Government Agencies Push Back On Waxman Request For Rove’s Emails
Government Agencies Push Back On Waxman Request For Rove’s Emails
Last month, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote letters to at least 24 government departments and agencies directing them to preserve e-mails received from or sent to non-governmental e-mail accounts (i.e. gwb43.com, georgewbush.com and rnchq.org) used by White House staffers.
Since both the RNC and the White House have said they did not preserve some of these communications from White House staffers, Waxman is attempting to acquire the emails through an alternative route.
The agencies pushed back on Waxman’s request:
Waxman’s Democratic staffers earlier sent out a letter demanding e-mails, but agencies reported back that the request was unclear.
The Examiner obtained a new memo sent to federal agencies from Waxman’s committee which provides “additional guidance” for conducting a wide search for e-mails involving White House political adviser Karl Rove and other political aides:
“The search should include any e-mails received or sent by any covered agency official after January 20, 2001 and before April 12, 2007,” says the two-page memo, a copy of which was obtained Monday by The Examiner. [...]
Its memo lists four types of “covered agency officials” - basically political appointees. It specifically mentions 15 people in whom the committee is particularly interested. They include Rove, former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, and 13 other current and former White House aides.
“For each covered agency official, the search should include the official’s e-mail account, any archive of e-mail account including printed e-mails where appropriate, servers, and any backup tape or other backup media containing e-mails to or from the official,” the committee memo states.
Sen. Patrick Leahy has warned of further action if the lost messages are not found. “Those e-mails are there, they just don’t want to produce them. We’ll subpoena them if necessary.”
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50 Responses to “Government Agencies Push Back On Waxman Request For Rove’s Emails”
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C'mon Rove, if you have nothing to hide, did nothing wrong/illegal, then you have nothing to worry about.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:18 pmCan we please start arresting people for being in contempt of congress so we can get to the bottom shit before the next election!?!?!?!?!?
May 7th, 2007 at 5:19 pmCan't we get them from the NSA?
May 7th, 2007 at 5:20 pmYou know..... If I ever get a court order to do something, I am going to stall it forever.....
If they try to jail me, when my court appearance comes up I am going to use this Administration as an example of why I am allowed to do this......
They are not above the law, so if they can do it so can the average joe!!!
If they try to force me, then I will file a law suit against the court due to PRESIDENCE being made in the system right now that shows that people do NOT have to adhere to the law.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:22 pmStanding up to brown shirt rethuglicans is not an easy job. I have the feeling that Waxman and Leahy will be able to save our country and restore democracy.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:24 pmMaybe it's time to appoint a special prosecutor....?
May 7th, 2007 at 5:27 pmIs that a recent photo of Rove? It looks like he's age 20years.
The slime will delay this for as long as possible. Ensuring that any Republican will be unable to win any seats, not to mention the presidency. Trying to save their skins locks in the view of this vermin. It ferments and history will take it's time in sorting out the disaster now known as George W. Bush.
Maybe their only end game is for giving pardons to all who are left standing.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:28 pmI'd love to know what Rove has on that little Blackberry he's always photgraphed with. Subpoena the Blackberry!!
May 7th, 2007 at 5:28 pmblackberry jam!
May 7th, 2007 at 5:30 pmThank you so much for this picture of Karl Rove. Whenever I see that Smilin' Karl pic ON A BLOG no less, I recoil in horror.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:30 pmThis email is make or break for Rove. If the email is discovered, he will go to prison.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:33 pmBush Regime is playing games with Waxman, so he may never get the emails or White House will stall as long as possible.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:34 pm"We’ll subpoena them if necessary.â€
The big question obviously is becoming, and then what?
I am hearing very little about "inherent contempt," a doctrine under which Congress can enforce its contempt power without depending on a (Bush-appointed) USA to take the case to court.
It has its own problems, but it's better than the alternative.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:35 pmooooh subpoena them subpoena them, and when they don't produce them ask them to again, and then when they don't threaten them with serious consequences, and then when they don't give them such a pinch!
The Republic666ans are playing the clock out, lets move it along to give the American people some relief.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:37 pmWell Waxman had better hurry it up, I'm aging as I type and we are running out of time..Not sure if we can prosacute them after they are out of office....The flip side is if we get all the investigation's going now they will be in full swing for the 2008 election's....One way or the other the country is already 70+ to 30- in voting every reich winged rat out...If it get any worse there will never be republican's in again.....Blessings
May 7th, 2007 at 5:37 pmI don't get it. If you have nothing to hide,why not cough up the e-mails? of course if you have something to hide...
May 7th, 2007 at 5:38 pmSo this is what a snake in the grass looks like?
May 7th, 2007 at 5:39 pmC'mon Sharon,
I have full faith that you will see the end of this horribly corrupt Administration.
