Senate Judiciary Democrats Push Contempt Motion
By Susan Crabtree, The Hill
Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats are pushing forward with a resolution holding the White House in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with their subpoenas for information and testimony related to the firings of several U.S. attorneys.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Tuesday put the contempt resolutions on the committee’s agenda for Thursday’s meeting. The move comes after Leahy issued a ruling last week calling the White House’s claims of executive privilege and immunity “overbroad, unsubstantiated and not legally valid.”
The vote could be postponed for a week under Judiciary Committee rules. Leahy, however, has said he wants to consider the criminal contempt resolutions as soon as possible.
The panel issued subpoenas to White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House political director Sara M. Taylor in June, and to former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and White House Deputy Political Director J. Scott Jennings in late July.
Will they postpone this until next year?