Rove, Pelosi and Contempt of Congress — Urgent – Action Needed – Update 7/9

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I’m updating this diary because I really think we have a good chance to get some accountability and justice on this.  Please check the links in Lisa Lockwood’s comment below (it’s about the 4th comment).  Please read these links and take action.  ADS site link has toll free numbers to Congress and lists Jud Comm members.  The AtLarge link has really good prosecutable points!  end this update 7/9

House subpoenas

Karl Rove!!!

Rove’s lawyer claims that Rove will

NOT TESTIFY  UNDER OATH.  In

response, the House Judiciary

Committee has SUBPOENAED the

former White House adviser

He is to appear July 10 to testify.

Now his lawyer says he will not

even show up. Conyers says Rove

is not above the law & he will take

action.

This is breaking news which I heard at about 11:15 A.M. (7/8/08) on the Thom Hartmann show on Air America Radio.  Hartmann announced that not only has Karl Rove refused to testify under oath at his hearing before the House Judicial Committee on Thursday, 7/10; Rove’s attorney said today that Rove is not going to show up at all.  Rove will defy the subpoena completely.  Hartmann further reported that Pelosi has just said she will oppose prosecuting Rove for Contempt of Congress and has told Conyers not to proceed with such prosecution.

Thom Hartmann had Don Siegelman on his program to discuss this.  I have not been able to get further confirmation on Pelosi’s position; Spiegelman was not certain either.  Pelosi’s phone is busy/busy/busy!  Both Spiegelman and Hartmann urge all of us to take action.  Call our Congresspersons, call the speaker, call members of House Judiciary committee.

The person I spoke to in Conyers’ office claimed they didn’t know anything more that that Rove was scheduled at the hearing for this Thursday.  If anyone gets any confirmations of this, please post in comments.

More information at Don Siegelman dot com and Thom Hartmann dot come.

As xofferson says, “DO SOMETHING.”    

And, Thanks for doing something!  

71 comments

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  1. Has she lost her fucking mind?  

  2. it’s not Iraq or Iran. it’s all right here.

    what happens here will tell us all we need to know about our gov’t.

    well, actually, this has been the canary in the coal mine. and this very situation… ignored congressional subpoenas… continually demands that citizens start acknowledging the need to formulate alternative political parties and strategies… to oust the bastards now in washington.

    those we have sent to represent us have assumed power rather than political appointments. this needs to be changed.

    it is paramount that those we elect to uphold our laws are held accountable to those laws.

    it is all about accountability.

  3. http://planetsmilies.net/happy-smiley-17168.gif to see you!

    You are so right!

  4. I asked him to confirm to me that Ms. Pelosi plans to block any effort of Conyers to cite Rove for contempt charges for failing to appear on his subpoena.  He answered that he did not know whether it was true or not, but that they had been getting a lot of phone calls on this.  He said he didn’t know where it came from and I told him where.  I told him I was going to call back tomorrow to pin this down.

    Next, I called Pelosi’s office and asked the staffer to confirm to me the same thing.  He said he could not answer on behalf of Ms. Pelosi.  I said, “you mean you can’t tell me if it’s a fact or not?”  He just repeated himself and asked if I wanted to leave a message.  (I’ve been that route before.  Who even knows if the messages are listened to.)  So, I went and left Ms. Pelosi a message telling her why I had called and I would like an answer (left a phone number).  And that if it was so that she is an obstructionist of justice.  And that she, likewise, had no right to remove impeachment from the table, since it’s a  provision afforded us by the constitution and she had no right to remove that provision from us.  I again repeated I wanted an answer.

    The likelihood of an answer are slim to zero, of course.  

    • brobin on July 8, 2008 at 22:16

    Without her at the helm, someone on the lying, stealing, cheating, murdering, profit-for-profits-sake, Constitution destroying side of the aisle might be held accountable for their actions.

    We CAN’T have that, now CAN we?

    ;-P

    • feline on July 8, 2008 at 22:32

    what Judge Bates decided regarding Miers and Bolton – since the House Judiciary Committee decided to go that route, I think his decision might have a bearing on how they would deal with Rove…

    Does anyone know?

  5. You’ve spoken. Will Congress listen?

    Dear Friends,

    Tens of thousands of Americans have put their names on the line by signing the petition supporting Articles of Impeachment against the President.

    In the next few days, it will become clear whether Congress will respond or further action is necessary.

    Thank you.

    Re-Elect Congressman Kucinich Committee

    SIGN THE PETITION

     

  6. You know, you would think after all that’s happened, these people wouldn’t be able to surprise me anymore.

    It occurs to me just now that maybe Pelosi is just not up to the task. Maybe she’s just not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

  7. …”Thanks for the bump!”

  8. to see if I could get a “yes” or “no” as to whether or not, in fact, Pelosi said she would block Conyers and any attempt he makes to cite Rove for contempt charges.

    The staffer I spoke with said that although their office has received many, many calls on the matter, she really didn’t know the answer to my question.  “I called yesterday to try and get an answer, now I’m calling again — you mean no one knows yet whether it’s a fact or not?”  “No, we don’t know.  Why don’t you call Ms. Pelosi’s office.”  “I did that yesterday and was told by the staffer that they could not speak on behalf of Madam Speaker.”  “Well, I don’t know what to tell you, I’m sorry.”  I said, “Well, let me tell you something, if it’s true, Ms. Pelosi is an obstructionist of justice.  And, she also had no right whatsoever to remove impeachment from the table, it’s a provision afforded us by the Constitution and she had no right to remove it!”  The staffer asked for my name, address, telephone number, etc. and said she was definitely going to convey my thoughts to others (?).  I said, “Thank you.”  I was becoming a little vexed.

    So, next I decided to call Cong. Wexler’s office (he is on the Judiciary Committee, as well) to see if I could get an answer.  The staffer said that they are aware of the matter (rumor, she said) and they are looking into it. “Ms. Pelosi has not come out with an official statement.”  “Can you explain to me what that means?  I mean, does that mean she made the comment or statement, but it is not official?”  “It’s unofficial — that’s all we know.  Why don’t you call Ms. Pelosi’s office?”  “I called her office yesterday and was told by the staffer that he could not answer on behalf of Ms. Pelosi.  So, I guess you really don’t have an answer to this, do you?”  “No, I’ve told you what I know.”  “O.K., thank you, goodbye.”

    This is so maddening, I can’t tell you.  It’s a little fishy, also.  I feel that it’s something she may actually have said, but does not want it to be “public knowledge” or known as an officially made statement.  

  9. . . . . But now, liberal blogs are buzzing with an unsourced report that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is blocking Conyers from following through with the contempt charge. The rumor has spread far and wide on left-leaning blogs and message boards, from Democratic Underground to TPM Cafe.

    And apparently it’s false. Pelosi’s communications director Brendan Daly sent us the following statement:

    Those reports are completely untrue — the Speaker has not urged the Judiciary Committee not to seek contempt charges against Karl Rove.

    The committee can seek a contempt citation if it decides to do so. (Fyi, Henry Waxman’s Oversight Committee is looking at a contempt citation against the attorney general over documents. The Speaker has no objections to that — it’s the committee’s decision.)

    A source with the House Judiciary Committee also denied Pelosi was opposing contempt charges.

    Source:  here and here

    It’s possible she did say it, but the uproar has caused a total retraction — who the hell knows!

    • feline on July 10, 2008 at 17:37

    Sanchez rules that Rove does not have immunity

    Read the pdf letters.

    But, now what action does the Committee take?

    Also, this from Huffington Post found AtLargely.

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