Think Progress

Gonzales misses deadline to submit Rove emails.

Earlier this month, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) subpoenaed Alberto Gonzales to turn over all e-mails to or from Karl Rove in connection U.S. attorney scandal. The committee gave the attorney general until 2 PM today to comply. That deadline has passed.




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81 Responses to “Gonzales misses deadline to submit Rove emails.”

  1. mongo Says:

    So...what are you going to do now?

    Isn't this prima facie obstruction of justice?

    Why *hasn't* this idiot been impeached?


  2. mongo Says:

    Oh, I forgot.

    "If the president [or his minions] does it, it's not a crime." --R.M. Nixon


  3. Zooey Says:

    It's a SUBPOENA, Gonzo! Get your f*cking shit together, and MOVE IT!!


  4. Tom3 Says:

    Maybe his top aides forgot to mail it to Leahy.

    Oh, I forgot, Gonzo doesn't have any top aides.

    Never mind.


  5. Spudge_Boy Says:

    Of course he did, because he is above the law, just ask him.


  6. Punchy Says:

    Man, I've resisted being "conspiratorial" about all this, but really, this demands a contempt of Congress declaration. They're now just ignoring subpoenas left and right. Once that precedent is started, they'll all do it. Incredible.


  7. DM Says:

    Gonzo has had people tortured to death for less.


  8. Mr. President Says:

    Alberto was sleepin'... ya see, he needs his rest. heheh... he's tired... he's a tired man, see...


  9. gummitch Says:

    It’s a SUBPOENA, Gonzo! Get your f*cking shit together, and MOVE IT!!

    Comment by Zooey

    "Subpoena? Is that like a law thing? I haven't really thought about it."


  10. Crump's Brother Says:

    Hand down an indictment


  11. Fools on the Hill Says:

    Silly mistakes were made but the Decider has full confidence is every Bushie.


  12. kasinca Says:

    You think this dumb son of a bitch Mexican handyman of Dubya the dunce knows the rules about SUBPOENA after watching his ignorant ass in these investigations?

    It is time for the hand of justice to punish these thugs for everything. The American people deserve to see justice served in the White House.


  13. kelso Says:

    Gonzo said:
    I don't recall receiving a subpoena.
    Emails? I don't recall what an 'email' is.
    Recall? I don't recall what recall is.

    I pray that Waxman nails this guy to the wall. I can't tell if the scumbag works for our Governement or the mafia.


  14. chisholm Says:

    Right--what does happen now, and how are they justifying their noncompliance?


  15. Zooey Says:

    “Subpoena? Is that like a law thing? I haven’t really thought about it.”
    Comment by gummitch

    Heh. I wouldn't put it past him.


  16. Pete Bogs Says:

    Gonzo, Condi and others who are refusing subpoenas are setting a bad example for young people... if they simply ignore legal dictates, why can't I?


  17. Patrick1 Says:

    Small wonder this leftwing Congress' ratings are already in freefall.


  18. mongo Says:

    Past contempt citations:
    --Rita Lavelle
    --Anne Gorsuch

    With any luck, gonzo will join their illustrious club.


  19. Tom3 Says:

    Leahy has already told Gonzales that he will not confirm any nominations for the Justice Department until Gonzo hands over everything.

    Gonzo has a lot of vacancies to fill, even if he doesn't have any top aides.


  20. Rusty Says:

    That it for the Dems... clearly it's "put up of shut up" time. I don't f**king care about the next election. This little weasle is making a mockery of our justice system. If the Dems do not immediately untake an obstruction or contempt of Congress charge, then they are complicit in the game. It's not about your politics, it's about our country.

    This is like letting the convicted fellons at a company continue to run the company after they have been exposed, just so you can buy the stock for cheap next quarter. It's not the right way to run govenment.

    Sorry, but that is the case. We better see some action out of the judiciary out of this, and we better see it fast.


  21. PatrioticLiberalChristian(PLC) Says:

    I hope there is some serious consideration of all the legal options for this contempt of Congress, truth, fairness, and the spirit of the law.


  22. BottomBoy Says:

    As expected, Abu will continue stonewall and WH will fight this all the way to SCOTUS - just as promised earlier.


  23. Roket Says:

    Oops. Gonzo now finds himself in contempt. It is now time for Congress to exercise its authority. Do your duty and have him arrested.


  24. PTF Says:

    I'm sure they'll claim McNulty was responsible for compiling the e-mails...


  25. Namtillaku Says:

    Fredo is the law guy. The law guy does what he wants because his is.


  26. Crump's Brother Says:

    When is this guy finally gonna leave so we can move on. Why can't his party faithful realize tht they can get this out of the news if they just cut bait with this guy. He's too easy a target for the Dems right now.

    The right has been so politically savvy over the lsat 25 years, now they are falling apart at the seams.


