by Deb Cupples | Days ago, the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to ex-White
House adviser Karl Rove, requiring him to appear on Monday (Feb. 2), regarding his role in politicizing our Justice Department and in the questionable prosecution of ex-Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. (See subpoena pdf.)
It'll be interesting to see 1) whether Mr. Rove shows up, and 2) what consequences will follow if he (again) pulls a no-show.
Committee chairman John Conyers statement:
"'I have said many times that I will carry this investigation forward to its conclusion, whether in Congress or in court, and today’s action is an important step along the way,' said Mr. Conyers."
Noting that the change in administration may impact the legal arguments available to Mr. Rove in this long-running dispute, Mr. Conyers added 'Change has come to Washington, and I hope Karl Rove is ready for it. After two years of stonewalling, it’s time for him to talk.'" (Press release)
Over the last few years, it has been difficult to validly praise many of our Washington Politicians, so I'm jumping at the chance now.
Kudos to Rep. Conyers for persistently focusing on holding Bush Administration officials accountable for egregious abuses of power. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy deserves similar praise. Not all congressional Democrats have shown such strength of character.
When voters gave control of the U.S. House back to Dems in the 2006 election, it seemed that voters were craving government accountability. Impeachment of George Bush would have done wonders to restore voters' faith in our government -- even though Bush likely would not have been convicted by the Senate or removed from office.
Instead of following the apparent accountability-mandate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi simply took impeachment off the table -- and she kept it off the table through the end of President Bush's second term. In doing so, Speaker Pelosi robbed us taxpayers of a chance to restore government accountability.
Holding ex-Bush administration officials accountable for Justice Department politicization is not as sexy as impeachment would have been, but it would do something to help restore Americans' faith in government: that and it would send a solid warning to future government officials that we will not tolerate abuse of power.
Other Buck Naked Politics Posts:
* Fired U.S. Attorney Scandal: an Overview
* CBS' Video on Questionable Prosecution of Siegelman
* Following Bush's Example, Rove Gives Congress the Finger
* Would House Committee Arrest Rove?
* House Passed Stimulus Bill, No Republicans Voted for it
* Citigroup Nixes Luxury Jet, Should Cut Executive Pay & Save Jobs
* Real Bonuses Based on Fake Profits
* Execs Made Millions While Driving Companies into Ditch
* Bank of America CEO Surprised by Merrill's Massive Losses?
* Cleaning up Political & Corporate Culture Could Help Economy
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