Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

Contempt Proceedings

by BooMan
Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 12:18:13 PM EST

Update [2007-7-25 12:35:23 by BooMan]: The House Judicary Committee has approved the report recommending to the House that Miers and Bolten be cited for Contempt of Congress.

Contempt Proceedings | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Comtempt Proceedings (none / 0)

The House Judiciary Committee has found Harriet Miers and current chief of staff to the president, John Bolten, in contempt of congress. Jesus H. Christ. And, now, it will go before the entire House.

What next?

by BooMan on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 12:43:37 PM EST

Re: Contempt Proceedings (none / 0)

...as in committee, everyone will vote along party lines...I just hope they pull it off! O cprrected the comtempt to contempt...hugs

by BrendaStewart (stormyweather1@hotmail.com) on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 12:46:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Comtempt Proceedings (none / 0)

From what I just read, the full House won't take it up until after the August recess. Why the eff would they wait? Do they think Bush will suddenly have a change of heart?

I say move it through now!

Here's Pelosi's number: (202) 225-0100
Online form for email: http://speaker.gov/contact/

Latino Político | "We are condemned to kill time, thus we die bit by bit." - Octavio Paz

by Man Eegee (man.eegee at gmail dot com) on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 12:50:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Comtempt Proceedings (none / 0)

The timing here is going to be interesting. The Bush administration will fight this and want it to go to court because they want to stall investigations as much as possible...but on the other hand, they need to be in office if / when sentences are handed out so that they can commute jail time in exchange for silence.

So, the Democrats may be pushing this off to make Miers and Bolten get just a wee bit nervous about the possibility of seeing the inside of a jail cell.

Tengo un sueño.

by ejmw (ewitham (at) umich (dot) edu) on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 01:02:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Comtempt Proceedings (none / 0)

Interesting. Poor Harriet - she went from SCOTUS nominee to this in no time. Good.

(hi!)

Latino Político | "We are condemned to kill time, thus we die bit by bit." - Octavio Paz

by Man Eegee (man.eegee at gmail dot com) on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 01:20:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Comtempt Proceedings (none / 0)

Maybe she'll write a book someday. That would be a treat.

(Hola!)

Tengo un sueño.

by ejmw (ewitham (at) umich (dot) edu) on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 01:37:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Contempt Proceedings (none / 0)

they need to be in office if / when sentences are handed out so that they can commute jail time in exchange for silence.

Not so. Ford's pardon of RMN established a precedent for the "indeterminate pardon."

Now, therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in* during the period from July (January) 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.

*italics mine

Assuming arguendo that somehow the Shrubberies have actually been persuaded to leave office peacefully, I think we can expect to see blanket pardons for all Bush appointees or GOP officials "for any crimes they may have committed between October 31, 1999 and January 20, 2009 or related to actions taken during that period."

And I think we can expect that regardless of the state of any investigations at that time.

I think it's more likely this is being put off in hopes that the public will be distracted by another missing blonde bimbo (or equivalent) so that they won't actually have to address the issue at all....

We are all captives of the pictures in our heads -- our belief that the world which we have experienced is the world that really exists. -- Walter Lippman

by stormkite on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 01:21:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Contempt Proceedings (none / 0)

True.

Bush's last act will be a blanket pre-emptive pardon of anyone and everyone who may have the dirt on his administration's misrule.

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt

by Steven D on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 01:27:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Contempt Proceedings (none / 0)

I believe there's a difference in what protections you can claim in further testimony after you've been pardoned vs. having part of a sentence commuted, but I'm not a lawyer. I thought that had something to do with why Bush commuted Libby's jail time instead of just pardoning him.

The way I understand it, even if they're pardoned for crimes committed during the entire reign of the Bush administration, the day he is out of office and they still haven't shown up to testify before Congress, they're still in contempt of congress and could be prosecuted as such. Unless he's going to write blanket pardons into the future, which I don't believe there is precedent for but wouldn't put past them to try.

Tengo un sueño.

by ejmw (ewitham (at) umich (dot) edu) on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 01:36:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Contempt Proceedings (none / 1)

Yup. Commuted sentence means that threats of prosecution remain valid, thus Scooter can climb into a hole and pull the fifth amendment over himself. A pardon wouldn't allow that.

However, a blanket pardon for everyone at the end of his term means the investigations will be, for all intents and purposes, moot. Nobody will be left liable, nobody can be charged with anything and all the documents will be classified until the end of the world - in essence all the faits will be accompli'd.

And the D's will announce "our long national nightmare is over" and go on to assume the quasi-dictatorial powers Shrub has left them to continue the conquest of the world.

We are all captives of the pictures in our heads -- our belief that the world which we have experienced is the world that really exists. -- Walter Lippman

by stormkite on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 02:45:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Comtempt Proceedings (none / 0)

The AP reports, "a vote by the full House would most likely happen after Congress' August recess."

(Sigh........)
Are you f&$#ing kidding me?

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity"

by MikeInOhio on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 12:49:57 PM EST

Re: Comtempt Proceedings (none / 0)

Nothing is more sacred to Congress than an August recess. The shame is that while Congress moves like a slug, the court cases on these issues will move even slower. They (Dem Leadership) obviously intend to drag this issue of contempt into the election cycle to be able flog the GOP over and over again with it.

If they were serious, they could have taken this step 2 months ago, frankly.