  27. Tom3 Says:

    Congress Job Ratings:

    Democrats: 35% Good, 50% Fair/Poor

    Repukes: 22% Good, 74% Fair/Poor

    Do you think it is good for the country the Democrats are in charge?

    51% Good, 37% Bad, 9% Neither, 3% Unsure

    Pollingreport.com


  28. DM Says:

    #23 ~ Who exactly arrests the top cop? How does that work?


  29. BottomBoy Says:

    Target for the Dems? Oh, really? And just what have they accomplished with all this? Approval of the House is down at 29%.


  30. whatever Says:

    Surprise, Surprise!


  31. dono Says:

    Id like to see a 'surge' go to Washington to serve under the Sgt. At Arms. I figure it would only take four companies to secure the White House.


  32. Tom3 Says:

    Approval for the House is down in the Gallup poll.

    And that's 29% average. Dems rate the House at 37%.

    Gallup's headline for this was "Congress drops to 29%, Bush stays steady at 33%".

    Obvious pro-Chimpy bias at Gallup. They're usually unreliable because of this.


  33. KRank Says:

    Target for the Dems? Oh, really? And just what have they accomplished with all this? Approval of the House is down at 29%.

    Comment by ScrapingtheBottomBoy — May 15, 2007 @ 3:51 pm

    I'm confused -- I thought wingnuts didn't pay any attention to polls?

    Oh, wait, that's right -- they're hypocrites, so polling only matters when it shows what they want it to show.


  34. Tom3 Says:

    It looks like the Repuke trolls have come out of the closet.

    BottomBoy is a GAY nickname, no doubt about it.

    It is good to see the Repukes being honest with themselves.

    Good for you to come out of the closet, BottomBoy.


  35. Kiki Says:

    So they should call the sargent at arms and have him detained for contempt of Congress. Let's bring the rule of law back to this nation!

    And get ready to pick Condi up, too.


  36. Art Says:

    Maybe he's hoping to be arrested and put in the same cell as Paris Hilton.


  37. dloberk Says:

    "I don't remember, I don't recall
    I got no memory of anything at all
    I don't remember, I don't recall
    I got no memory of anything
    Anything at all"

    Peter Gabriel - "I Don't Remember"


  38. SKdeA Says:

    Alright, now it's time for the Judicial Committee to arrest his ass.
    Obstruction of justice, plain and simple.
    These thugs only have the power that is GIVEN to them.


  39. Tom3 Says:

    One big difference between the polls for Congress and for Bush is the UNPOPULARITY rating.

    Chimpy's is constantly at over 60%. Congress is nowhere near that bad.

    My favorite recent poll is Newsweek, which has Chimpy at only 28% popularity.


  40. ann Says:

    My, how arrogant of Gonzo.


  41. mongo Says:

    "#23 ~ Who exactly arrests the top cop? How does that work?

    Comment by DM "

    In cases of Inherent Contempt (not exercised in over 50 years), the Sergeant-At-Arms for the Senate would arrest gonzo and drag before the senate for punishment.

    In Statutory Contempt, following the issuing of a contempt citation, Harry Reid would refer the matter to--wait for it--the U.S. Attorney!

    It would then be the duty of the U.S. Attorney to refer the matter to a grand jury for action.

    So bottom line this administration has the process rigged yet again...


  42. Patrick1 Says:

    How bad is it? Even Democrats mostly disapprove of Congress. Only 37% of the majority party's voters think that Congress has performed well; Gallup doesn't mention the percentage that disapproves, but it seems almost certain that it outstrips 37%, unless more than 26% are clueless. Congress gets its worst ratings not from Republicans (25%), but from independents (24%). That should get the attention of leadership in both chambers, who owe their majorities to those independents.


  43. Wayne Says:

    Gonzo has violated the subpoena, so it is time for the Executive branch to be reminded of what happens when someone is charged with Contempt charges.

    Send the Seargent of Arms to arrest him.


  44. Tom3 Says:

    Maybe they can send Comey to arrest Gonzales.

    He has experience pursuing Gonzales in a high-speed chase.


  45. DRxJ Says:

    Hey all.
    Great job ignoring Patrick1nut's attempt at derailing a pertinent thread.
    Keep up the good work!


  46. Wayne Says:

    In cases of Inherent Contempt (not exercised in over 50 years), the Sergeant-At-Arms for the Senate would arrest gonzo and drag before the senate for punishment. --- mongo

    With Inherent Contempt, they can be jailed for the remainder of the congressional term, or untill Congress agrees to release them, whichever comes first.


  47. Tom3 Says:

    I see the Repuke troll is off-topic, because he knows he will lose if he talks about Gonzo.

    Go back under your bridge, troll.


  48. Tom3 Says:

    I like this Inherent Contempt thing with the Sergeant at Arms arresting Gonzo.

    Does Congress have a jail in the basement where they can put him?