:)
May 7th, 2007 at 5:42 pm"Not sure if we can prosacute them after they are out of office….
Comment by Sharon — May 7, 2007 @ 5:37 pm"
Absoulutely......
First they have to be impeached...... No, impeachment is not just for a SITTING official.
Then once that is over, and they are found GUILTY, they can be tried in a court of law. This is the ONLY way a president or other official can be tried....
Impeachment also prevents them from EVER being allowed to hold any other public office, which is also another reason we need to impeach everyone in this administration....... So that they cannot ever touch another public office and screw it up too.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:44 pmDelay and stonewall - that's the ticket!
May 7th, 2007 at 5:46 pmAfter Nixon, Bush&Co have perfected it to a science.
Delay and stonewall - that’s the ticket!
After Nixon, Bush&Co have perfected it to a science.
Comment by Marie — May 7, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
While this is completely true, there is a long, long time to have to maintain the delay. Waxman & Leahy are going to get the emails.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:50 pmThis is what bush and rove meant by a more transparent govt. It's transparent that they are only going to save their asses and not care about the direction of the country.
It's crystal clear.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:52 pm'Unclear' is now a synonym for 'scaring the sh*t out of us'.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:54 pm#21 namtillaku
May 7th, 2007 at 5:58 pmI sure hope you are right. I think Leahy and Waxman are very tenacious but that quality is going to be put to the test.
C'mon, can't we declare Rove an enemy combatant and torture him until he tells us everything?
May 7th, 2007 at 6:02 pmI sure hope you are right. I think Leahy and Waxman are very tenacious but that quality is going to be put to the test.
Comment by Marie — May 7, 2007 @ 5:58 pm
Indeed. I'm being optimistic, though I don't have many reasons to be. It's telling really, they have plenty of time to get these things done, but WILL they. Many of my friends believe that Dem/Reb are just two sides of the same coin, and there's little evidence to the contrary.
Interesting times.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:10 pmWhy are they waiting, subpoena them now. I think that the Democrats should stop asking and start issuing subpoenas. They know that the Bush Admin is going to do everything in it's power to keep documents out of the hands of the people who are finally doing some oversight. STOP PLAYING NICE AND START ISSUING SUBPOENAS. The time for playing nice is long past.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:24 pmNow we need to indict the ENTIRE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT of "obstruction of justice" - as Lou Dobbs said of the deportation of illegal immigrants...."this is the United States and we can do it!". Amen! If they fail to comply, they all need to be heaved out of their positions.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:35 pmDemocrats have no interest in impeaching Bush per se. They'd rather simply win the White House and both houses of congress in 2008.
Dragging things out is actually consistant with that strategy - pretty obvious.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:36 pmP.S. Rove looks like he's literally coming apart at the seams - beginning with the top of his head...WTF's going on there with that rat's nest? He's aged a decade in the past month or so....he looks ancient! Karl Rove is prima facie evidence of what a life of crime does to a human being - he's the "poster child of crime".
May 7th, 2007 at 6:36 pmCome on Henry, just start letting the subpeanas fly.. these guys are criminals trying to hide thier crimes, theres no way you are going to be able to peacefully negotiate them turning the documents that prove thier guilt over.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:41 pmRove needs to be in jail, along with Bush.
For the rest of their LIVES...
For TREASON, among MANY other crimes.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:43 pmShould have subpoena'd them day one of the scandle, now they have had too much to cover their tracks.
Bush the crime lord, Don of the neocon mafia.
Hating the Repukian Mafia daily
May 7th, 2007 at 6:44 pm#26 namtillaku
May 7th, 2007 at 7:07 pmYes, I have been around long enough to know that either party is capable of abuse of power. But until the reign of King George the Monkey, I didn't see this kind of abuse even under Nixon!
I honestly believe that the repugs, however, abuse their powers to either feather their nests and aid their friends, and they prefer to spend billions on defense systems because they believe that power/authority is right - sort of like King of the Hill.
Dems abuse their powers to line their pockets too, but they advocate programs for the citizenry. Children, sick, elderly, poor, environment - those are the targets of their expensive programs. Dems favor adherence to the Constitution, Repugs would rather re-write it. (the power thing again).
Given our two party system - and I don't see a third party here for a long time, if ever - I will vote for the party that may take my money, but also spend for the common good, rather than the party that will take my money, keep it for themselves, screw the needy, and want to run the world.
Throughout my lifetime, I have voted Democratic, Independent and Republican. I have vowed that never - never again - will I vote for a Republican. I will take my chances with a Democrat every time.
yeah -- the agencies may resist,
for a bit, but the DoJ, just this after-
noon, capitulated (as i predicted!), and
agreed to let ms. monica goodling's
immunized, and soon-to-be-subpoenaed-
testimony, be heard in front of rep. john
conyers' judiciary committee.
more detail at the above-link.
gonzales is already scheduled for this
thursday, may 10, a 9:30 a.m. e.d.t. --
in front of conyers' committee -- per-
haps we could "play a double header"(?!). . .
goodling in the morning; gonzales in the afternoon. . .
me? -- i'd pay double for that!
