Senate Panel Authorizes Subpoena For Rove

(CBS/AP)  Senators joined the House on Thursday in approving subpoenas to force President Bush's political adviser and other aides to testify about the firings of federal prosecutors, setting off new efforts to avoid a dragged-out court fight.

Democrats portrayed the subpoena authority, approved on voice vote by both the House and Senate Judiciary committees, as a bargaining chip in negotiations over the terms of any testimony by White House political adviser Karl Rove.

The committees' chairmen, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., appeared in no rush to issue subpoenas to White House officials and provoke a standoff.

Talks continued behind the scenes, officials said, even as the White House and majority Democrats engaged in strategic posturing before the cameras.

While President Bush has publicly expressed his support for the embattled Attorney General, Gonzales has a morale problem inside his Justice Department, CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports. Some officials are increasingly worried that the scandal surrounding the firing of eight federal prosecutors has become a distraction for the other U.S. Attorneys who are supposed to be fighting crime.

In letters Thursday, Senate and House Democrats rejected White House counsel Fred Fielding's offer to let Rove and other administration officials talk about their roles in the firings, but only on Bush's terms: in private, off the record and not under oath.

"I have never heard the Senate take an ultimatum like that," Leahy said. "I know he's the decider for the White House. "But he's not the decider for the United States Senate."

"Your proposal will not facilitate a full and fair inquiry," wrote Conyers and Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif.

White House spokesman Tony Snow cast the administration's offer to allow Rove, former White House counsel Harriet Miers and their deputies talk to lawmakers in private as the best deal Democrats are going to get.

"We opened with a compromise," Snow told reporters. "By our reaching out, we're doing something that we're not compelled to do by the Constitution." But, he added, "The phone lines are still open."

Snow, in an interview on CBS' The Early Show accused supporters of subpoenas of wanting "a Perry Mason scene where people are hot-dogging and grandstanding and trying to score political points."

In a testy exchange with The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Snow said the White House's offer was generous.

"If anybody's worried about the communication the White House may have made with somebody, they're going to get it," Snow tersely responded. "If they're going to want to get an answer and want to get the facts from somebody, they're going to get it. What they're not going to get is the ability to create a show trial atmosphere."

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[jube2b]

I think everyone in this country needs to listen to Joe Biden. This man will make an excellant president. Stop the republican nay-saying and listen to this man speak. He is not about mud slinging, he is about solution and bringing our troops home. Bush keeps saying "Oh they will follow us here"...does anyone really beleive that nonsense. It was just like the weapons of mass destruction. This administration was telling us all to go out and buy duct tape and plastic wrap. Do you think that is what they would of done? Hell no, they would all run under ground just like rats and they are rats! I still think Cheney must own a duct tape company! If our military was here, we would be alot safer. Agree or disagree but by putting them on our borders instead of everyone elses it would quell any radicals from entering and maybe the MILLIONS of illegals. Just stop at look at the last 7 years this monster has been running this country. Our economy,jobs, the ability to pay our mortgages and credit cards are GONE! The president listened to the lobbyists not us. Not one person should find the need to face foreclosure or bankruptcy but George Bush and the rest of the theives gave cart blanche to the banks and credit card companies. High interest, outlandish late fees and alot of dead Americans. Do we really want this? Our country has been in decline the last 7 years. Support our new Senate and Congress, they are what we need. Give them a chance and stop that idiotic cut and run nonsense.

[realpatriot1]

Conservatives take note. Your monologue talking point of executive privilege has been nullified by none other than the Drunk-In-Chief himself.

By offering to have his aides talk to Congress under even the absurd conditions he has demanded, he has relinquished his claim to executive privilege(not a Contituional right to begin with). He has no case, just like Clinton didn't.

[david1737]

Gonzales misled (lied) to Congress. He should step down.

"joining a growing number of GOP lawmakers who want Gonzales out. "It would be better for the president and the department if the attorney general were to step down," Gillmor said."

[micma-2009]

What Bush and Co. are selling:


"We have done nothing wrong but we don't want to speak about that on record because we have nothing to hide."

"If we talk to Congress about this afair it must be behind closed doors and we must pick who will be in the room and the questions to be asked because we have nothing to hide."

"Our offer is very generous."


Are you buying?

[idlefritz-2009]

"Some officials are increasingly worried that the scandal surrounding the firing of eight federal prosecutors has become a distraction for the other U.S. Attorneys who are supposed to be fighting crime."

Best to deal with criminal activity in their own house. Those "officials" are undoubtedly concerned that their names will pop up during testimony.

[us_infidel]

On FOX news last night, they profiled 3 of the losers who got fired. From what I saw, they deserved it. If you watch CNN, CBS, etc., they get played as victims. The MSM could have found this out....but they obviously don't want to know.

Wouldn't it be great if dems would just get over it and start working for the interests of us???

[realpatriot1]

The press should be asking Tony Snow 1 question and should keep asking it until they get a straight answer(which they won't)-did the President or did he not know about and approve of these firings? That's what's left alluded to but unanswered by the gap in Justice Department e-mails.

The executive privilege claim and the argument about who the President can hire or fire is moot if he wasn't in the loop bacause Justice can't do this without Presidential involvement yet seem to be considering it. That my conservative friends would be an abuse of power by officals at the Justice Department.

The claim to executive privilege is only meaningful if the president was actually involved in this, so the White House claim implies that he was and the Justice Department e-mails don't say. It should be an easy question to answer since the exec claim hinges upon it.
If the answer is no then many people at Justice need to be fired and questioned without any claim of exec privilege entering into the equation.

[micma-2009]

What Bush and Co. are selling:


"We have done nothing wrong but we don't want to speak about that on record because we have nothing to hide."

"If we talk to Congress about this afair it must be behind closed doors and we must pick who will be in the room and the questions to be asked because we have nothing to hide."

"Our offer is very generous."

[greco99-2009]

Now watch as Bush friend Jack Abramoff serves vitrually no time (or is pardoned), and the U.S. Attorney who brought the case against this thug is punished.

And, note that Rove's dirty tricks have been selectively used against certain Republicans as well.

[greco99-2009]

If this administration has nothing to hide then why not set the record in public.

It seems to me that the whole notion of a private interview that is not under oath is a prelude to more lies and evasion.

Also, a key issue that is developing is that there are now 16 days of missing emails near the dates of the actual firings. Clearly, there is likely to be explosive material in that period.

Keep in mind the real issue here is not that the U.S. Attorneys were replaced. But, that there appears to be a deliberate and coordinated effort to use the U.S. Attorney's office for highly partisan practices, including sham prosecutions of Democrats and failure to prosecute Republicams.

Witness Carol Lam with a strong case against Republican Jerry Lewis (and recent conviction of Duke Cunningham) and Chris Christie with a potentially bogus prosecution of Democratic Senator Bob Menendez (this was done just before a tight race, and prosecution materials were leaked and used in commercials paid for by the Republicans).

Americans of all political affiliation should deplore this shameful use of a non-partisan institution. But, then it appears that the Bush administration thinks that the laws of the land do not apply to them...