    It would be great if Gonzo went to jail and stayed there until January 2009.


  49. Vinnie Says:

    Patrick,

    You're A LITTLE off topic here. Are you implying that Gonzales has the right to ignore the subpoena because congress doesn't have the greatest approval ratings? Doesn't it bother you a little that the AG of the US (!) is acting like he's above the law?

    Please restrict your comments to the topic at hand.

    Everyone else, please don't let Patrick dictate the topic of this thread.


  50. Tom3 Says:

    Repuke troll is a chickenhawk...they all are.

    If they had any balls they would all enlist for Iraq.


  51. Wayne Says:

    Hey all.
    Great job ignoring Patrick1nut’s attempt at derailing a pertinent thread.
    Keep up the good work!

    Comment by DRxJ

    Patrick who?

    Someone relevant, named patrick posted something?


  52. TerrytheTurtle Says:

    Continuing Zooey's theme of music playing as she reads TP today....

    "Bad boys, bad boys, whatchagonna do when they come for you,..."


  53. Dr.D Says:

    If Congressional subpoenas are anything like your typical civil subpoena, one must file an objection before the deadline passes or the objection is waived. You can't just sit there and ignore it.


  54. Joel Says:

    and the consequences for Gonzo will be...
    Nothing

    The consequences for the rest of this country on the other hand...


  55. Spudge_Boy Says:

    Wouldn't you know it. Post number 42 is plagiarism.


  56. TripMaster Monkey Says:

    Spudge_Boy sez:

    Wouldn’t you know it. Post number 42 is plagiarism.

    Q: How do you know when Patrick1 is plagiarizing?

    A: He writes in complete sentences and spells everything correctly. ^_^


  57. Wayne Says:

    Wouldn’t you know it. Post number 42 is plagiarism.

    Comment by Spudge_Boy

    Yep, If Goofball1 ever posts more than a sentence, he plagerized it, you can bet on that.


  58. Wayne Says:

    Q: How do you know when Patrick1 is plagiarizing?

    A: He writes in complete sentences and spells everything correctly. ^_^

    Comment by TripMaster Monkey

    LMAO

    So true


  59. Patrick1 Says:

    He should ignore supeona's from a Congress that can't read the Constitution. It is not against the law to fire U.S. Attornies.


  60. puddin' tane Says:

    This is the startof the doomsday clock for Bushco. Nixon managed to hold out about four months under pressure, starting fom the time it was public knowledge he taped his meetings. My only fear is that the supreme court will go on vacation in a timely fashion and put this off until September. That's four months from now. But the axe is going to fall, sooner or later. There has been NO EXCUSE given for the DOJ to refuse congress' ONE AND ONLY subpeona, for documents in the clear custody of the DOJ. Executive priv. ain't even on the menu here, folks.


  61. Spudge_Boy Says:

    He should ignore supeona’s from a Congress that can’t read the Constitution. It is not against the law to fire U.S. Attornies.

    Comment by Patrick1 — May 15, 2007 @ 4:27 pm

    According to your masters. GEORGE W BUSH DIDN"T FIRE THE ATTORNEYS AND THEREFORE THIS SCANDAL DOESN"T GET THE BENIFIT OF EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE.

    Now, you want to show me where Bush said "I called for the firing of the US Attorneys?"

    Otherwise you are just full of sh!t as usual. Dumb fu*k.


  62. KRank Says:

    He should ignore supeona’s from a Congress that can’t read the Constitution. It is not against the law to fire U.S. Attornies.

    Comment by Patrick1 — May 15, 2007 @ 4:27 pm

    Does the same go for orders from a President who can't read the Constitution (and who couldn't understand it even if he DID read it?)

    Oh, and by the way, plurals of nouns do not take apostrophes. Bonehead.


  63. NTB Says:

    Unfortunately, this subpoena was issued by the Senate Judiciary Committee, so a contempt citation would need to be brought before the floor of the Senate. Doesn't that mean it could be filibustered? I think we'll need to wait for the Administration to ignore one of the subpoenas from the House before a Sergeant-at-Arms is sent to arrest anyone.


  64. Briseadh na Faire Says:

    Gonzales to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy:
    (choose one, or more, from the following list)

    I forgot.

    I don't remember forgetting.

    I remember something to the effect that at one time I saw the request, but I cannot recall the specifics of the request.

    I thought I gave all that stuff to you with the last batch of stuff I didn't give to you.

    Oh, that Karl Rove?

    The server ate my e-mails.

    The e-mails are in the mail.


  65. Briseadh na Faire Says:


    He should ignore supeona’s from a Congress that can’t read the Constitution. It is not against the law to fire U.S. Attornies.

