[Promoted from the Diaries - Meteor Blades]
Bush just invoked executive privilege to keep Sara Taylor and Harriet Miers from testifying before Congress in the US Attorney Scandal!
Bush uses privilege to deny ex-aides’ testimony
White House-Congress showdown over subpoenas escalates
BREAKING NEWS
Updated: 6 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - President Bush invoked executive privilege Monday to deny requests by Congress for testimony from former aides Sara Taylor and Harriet Miers on the White House's role in the firings of several U.S. attorneys.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
So, if he's invoked executive privilege for these two, will Rove, Libby, Cheney follow???
More below the fold...
[Update] Documents, too:
July 9, 2007
Official: White House Counsel will refuse requests for log of documents
WASHINGTON (CNN) — White House Counsel Fred Fielding will be sending a letter Monday to Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. John Conyers reiterating the White House’s refusal to comply with the subpoena for documents related to the U.S. attorneys’ controversy, a senior administration official told CNN.
Democrats have set Monday morning as a deadline for Fielding to at least provide a log of what documents the White House is withholding and to provide further justification for why the White House is asserting executive privilege.
The senior administration official said Fielding will refuse on both counts — will not turn over a log of documents and will point out that the White House previously explained its justification for executive privilege by releasing letters on June 28 from Fielding and the solicitor general.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...
In his letter regarding subpoenas the Judiciary panels issued, Fielding said, "The president feels compelled to assert executive privilege with respect to the testimony sought from Sara M. Taylor and Harriet E. Miers. You may be assured that the president's assertion here comports with prior practices in similar contexts, and that it has been appropriately documented."
"This is propelling us closer to a possible court showdown over this. Both sides have dug in, there seem to be no actual negotiations going on and this is developing into a rather classic test of the contours of executive privilege. What point can a president keep confidential the advice he gets and the discussions that happen within the White House among his aides, the documents that are produced.
And Congress is saying we have a legitimate interest in looking into these things because of the way these US Attorneys were fired."
Peter Baker - Washington Post
[interviewed on MSNBC]
Update from MSNBC:
WASHINGTON - President Bush invoked executive privilege Monday to deny requests by Congress for testimony from former aides Sara Taylor and Harriet Miers on the White House's role in the firings of several U.S. attorneys.
He again offered to make them available for private, off-the-record interviews. In a letter to the chairman of the House and Senate judiciary committees, White House Counsel Fred Fielding insisted the president was acting in good faith and refused lawmakers' demands that he explain the basis for invoking the privilege.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
Lehey had subpoenaed Taylor for a hearing on Wednesday.