The Pursuit of Karl Rove, Disgraced White House Aide
August 7th, 2008It’s dog days in August in DC and Congress is in recess, leading some Senators, for example, to do things like campaign in Alabama by pretending to save the catfish ‘industry’.
But it appears all the “aggressive progressive” pressure on House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, the Michigan Democrat, is forcing him to take a time out from his vacation to continue his pursuit of former White House political aide and Bush’s “brain” Karl Rove — especially at it relates to his role in the prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.
Conyers wrote a letter today requesting that the Republican National Committee hand over all documents related to Siegelman, including emails sent between the RNC and the White House. He also requested documents and emails subpoenaed by the RNC in their investigation of the politicization of the Justice Department, according to the Washington Independent, where you can read the letter.
Conyers’ letter follows last week’s ruling, which limited the right of White House officials to invoke claims of executive privilege. District Judge John Bates ruled that White House officials are not “totally immune from ever having to respond to congressional testimony” when subpoenaed. Even when the president has asserted executive privilege, officials must appear before Congress and, when appropriate, invoke executive privilege. Bates also ruled that officials must give a specific description of subpoenaed documents they’re withholding based on executive privilege.
Jill Simpson, an Alabama attorney active in the state Republican Party, told the Judiciary Committee last year that Karl Rove ordered the Justice Department to re-open a bribery probe into Siegelman, which ultimately resulted in a dubious conviction. After nearly a year of evasions based on a claim to executive privilege, Rove denied involvement in Siegelman’s prosecution in a written statement two weeks ago, but he has not done the same in sworn, public testimony. His statement did not prevent the committee from holding him in criminal contempt.
“Conyers argues that if President Bush is allowing Rove to answer written questions about the Siegelman prosecution, then what’s wrong with producing a few emails?” according to the Washington Independent’s writer.
Conyers is giving the RNC a week to respond. Rove, meanwhile, has a month to decide if he will appear before the judiciary committee, which will almost certainly subpoena the “boy genius” when it reconvenes.
We can’t wait to see what happens next. Now if someone in DC or New York would put their money where their mouth is about looking into how President George W. Bush is in-the-loop in this whole thing, and going after certain documents as we have suggested, we might get to the ultimate truth in this thing yet … well before the history books are written.
If everyone wants to live in this corrupt monarchy awhile longer — because they are making money off the federal treasury and the privatized offshoots too — then we can let the economy collapse and the revolution begin and read about it in the history books later.
But that’s really not necessary. There are a few people around who are smart enough to stop this rape and plunder now. Can you find the courage to share?