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt

by Steven D on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 01:19:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Contempt Proceedings (none / 0)

goddam it to hell (and, yes, i'm feeling VERY SHRILL!)...! we sit here and decry the iraqi parliament for taking august off and, while our constitution is in flames, our congress does the same exact goddam friggin' thing...

In a 22-17 vote, the House Judiciary Committee approved "a Resolution and Report Recommending to the House of Representatives that Former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten be cited for Contempt of Congress." The AP reports, "a vote by the full House would most likely happen after Congress' August recess."

FORGET THE F***G RECESS!
STICK TO YOUR JOBS AND PROTECT OUR CONSTITUTION!

besides, if you go into recess, bush is just going to slip through a big pile of recess appointments anyway...

GET A FREAKIN' CLUE, CONGRESS!
THE COUNTRY IS AT STAKE!

visit my blog - http://www.takeitpersonally.blogspot.com/

by profmarcus (profmarcus@lycos.com) on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 01:32:46 PM EST

Contempt Proceedings (none / 0)

don't hold your breath. it doesn't matter what happens with this, no prosecution will be forthcoming from DoJ:

...If the citation passes the committee and then the full House by simple majorities, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then would transfer it to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. The man who holds that job, Jeff Taylor, is a Bush appointee.
The Bush administration has made clear it would not let a contempt citation be prosecuted because the information and documents sought are protected by executive privilege.
The Justice Department reiterated that position in a letter to Conyers on Tuesday. Brian A. Benczkowski, principal deputy assistant attorney general, cited the department's "long-standing" position, "articulated during administrations of both parties, that the criminal contempt of Congress statute does not apply to the president or presidential subordinates who assert executive privilege."
Benczkowski said it also was the department's view that the same position applies to Miers.
[...]
via ap

the only way this happens, is if they vote to prosecute inherent contempt, and the "trial" occurs in the house. l want to be a fly on the wall, preferably wearing body armor, when the sergeant at arms attempts to arrest miers and bolten.

never. gonna. happen.

theatre, and bad at that.

lTMF'sA

the revolution will not be televised...

by dada on Wed Jul 25th, 2007 at 04:54:42 PM EST

Contempt Proceedings | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Go to: [ Booman Tribune Homepage : Top of page : Top of comments ]

. Home
. About
. Contact
. Advertise
. FAQ
. Search

Username:
Password:

. Make a new account
. Reset password

Gift Cards * New Arrivals

NOTE: Overstock bests Amazon's prices and is "blue."

THE BOOKS WITH "BUZZ":
______________

Senator Edward M. Kennedy tells his extraordinary personal story:

True Compass: A Memoir
by Edward M. Kennedy.

Read Barack Obama's vision for America:

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
by Barack Obama

Boran2 and maryb2004 recommend:

The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime
by Jasper Fforde

Must-have information for all presidents-and citizens-of the twenty-first century?

Physics for Future Presidents: The Science behind the Headlines
Richard A. Muller

rae recommends:

Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire
by Morris Berman.

On BooMan’s shelf:

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This looks interesting:

Adventure Divas
by Holly Morris

Here’s a good one from
Elizabeth Gilbert:

Eat Pray Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert

"Crash" * Best Motion Picture, Academy Awards * Only $11.79 at Overstock * 2006 SAG Winner, Best Ensemble

Check out
Powell's new section:
NEW FAVORITES
Selected new arrivals at 30% off

Recommended by Indianadem and ejmw:
The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Wellstone

From northcountry’s bookshelf:

The New Golden Age:
The Coming Revolution Against
Political Corruption and Economic Chaos by Ravi Batra

A novel about contractors in Iraq from the woman that runs The Spy That Billed Me:

Outsourced: A Novel
from RJ Hillhouse.

Great Deals
----- * ^ * -----

Find mystery novels by Nancy Pickard ("Kansas")

Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power by Phyllis Bennis (interviewed on DN!)

Featured by Keith Olbermann, New (Powell's Sale): Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower by William Blum (whose other books merit serious consideration)

"Explosive" State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration
by James Risen

The book the CIA doesn't want you to read: Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander
Larry Johnson's review

BT's all-time best seller:

PERMACULTURE:
A Designers' Manual
$79.95 * Sale: $59.95

Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History (Third Edition)

The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor And Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
by Timothy Egan

Green Press Initiative
----- * ^ * -----

Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists by Eleanor Mills * NYT review

Bury Me Standing: the Gypsies & Their Journey

1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus

Brokeback Mountain
by Annie Proulx
----- * ^ * -----
Check out Powell's
"At The Movies"

Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World by Noam Chomsky (Power & Terror: Post 9-11 Talks)

The Price of Privilege:

How Parental Pressure and
Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of
Disconnected and Unhappy Kids
by Madeline Levine

Save 35-70% on
name brand clothing,
footwear, and outdoor gear
at SierraTradingPost.com
:

We listened to PEN American Center's "State of Emergency" and found 1940s books by Curzio Malaparte only at Alibris. (Selection (MP3) excerpted from "The Skin.")

Banned Books * Are you a fan of Film Noir, Art House, Documentaries or Hong Kong Action? * Searching for a long-lost children's book or a first printing of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue on vinyl? Find it at Alibris!

:
:

Booman Tribune Homepage
admin@boomantribune.com
powered by Scoop

More blogs about Blogs at Technorati.

Technorati Profile