Last night, I appeared on MSNBC's Verdict with Dan Abrams to discuss Karl
Rove's outrageous refusal to appear before Congress regarding serious
allegations that he used the US Justice Department to take down a
prominent
Democratic politician. It is alleged that Mr. Rove personally instigated
the
prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegleman. The case has been
criticized by legal experts, and 52 former state attorney generals – both
Republicans and Democrats – have criticized the case and called for an
investigation. (You may view the clip here.)
http://wexlerforcongress.com/multimedia.asp?ItemID=245
If Rove refuses to testify voluntarily and ignores the subpoenas that will
certainly be issued, he should be held in Inherent Contempt of the House
of
Representatives.
No American is above the law. None of us should be able to ignore
Congress
without consequence. If Mr. Rove ignores a subpoena from the Judiciary
Committee, then the House of Representatives should pass an Inherent
Contempt
citation and exercise our right to send the House Sergeant-of-Arms to
gather
Mr. Rove and bring him before Congress to testify.
I do not advocate this option lightly, but the reality is that Congress
has
few options left against an Administration that totally refuses to submit
to
any type of reasonable Congressional oversight. Congress has both the
right
and obligation to investigate these matters. Never before has an
Executive so
upset the checks and balances inherent in our Constitution. If we back
off or
delay, we effectively forfeit the power of Congress to investigate the
Executive branch.
Rove is not the first White House official to ignore Congress. We have
seen a
pattern of refusals based on laughable claims of executive privilege.
First,
White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House Counsel
Harriet Miers ignored subpoenas on the investigation into the firing of US
Attorney Generals for partisan political motives.
Their refusal to testify was unprecedented: never before have executive
officials totally refused to even show up before Congress. Bolten and
Miers
are the highest officials ever held in contempt of Congress.
Unfortunately,
Attorney General Mukasey – in a dereliction of duty – has refused to
enforce
the contempt decree and now Congress is suing them in District Court to
demand
compliance. Then, the Vice President's Chief of Staff, David Addington,
refused to testify on the investigation into the Bush Administration's
ordering of torture. Now, Rove continues this executive arrogance by also
refusing to testify.
Enough is enough. We have a Constitutional obligation to provide
accountability to a White House that is trying usurp the constitutional
powers
of Congress.
These are the very reasons why I have been pu****ng for impeachment
hearings
for Vice President Cheney. The Bush Administration has been running
roughshod
over the Constitution for eight long years. We should not allow the
promise
of a positive election be used as an excuse to ignore our duty to
investigate
crimes that weaken the very fabric of our Democracy.
I thank you again for your commitment to the causes that we hold so dear.
With warm regards,
Congressman Robert Wexler
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Paid for by "Wexler for Congress"
PO Box 810669
Boca Raton, FL 33481
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