White House Ready for a Long Battle with Judiciary Committee

The Supreme Court may have the final say in the ongoing battle between congress and the Bush administration on the request made by congress that the administration should turn in documents that relates to communications made by former counsel to the president Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor on the firing of eight federal prosecutors.

This morning (Thursday), the White House counsel replied the Senate Judiciary Committee that they will not succumb to the subpoenas ordered my the congress.

This is an indication that the White House is ready to get into a constitutional fight with the congress over the executive privilege. Since the beginning of the Bush administration, the executive branch has been in a long battle with congress over what they see as a weakened executive by the Clinton's administration.

According to an Associated Press staff reporter, the president's counsel Fred Fielding wrote, "With respect, it is with much regret that we are forced down this unfortunate path which we sought to avoid by finding grounds for mutual accommodation. We had hoped this matter could conclude with your committees [the Senate Judiciary Committee] receiving information in lieu of having to invoke executive privilege. Instead, we are at this conclusion."

Today (Thursday), was the deadline given to the White House to provide the requested documents partaking to Miers' and Taylor's role in the controversial firings of federal prosecutors last year. In the same report, the White House pointed out that both Miers and Taylor would not participate in the committee's hearing testimony slated for next month. The subpoenas were issued June 13, and it expires today.

Responding on behave of the congress, according to the report, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Patrick Leahy said " Increasingly, the president and vice president feel they are above law, in America no one is above the law." He further by accusing the administration of moving "into Nixonian stonewalling."

Months ago, when the controversy on why the eight attorneys were fired for came up, the White House released more than 8,500 pages of documents to the congress. They also told the committee that the committee would question Miers, Taylor, Karl Rove and other members of the executive in a closed-door session, and without any notes or taking.

The administration took this same path in December 2001, when congress requested that the Bush administration should turn in documents from former president Clinton. The White House won the first battle then.

The current ongoing war steamed from lack of clarity by the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to explain in detail why the federal prosecutors were fired from their post. Several Justice Department officials had testified and some resign. The Attorney General was not forthcoming during his testimonies according to members of the committee. Mr. Gonzales said, "I don't recall" for 77 times during the hearing.

Some Republican senators and Democrats have called on the Attorney General to resign based on his lack of credibility in the case. But the president stood against the call.

Yesterday (Wednesday), congress subpoenaed the White House, National Security Council and the Attorney General to provide documents about the eavesdropping program conducted by the government.

The case may take the life period of this administration before the court will make any concluding statement on the case, if the showdown is not judiciously resolved between the executive branch and the legislators.

Source: Bush Won't Supply Subpoenaed Documents
URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070628/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_subpoenas_19