Leahy, Specter To Rove’s Lawyer: Turn Over The ‘Lost’ RNC Emails
Leahy, Specter To Rove’s Lawyer: Turn Over The ‘Lost’ RNC Emails
Senate Judiciary Committee heads Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) have written Karl Rove’s attorney, Robert Luskin, asking him to turn over emails from Rove’s RNC account related to the U.S. Attorney scandal.
“White House officials have claimed many of these Rove e-mails were ‘lost,’” the senators say, “although some of Rove’s e-mails were reportedly shared with the Department of Justice as part of its probe into the Valerie Plame case.”
Earlier this month, the Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Alberto Gonzales to turn over these Rove emails. The Justice Department responded that it had “retained only the e-mails related to the Plame investigation and returned the electronic media containing the rest of Rove’s e-mails” to Luskin.
Now Leahy and Specter want Luskin to come clean. They ask, “Do you retain possession of this electronic media and will you provide the Committee with Mr. Rove’s emails related to our investigation voluntarily?” You can take a guess at the answer.
Read the full letter from Leahy and Specter, along with their press release:
Leahy, Specter Ask Rove Lawyer To Voluntarily Provide “Lost” E-Mails Related To Panel’s Probe
WASHINGTON (Friday, May 25) — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) sent the following letter to Karl Rove’s attorney seeking access to e-mails related to the panel’s ongoing investigation into the firings of U.S. Attorneys and politicization within the Department of Justice.
Rove, a senior political advisor to President Bush, and the White House political operation — which Rove heads — have been linked to the project that resulted in the unprecedented firings of several well-performing federal prosecutors, according to information gathered by the Committee through documents, interviews and testimony. Several of the dismissed prosecutors have testified under oath and said in public that they were unaware of performance problems and believe political influence was a factor in their firings.
White House officials have claimed many of these Rove e-mails were “lost,” although some of Rove’s e-mails were reportedly shared with the Department of Justice as part of its probe into the Valerie Plame case. The Committee issued a subpoena to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales earlier this month compelling the Department of Justice to provide all Rove e-mails it had in its possession related to the Judiciary Committee’s investigation into the fired prosecutors. The Department responded that it retained only the e-mails related to the Plame investigation and returned the electronic media containing the rest of Rove’s e-mails to Rove’s attorney, Robert Luskin.
+++
May 24, 2007
Robert D. Luskin
Patton Boggs LLP
2550 M Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
Dear Mr. Luskin:
The White House has confirmed that an unknown number of e-mails, including those of your client, Karl Rove, from both White House accounts and those sent or received using political Republican National Committee accounts, have not been archived. You stated publicly that Mr. Rove’s emails were turned over to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald as part of the investigation into the leak of the identity of a covert CIA officer by officials in the Administration that led to the conviction of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby.
The Department’s response to the Committee, however, suggests that these emails were not in fact turned over permanently to Mr. Fitzgerald. According to the Department, Mr. Fitzgerald only obtained access to the “electronic media” containing these emails to do a search for documents related to the Plame investigation and then he returned this electronic media to you in a sealed condition.
Do you retain possession of this electronic media and will you provide the Committee with Mr. Rove’s emails related to our investigation voluntarily?
Sincerely,
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blah, blah, blah…libtards…blah, blah, blah…surrender…blah, blah, blah…moonbats…blah, blah, blah…islamofacists…blah, blah, blah…
May 25th, 2007 at 1:18 pmSubpoena the emails — stop asking, and start demanding.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:20 pmAs we heard from testimony this week from the left’s last hope, there is no scandal. But lets not worry about terrorists when we have lawyers to rescue!
May 25th, 2007 at 1:21 pmLeahy, Specter Want Rove To Hand Over Emails »
Wouldn’t it be faster if he emailed them?
Can’t wait to see Leahy blow a gasket when another of his requests is ignored.
bwahahahahahaha!
May 25th, 2007 at 1:22 pmi’m sorry, but after the war votes yesterday, I don’t believe these politicians are any kind of “opposition” It’s all grandstanding at this point.
end the wars now.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:22 pmi wonder if this was part of the reason rove and fielding were spotted last evening on capitol hill… rove should be put under suppoena, dragged kicking and screaming in front of both the house and senate judiciary committees, and waterboarded in full sight of national media coverage until he tells us everything he knows…
And, yes, I DO take it personally
p.s. i realize you have little else to do, patrick, but wait for the next post so you can bring yourself to climax yet again, but the afterimage it leaves with me is hard to shake, so perhaps you might find another liberal progressive weblog where you could gratify yourself just as well…
May 25th, 2007 at 1:23 pmSubpoena the emails and then demand that Rove and Miers go on the hot seat. I am losing my patience with these Democrats!
May 25th, 2007 at 1:25 pmYou libs will never pin anything on this administration. We’re untouchable.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:26 pmAh yes. Remember when the Republicans were in control and when Bin Laden declared war on America…Remember how they quickly responded to that threat by impeaching Bill Clinton over a blowjob.
The good old days.
-GSD
May 25th, 2007 at 1:26 pmAren’t we past the stage of, “will you hand over the emails, please, pretty please with sugar on top?”
Subpoena them!
Cripes, why not just give them even more time to destroy everything?
May 25th, 2007 at 1:26 pmAren’t there some ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ that can be used to get the emails from these terrorists?
But not torture of course (wink, wink).
May 25th, 2007 at 1:30 pmNewsflash, Trolls. This is not a game and the Bush administration is not “your team.” If it were, then we’d just say “you win” and then get on with the job of governing that needs to be done.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:30 pmIt is getting confusing, the dems are the corproate shills in blue or black sport coats?