    Comment by Patrick1 — May 15, 2007 @ 4:27 pm

    1. You're advocating the top prosecutor of the United States to violate the law.

    2. Non-sequitor and irrelevant. To my knowledge no one has claimed that it is illegal to fire U.S. Attorneys.


  66. Briseadh na Faire Says:

    Whether or not Gonzales can be arrested, he can be IMPEACHED!


  67. Marie Says:

    Is this contempt of Congress?
    Gonzo must not be allowed to continue dissing the Senate. He could be impeached - he should be impeached.


  68. Englischlehrer Says:

    Seriously, what a slap in the face! The Repubs spent 40 million or so investigating a blow job. Imagine how they would have reacted had Janet Reno ignored a subpoena to turn over important papers... Please go arrest AGAG, or we have no rule of law more...


  69. big papa Says:

    I REALLY don't see how...

    ...a Constitutional showdown can be avoided at this point...

    ...now we find out who the REAL TRAITORS are...

    ..."MOUNT UP!"


  70. OxyCon Says:

    Remember, Gone-zo serves for President Bush's personal pleasure.


  71. puddin' tane Says:

    Yes, in the literal sense it is "contempt of congress" and has been since the beginning, in the sense that bushco is clearly running a cover-up/ stonewall operation. Absent a formal declaration however, we're still waiting. It's not uncommon for these sort of subpeona demands to be given a few hours or even a few days leeway, actually. But given the fact that the DOJ has yet to provide any excuse for non-compliance it would seem that they simply CAN'T turn over the emails without compromising the WH. That's precisely why Abu still has not resigned. It's possible the Dems want this current news cycle to concentrate on the resignation of McNulty and todays "race to the hospital" as told by Comey. This deadline thing is just gravy, a trump card they can hold until any day they choose now.


  72. Marie Says:

    Grab your pitchforks and your torches, get ready to storm the White House.
    Throw the bums out.
    We will operate by Speaker of the House in the interim.


  73. big papa Says:

    Alberto MUST be...

    ...DISBARRED...

    ...then...

    ...DEPORTED...

    ...even if he was born in this country...

    ...AFTER we take his personal assets...

    ...to help pay for the war effort of course...


  74. mongo Says:

    "Imagine how [republicans] would have reacted had Janet Reno ignored a subpoena to turn over important papers…

    Comment by Englischlehrer"

    Not sure if this was meant sarcastically, as Janet Reno *was* held in contempt of congress by the republicans in 1998.


  75. big papa Says:

    Not sure if this was meant sarcastically, as Janet Reno *was* held in contempt of congress by the republicans in 1998.

    Comment by mongo #74

    Not sure if you meant that comment above as a "gotcha" comeback, "THEY did it too" moment...

    ...but...

    ...if what you say is true (please provide proof)...

    ...then...

    ...ONCE AGAIN the Republicans FAILED the American people...

    ...by NOT prosecuting Janet Reno to the fullest extent of the law for such a transgression...

    ...WE the PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL Patriots of America...

    ...have NO intention of allowing our Democratic leaders to allow that to be the case...

    ...in the matter of Alberto Gonzales and Karl Rove...

    ...THEY WILL be prosecuted...

    ...or ELSE!


  76. big papa Says:

    ...no response...

    ...(pokes stick in mongo's carcass)...

    ...yeah, it's done...


  77. prantha trivedi Says:

    He complied. There are no Rove emails.


  78. mongo Says:

    "Not sure if you meant that comment above as a “gotcha” comeback, “THEY did it too” moment…

    …but…

    …if what you say is true (please provide proof)…"

    Janet Reno was found in Contempt of Congress in August 1998 for refusing to turn over Department of Justice memos related to investigation of Clinton-Gore 1996 campaign-financing abuses. This is sufficient information for you to verify it for yourself.

    Not meant as a "gotcha", just an observation - and an admonition to the democratic majority to *use* the power they have in the pursuit of justice and oversight against this administration.

    "…then…

    …ONCE AGAIN the Republicans FAILED the American people…

    …by NOT prosecuting Janet Reno to the fullest extent of the law for such a transgression…"

    The documents she was held in contempt over were ultimately released during the clinton impeachment, so no legal action ended up being pursued against her.

    Contempt of congress citations usually don't end up with legal action, they've been historically very successful motivators in getting the requested material released, one way or another.

    However, there have also been cases like that of EPA official Rita Lavelle in the reagan administration, who was convicted of lying to congress, sent to prison and fined.

    Either result would be fine with me: gonzo hands the rope to hang himself to Leahy, or he goes straight to jail for the lying to congress he's already done.


  79. big papa Says:

    Okay mongo #78

    ...glad you're on our side...

    ...wasn't sure in #74 (hence my #76)...

    ...I DESPISE Bushite inbreds...


  80. Choclate Jesus loves anulingus Says:

    Right and the information they were seeking from Reno came out during her boss's impeachement...heres hoping history repeats itself..


  81. Evil Spaniard Says:

    To the cooler with him!



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