outraged they are) to make him. Tragically, Rove will never see a day in jail for this crime.
Thank you for providing the e-mail contact with the Judiciary Committee. I have written them. Might I suggest, Steve and The BradBlog, that you get this excellent post up on other sites with which you have good relationships? Because you have made contact with the committee more accessible, I think many more readers would send their thoughts to Congress.
I wonder, is there only freaking SIX people in the whole United States that took action and care?
I mean you’d figure 300 million people, more than Six Comments.
I’m getting the feeling there’s only handful of us that care about this stuff, and that the officials know this and that’s why they get away with it cause they literally have us. They let us publicly bitch to a point for their own pleasure, always while tightening the chain, and setting traps.
If something isn’t done soon, the corruption and criminal officials who are running things will find a way to make us into criminals next.
They’re already attacking the internet from a zillion different angles. Each angle is a chink in the armor of freedom.
There aren’t many more than 6 unfortunately that agree with you. With those I talk to, most people are unaware this vote took place, and the others are unaware of what it meant.
There may well be no possibility that Karl Rove will testify, but I still want to see him forced to assert his Fifth Amendment privilege against self incrimination in response to questioning.
Whatever happens are power maneuvers behind the scenes giving little indication of what is really happening.
Inherent contempt is the only direct way to get Rove to testify… Pelosi saying the House Judiciary may begin impeachment hearings is another source of indirect pressure.
We lost the 4th amendment yesterday…. one more link to our chains.
phil
i dont think its that only a small group of us care…i think its that there have been so many illegal activities by this admin that its hard to keep track and the msm does such a crappy job of reporting the news that most peops dont actually know whats going on
BUT
look at the bright side,msnbc would of nevr picked up the story at all if it wasnt for brad…so we know 1 tireless guy with a few volenteers CAN make a difference
Bush and Cheney refused to testify under oath before the 9-11 Commission–or in public–insisted on talking behind closed doors (together) with no written record, and to their handpicked buddies. We still don’t know what happened on 9-11 as far as the Bush/Cheney connection–as far as anything for that matter. If they refused to testify under oath and in public about the deaths of 3,000 Americans and were allowed to get away with it, what makes you think Rove would have any less contempt for this spineless Congress?
Where is Senator Shelby in all of this–like Silas Marner, off counting his banking/insurance contributions? Have we no honest politicians anywhere? Does no one care about this country anymore? I would say that Rove and Cheney have conspired to do a lot of nasty things, but someone would just call me a “conspiracy theorist.”
When one calls, it is ‘inherent contempt’ to be supporting which will all the House Sergeant of Arms to actually arrest Rove and put him in the cell the house has for such people.
Remember that the full House has to vote on inherent contempt so don’t forget to wrtie/call your rep stating your desire for them to support inherent contempt.
What is really disgusting is that none of the other Governors are speaking out for one of their own. What makes these powerful people so timid while leaving it to us to stand up.
All of us here at BradBlog realize what a truly big issue this is. this could bring the house down and allow us to start rebuilding. I am excited it is being talked about at all. Lets not give up!
I told them I want him arrested. I don’t care if it hasn’t been done in a long time. It’s past time to do it now. So far we just have a sternly worded letter giving him five more days. I realize they need time to haul off and clobber him, but it isn’t shaping up to be anything but this stupid game of making Republicans look as perfidious as possible and hiding behind an excuse that they can’t DO anything about it without a greater majority and the White House. The entire 110th Congress has been a really heinously heartless and unAmerican political game.
Karl Rove Flees the Country
Karl Rove was scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee yesterday. He didn’t show. Not only that, the Committee was told that Rove had left the country on a “long scheduled” trip.
Where in the World is Karl Rove?
See http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2008/07/12/where-in-the-world-is-karl-rove/
Fox News and Newsweek should leave the country just for hiring this coward.
Carl Rove’s refusal to appear before the Judiciary Committee or appear only on his own terms is like the tail wagging the dog. His arrogance and the committees reticence are both surreal and unbelievable. Makes me wonder when “The People” will step up to the plate?
Hi,
I think we must keep striving for justice, accoutability, and the rule of law. If we give up and stop trying, all is surely lost.