Two high-ranking Republicans, Arlen Specter (PA) and Chuck Grassley (IA), joined the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee today by voting in favor of holding both Karl Rove and former White House Chief of Staff, Joshua Bolten in Contempt of Congress.
The committee recommendation, which was passed by a 12-7 vote, now goes to Majority Leader Harry Reid who may, or may not, join House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in failing to hold a full floor vote on the recommendation. Pelosi has held a recommendation from the House Judiciary Committee, finding both Bolten and former White House attorney Harriet Miers in contempt, since July.
The White House, which we all know is well above the law, continued their bullying of the Democrats who are likely to shrink in fear at the intimidation.
“They should be fully aware of the futility of pressing ahead on this,” AP reports White House spokesman Tony Fratto as saying. “It has long been understood that, in circumstances like these, that the constitutional prerogatives of the president would make it a futile and purely political act for Congress to refer contempt citations to U.S. attorneys.”
“I vote for the contempt citations knowing that it’s highly likely to be a meaningless act,” Specter said. “In this context we have no alternative.”
Paul Kiel at TPM Muck speculates: “Perhaps the Senate and House will team up and schedule both votes before the New Year, sending the White House contempt citations against Rove, Miers, and Bolten as a Christmas gift. Or maybe nothing will happen.”
Take your time, kids. Those in contempt have said they won’t allow you to carry out your duty in holding them in contempt anyway, so why make so much unpleasantness just before the holidays?
What’s your guess on when/if Reid/Pelosi will schedule such votes?
Someday Congress is going to have to set it up so they have an agency for itself that can go out and round up these criminals and force them to testify under oath, otherwise this will go on and on
Brad,
White House != Whitehouse.
… just thought you should know 🙂
White house = den of thieves
Brad:
My guess is “when the cows come home” … the cash cows they like to milk.
The people came home a long time ago and voted the dems in and they have pussy footed, waffled, and caved in ever since.
No backbone. It is a demoCon infection they got from the neoCons.
It is rather pathetic to see them play second fiddle when they are first violin. They have the power to refuse to bring bills forward or to bring them forward … to offset the plague of filibusters the republicans have advanced.
But they won’t take a hard stand on anything … kinda like the MSM falsely framing issues, the dems in congress are falsely framing “consensus” and “compromise” til the real meaning is “cave” and “capitulate”.
We know the difference dems, and you are complacent in the greatest damage to America in a generation or so.
Remember, in a bank robbery where someone is killed, the driver of the getaway car is equally guilty of murder.
I fixed it up… he gets in a damn hurry… and, well, then we have Senator Whitehouse on the committee now to further compound the problems….
Floridiot (#1): Actually, they DO have such a body, it’s called the CAPITAL POLICE under the authority of the Sargent at Arms of the House. And they have a mechanism to do it: INHERENT CONTEMPT. This does not require the U.S. Attorney for the District of D.C. (otherwise known as “just another Loyal Bushie”) but just a vote of the House. I do not know whether or not the Senate has an equivelent.
Of course, the chances of Nancy “Off the Table” Pelosi actually calling for a vote that would actually DO anything and then being able to get the Blue Dog Dems (aka southern bigots and other assorted scumbags) to go along — well, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
The whole thing is getting to be such a farce that I know openly and gleefully HOPE for a U.S. attack on Iran just so we can descend into the depths of hell quickly, rather than through this slow and plodding march towards banana republichood.
P.S. I love this quote: “I vote for the contempt citations knowing that it’s highly likely to be a meaningless act,” Specter said. SO VERY HONEST. Specter definitely WOULD NOT do anything if it was NOT a meaningless act but might actually cause something to happen. He’s the MASTER of the MEANINGLESS speach and MEANINGLESS action that MAKES HIM LOOK LIKE HE GIVES A FLYING F%$@ ABOUT THE RULE OF LAW WITHOUT ACTUALLY HOLDING ANYBODY ACCOUNTABLE. What a lying hypocritical sack of crap Specter is.
Thanks 99. And I was specifically trying to NOT confuse White House with Sen. Whitehouse. Oh, well. Best laid plans. That’s what editors are for! 🙂
Charlie L, but how far is the Capitol Police s range?
Can they go to Texass and round ’em up ?, or are they limited to the Capital grounds ?
Frog March Time
Cuff’em and book’em Dano
My point is that if the perpetrators decide to go ‘spend more time with their families’, are they are out of the inherent contempt jurisdictional range ?.
What does Congress have to do, wait until they come and set foot on the Capital grounds to nab them ?
The other Law Enforcement agencies are ultimately controlled by the Shithead in Thief so that they can be ordered to stand down.
WTF ?
It appears on the surface that Congress’ hands are tied.