"take me out to the klieg-lights. . ."
May 7th, 2007 at 7:21 pmNamtilaku: "Many of my friends believe that Dem/Reb are just two sides of the same coin, and there’s little evidence to the contrary."
Oh really. Read the platforms, please. And compare the candidates. Democrats support universal health care. Repubs don't. Democrats support rolling back tax cuts for the most wealthy. Repubs don't. Dems support giving Medicare the right to bargain for lower drug prices. Repubs don't. Democrats support funding stem cell research. Repubs don't. Democrats overwhelmingly support working to get out of Iraq as quickly as possible. Repubs obstruct these efforts. Democrats support government-aided efforts to stimulate renewable energy resources. Repubs obstruct. Democrats support care for the environment. Repubs destroy the environment.
I don't know why anyone even makes a statement like you made. It's the kind of world view that tends to help elect republicans.
May 7th, 2007 at 7:23 pmCaption:
"Bery me"
May 7th, 2007 at 8:07 pmLooking at that photo of "Pigpen" Rove makes me wonder what he is texting.
May 7th, 2007 at 10:04 pmCould it be something like "We will f--k him. We will ruin him. Like no one has ever f--ked him!"
#34 "Yes, I have been around long enough to know that either party is capable of abuse of power. But until the reign of King George the Monkey, I didn’t see this kind of abuse even under Nixon!"
Yeah, there has not been such an incredible grab for power before this administration.
May 7th, 2007 at 11:33 pm38, Comment by OxyCon — No. It's probably more like; Jeff will I see you tonight at the club? I will do my MC Rove for you. I'm bringing Fowley and we can go cruise some Chucky Cheese pizza parlors after doing a little X. Rush got me some Vit-C also. let's make a night of it.
May 7th, 2007 at 11:53 pmIt's amazing to me what this administration continues to get away with. And they called Raygun the Teflon president.
This administration is literally getting away with murder. If the average citizne tried to get away with what they are doing -- they'd be imprisoned.
Can we put them all (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Myers, Hadley, Wolfowitz ETC. in jail now?
May 8th, 2007 at 8:39 amIf Bushie's approval rating, at 28%, is the lowest in modern times ever for a President, what do you think KKKarl's is?
May 8th, 2007 at 8:56 am-28%
May 8th, 2007 at 9:04 amYou'll subpoena them "if" necessary? What are you daft? You you really think this administration is going to comply willingly? You actually think they'll just hand you the rope to hang them with?
Quit wasting every one's time! Hand out the subpoenas NOW!!! The more you delay the more it looks like you are part of the problem.
May 8th, 2007 at 9:36 amWhy is it that the people that have violated the public trust are treated with such kid-gloves when just the opposite should be the rule?
There was a time when even the hint of impropriety was enough to get you to resign. Now it seems everything has been flipped on it's head. Medals are given to total incompetents. Failures rewarded with cushy jobs, contracts and book deals.
There is no way this country can survive unless accountability is restored and those that hold public office are punished severely when they break the law.
You do remember the law? It's something we're ALL suppose to adhere to.
May 8th, 2007 at 9:49 am"Waxman’s Democratic staffers earlier sent out a letter demanding e-mails, but agencies reported back that the request was unclear."
What a bunch of juveniles we have running this country.
May 8th, 2007 at 10:02 amIf Rove will not come willing, then subpoena him. If he is even one second late to his meeting, then you haul his fat rear in on contempt of congress.
May 8th, 2007 at 11:23 pmCharming.... Adds another point of collaboration between the Republican Crime Machine and the massive data bases and technical infrastructure constructed up by the major telcos (ATT etc) for their secret beneft. Not only do THEY know everything WE are saying or doing, WE don't have a snowballs's chance to get info from crony corporate ISPS. Might be worth a subpoena of these firms though....the 'national security' claims that would be made by BushCo would at least confirm some of the data that is stored.
Give them credit, they know how to connive.
June 18th, 2007 at 5:00 pmQuestion for the more knowledgable: If members of this admin. are impeached, do they also lose their pensions? These weasels need to be hit where it hurts and if they don't get prison terms for their crimes against our country, then at the very least they should lose all government pensions.
June 19th, 2007 at 9:53 amANybody know the answer?
Thanks.
#25 "C’mon, can’t we declare Rove an enemy combatant and torture him until he tells us everything?"
We can't, but the next president can and should. All of this administration should be declared so and then sent to Gitmo for interviews. After that we'll see if the international courts want them for any reason.
June 19th, 2007 at 12:03 pm