The facts about subpoena precedent

Henry Waxman of the House Government Oversight Committee recently submitted a report that gives past examples of when Bill Clinton complied with Congressional subpoenas:

According to the report,from 1997 to 2002, under Republican Chairman Dan Burton, theHouse Oversight Committee issued 1,052 subpoenas targetingDemocratic Party or Clinton administration officials.

   This letter also describes cooperation by subpoenaed Clintonadministration officials serving in the same capacity asformer White House council Harriet Miers and Deputy Chief ofStaff Karl Rove, two of the Bush administration officialscurrently in the Democrats' sights. According to the report,"141 individuals who worked in the Clinton administration,including top advisers to the president, spent 568 hours indeposition before the [Oversight] committee staff." Thisincluded three White House chiefs of staff and four counselsto the president, along with other top administrationofficials.

    In a press conference Tuesday, PresidentBush said "we've made an unprecedented number of documentsavailable," referring to the 3,000 pages of emailcorrespondences released by the Department of Justice.Waxman points out that over two million pages of internaldocuments were turned over to Congress during theinvestigations into the Clinton administration.

Bush does not have a good case on this one.  Leahy should just keep the pressure on.

Comments

[Tony]

Keep the pressure on and DON'T cave should be the Dems motto.