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Senate Committee Passes Bill to Monitor Contacts between White House and Justice Department
If Dick Cheney or his right-hand lawyer David Addington are talking to Justice Department officials about individual cases, Congress wants to know about it.
What could be the second law change to emerge from the U.S. attorney firings scandal passed the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), would require the White House and Justice Department to detail in reports to Congress twice a year which Department officials had spoken to which White House officials about cases.
During questioning of Alberto Gonzales this spring, Whitehouse revealed that the Bush White House had thrown the door open to literally hundreds of White House officials being able to confer with Department officials about cases. A memo signed by John Ashcroft had initially opened the door. But a May, 2006 memo by Gonzales had exacerbated the problem and seemed to take special care in ensuring access for Cheney's staff. Gonzales, under questioning, was characteristically befuddled by the document that he'd signed: “I’d have to go back and look at this.... I must say I'm troubled by this.”
The bill passed the committee by a bipartisan 14-2 margin with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) voting against.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) announced during yesterday's business meeting that attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey had told him that he'd fire Department officials who spoke to people in the White House about cases without his say-so.
Earlier this year, a law overturning a measure that had allowed the attorney general to indefinitely appoint U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation passed both houses and was signed by Bush.
Comments (9)
oldtree wrote on September 21, 2007 12:25 PM:And let's assume that the cowboy will sign it?
Jan wrote on September 21, 2007 12:28 PM:posturing is getting quite repellent.
Great report. Thanks.
foggylady wrote on September 21, 2007 1:07 PM:I felt a little sorry for Lincoln Chaffey going down in 2996, but I have found Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to be brilliant.
If you haven't seen his organizational chart, it's worth clicking on the link.
I have a dream...............
phil james wrote on September 21, 2007 1:19 PM:one day, ( pls soon) someone will announce they have found out exactly what the hell Gonzo actually did while AG.
It seems pretty clear HE had no idea what was actually going on, and was just a straw man, prolly to Cheney's office.
Wonder if there is anyone in the AG office who knows if Gonzo ever set foot in the door.
Just a dream...
Whether a law is passed by Congress or signed by Bush is irrelevant. Haven't you all heard about saigning statements? And when has anyone from the Bush crowd ever felt compelled to comply with any laws that are inconvenient? And when has Congress ever been able to compel them? By the way, doesn't Cheney preside over a branch of government that, like Platform 9-3/4 to catch the Hogwart's Express, doesn't really exist for the rest of us muggles?
Kevin wrote on September 21, 2007 2:01 PM:Whitehouse has been terrific. And he's a former USA. Another one who is standing out after being contextualized (for me) as part of a close race in 2006, is Hank Johnson on the HJC.
tiredoftheBS wrote on September 21, 2007 2:25 PM:Isn't it amazing how much effort and legislative work needs to be put into rectifying the destructive changes this administration have made to our American form of government. It's often said that "it can't happen here" speaking of the catastrophe that had befallen Germany prior to WWII; we must be very careful.
PA wrote on September 21, 2007 2:33 PM:Senator Whitehouse is the best addition to the Judiciary Committee. Unfortunately this comes too late to undo all the Bush damage to DOJ. And I think the Repugs are too eager to sign on to this in order to monitor how the next Dem Administration WH acts to get rid of all 'career' Bush-Loyals in DOJ.
I would be cautious in enacting legislation that may cause problems for the next Democratic Administration working to correct all of the Bush crap.
Utopia wrote on September 21, 2007 3:03 PM:Ah, that explains Mukasey's pre-emptive strike, announcing he would fire anyone who gives sensitive information to the White House. Now, there's no need for a law! Brilliant. And, I'll bet dollars to donuts that the first time it happens the excuse will be a) it was an honest mistake, b) it wasn't an *intentional* disclosure or some combination of the two. We know these guy's playbook by now.
U
Robert Poynton wrote on September 21, 2007 6:36 PM:This bill passed the committee without a debate. Will it be debated on the Senate floor?
I want to see a public debate in the U.S. Senate because the law should not be needed. The White House Should not need to talk to every supervisor at the DOJ Headquarters in Washington.
This is how the Bush Administration is politicising the DOJ. Previous Presidents did not politicise the Department of Justice, so they did not have to talk to so many supervisors.
The next President will have to depoliticise the DOJ and only communicate with the the top appointees.