Contempt of Congress Charges Against HHS Secretary Dropped (for now)

March 13, 2008
Contempt of Congress Charges Against HHS Secretary Dropped (for now)

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is backing off its threat to hold HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt in contempt of Congress after he agreed to work with it to provide subpoenaed information.

The committee in January had requested a briefing book and related notes used to help FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach prepare for a March 22, 2007, hearing on sanofi-aventis’ Ketek (telithromycin). That hearing was held to determine if fraudulent data from a clinical trial were used by the agency to approve the drug.

US House files suit to enforce subpoenas against 2 White House officials

March 10, 2008
US House files suit to enforce subpoenas against 2 White House officials

WASHINGTON: The House Judiciary Committee filed suit Monday to force top aides to President George W. Bush to provide information about the firing of U.S. attorneys.

The lawsuit filed in federal court says former White House counsel Harriet Miers is not immune from the obligation to testify and that she and White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten must identify all documents that are being withheld from Congress.

Mukasey Refuses to Prosecute Bush Aides

March 1, 2008
Mukasey Refuses to Prosecute Bush Aides

Attorney General Michael Mukasey refused Friday to refer the House's contempt citations against two of President Bush's top aides to a federal grand jury. Mukasey said White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential counsel Harriet Miers committed no crime.

As promised, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she has given the Judiciary Committee authority to file a lawsuit against Bolten and Miers in federal court.

"The House shall do so promptly," she said in a statement.

House holds Bush confidants in contempt

February 14, 2008
House holds Bush confidants in contempt

WASHINGTON - The House has voted to hold two of President Bush's confidants in contempt for failing to cooperate with an inquiry into whether federal prosecutors were ousted for political reasons.

Angry Republicans boycotted the vote and staged a walkout.

The 223-32 vote Thursday targets presidential chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. The citations charge Miers with failing to testify and accuse her and Bolten of refusing Congress' demands for documents related to the 2006-2007 firings.

Senator threatens to charge White House with contemp

August 21, 2007
Senator threatens to charge White House with contempt

But Leahy made clear that his patience was running out. With Congress on its August break, he returned to Washington and held a news conference announcing that the White House had failed to meet the Monday deadline he had set for complying with the subpoena.

"Follow the law, and don't act like you're above the law," Leahy told reporters in remarks aimed at the White House. "Go ahead and answer the subpoena."

Leahy said that when the Senate returns to session next month, he would bring up what he called the White House's "dilatory unresponsiveness" with the Judiciary Committee in order to decide whether to bring contempt charges against the administration. "I prefer cooperation to contempt, but right now, there's no question they're in contempt of a valid order of the Congress," Leahy said.

Judiciary Committee OK's contempt citations

July 26, 2007
Judiciary Committee OK's contempt citations

WASHINGTON -- The House Judiciary Committee voted yesterday to issue contempt citations for two of President Bush's closest aides, moving nearer to a constitutional confrontation with the White House over access to information about the dismissal of nine US attorneys.

The panel voted along party lines, 22 to 17, to issue citations to Joshua Bolten, White House chief of staff, and Harriet Miers, former White House counsel. Both refused to comply with committee subpoenas after Bush declared that documents and testimony related to the prosecutor firings are protected by executive privilege.

Harriet Miers's Contempt of Congress

July 13, 2007
Harriet Miers's Contempt of Congress

As a result of Miers's "no show," the full House Judiciary Committee will no doubt support the subcommittee, and vote to deem Miers in contempt. One can only hope - but probably this hope is in vain -- that Republicans may realize this is not a partisan issue, but an institutional matter, and thus will either abstain or vote to support the dignity of the committee on which they serve. Republicans should remember that they will one day be back in control, and may then be confronted by a Democratic president defying their subpoenas - and relying on this very precedent to do so. Realistically, however, there is zero chance that Republicans will place their constitutional interest ahead of their partisan interests.

Congress could pursue contempt charges for Bush

July 1, 2007
Congress could pursue contempt charges for Bush

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee signaled today that he would seek to hold White House officials in contempt of Congress if they do not comply with congressional subpoenas.

"If they don't cooperate, yes, I'll go that far," said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), when asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if he would ask Congress to hold President Bush in contempt if he refuses to respond to subpoenas.

Alberto Gonzales Displays Contempt for Congress

May 18, 2007
Alberto Gonzales Displays Contempt for Congress

John Dean: This week, Gonzales was again shown to have lied to Congress; his ineptitude as Attorney General has resurfaced in litigation that is going to damage the government; and after ignoring a subpoena from the Senate, he made a belated but insufficient response following an angry letter from the Senate.

It's been clear for a while - and is becoming ever clearer - that the Attorney General ought to resign, or to be fired. Now, it seems that Congress is determined to force Gonzales from office or send him to jail, whichever they can do first.