May 25th, 2007 at 1:31 pmPatrick1 remind us what position YOU hold in the administration? Senior Urine bucket dispenser?
May 25th, 2007 at 1:32 pmYou libs will never pin anything on this administration. We’re untouchable.
That’s what you think. There’s still plenty of time to nail the most CROOKED administration ever.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:34 pmIt’s a poker game. The Dems already have the emails (via Greg Palast) and they are giving these guys the rope to hang themselves with, by letting them lie themselves into a corner.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:34 pmPatience…
I FEEL THAT PEOPLE HERE EXPECT THE ENTIRE WAY OF LAW TO SAY HOW HIGH WHEN THEY SAY JUMP. pATIENCE, people, patience…
dam u caps lock…u r my rchnmy…
May 25th, 2007 at 1:34 pmPatrick1=presidental ball washer….
May 25th, 2007 at 1:35 pmwell, if we are to believe greg palast, HE has rove’s emails. has there been any acknowledgement of this by either congressional judiciary committee?
of course, palast is fervently self-promoting, and he has an anti-bush book to sell (hence the problem: inherent in the fall of the bush admin is the drop off in book sales!).
i merely want to be rid of this atrocious administration. wouldn’t it be nice if there were a journalist that wasn’t doggedly seeking exposure and book profits that would break this story open?
May 25th, 2007 at 1:35 pmWhat that vote showed was who are the true liberal patriots. The middle roaders need to be cleaned out next in ‘08, just like the right wing was cleared out in 06. If only it didn’t take so fricking long.
We CAN’T get discouraged and avoid the ‘08 elections or the right wing WILL be back in power!
May 25th, 2007 at 1:35 pmCongress should immediately pass legislation in which all White House emails are the property of the American people and as such they are to be immediately entered into a searchable archive the moment they are sent.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:37 pmEnough of this deliberate Repub malfeasance.
Yes, the zero accountability continues along with the blank check.
Heck-of-a-job Demmies !
This horrible scum of an admin. will continue to do as they please until the end of their term at which time there will be a ‘catastrophic event’ generated by them, to suspend the election.
The writing is on the wall.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:38 pmTheir target ? To completely destroy the United States and pocket every dime along the way.
Then move to the next wealthy country and do the same.
U. S. out of North America.
Unfortunately, this is not my original thought, it is seen on a political button purchased in the late 60s/early 70s in the anti-Vietnam War era: a drool comment then that still applies today…
P. S. if the Democratic Congress will not punish lying torturing war criminal thugs like Alberto for lying under oath, what is the point of subpoening more witnesses? Loved that phony gas-gouging bill that would only go into effect when El Supremo Busho declares a “energy emergency…” Like that is going to happen anytime soon…
Nationalize all the oil companies. Let every American share in the profits of the oil companies.
Cheers.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:38 pmThis should be mandatory reading for all citizens of the US :
“On Patriotism” by Ron Paul
(as an aside, it’s amazing how the mainstream press love to consider this man a “fringe” candidate: they love to marginalize this man. In fact, this man has more brains than Fooliani, McJowls or Roomney put together)
http://antiwar.com/paul/?articleid=11015
May 25th, 2007 at 1:40 pmHow many people have been murdered, maimed, and terrorized in Iraq today?
Oh, that’s right, we’re progressive dems, we don’t give a shite. But hearings, well, we love ourselves some hearings. Gotta have more hearings! Look at all the changes that the hearings have produced! So far, a couple of low level cronies have resigned and received immunity.
Progressive indeed.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:41 pmSerious how long is Leahy going to let the WH stonewall? Issue the subpoenas or forget the whole thing.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:42 pmThursday night TV.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:43 pm#17 — How can there be a Presidential Ballwasher when the President doesn’t have any balls?
May 25th, 2007 at 1:44 pmI finally got around to watching An Inconvenient Truth, and WOW! Just like the Apostle Paul, I have now realized just how wrong I was. I’ve had my head up my ass for far too long. I was fretting so much over little things like, well, global warming on every other planet in our solar system, that I missed the big picture of what we’re doing to this planet ENTIRELY!
I’m no longer going to eat red meat, because of all the farting those cows do. I’m no longer going to drink whiskey, because of all the emissions generated by the distilling process. And I’m going to buy a Prius. But that’s not enough. What I’m about to say will be controversial. It may offend your politics, but we need to think with our heads, not our hearts. It’s only our children’s future on the line..
The average citizen in the third world has lifestyle carbon emissions a full 80% less than our own. When we allow people from the third world to immigrate to America, we are increasing global warming by FIVE TIMES! We could drive Priuses the rest of our lives and never eat a steak again and we would still be just as thoughtless as McChimpy HaliCheney. We must end ALL immigration to America from third world countries – it’s the only way to SAVE THE PLANET!
May 25th, 2007 at 1:45 pmMaybe Leahy and Specter should shut up and try to actually pass some laws instead of peeking into the world of the Executive – something above their pay grade.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:46 pmPatrick1:
Are you an American? Why do you hate our government, constitution, and way of life? Why do you applaud the crime family and rejoice for the thugs who are out to destroy everything American?
Go enlist, cocksucker.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:49 pmpatrick1 has to be a parody troll. It’s simply not possible that someone could be so hilarious and serious at the same time.
And, #24 would have been rubbing Dem faces in the mud back when Repubs were spending far more time on inquiries about a blow-job.
Pod-people shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:55 pm#30.
No, I’m a Republican. I don’t hate any of those things, I just value torture, indefinite detention of enemy combatants, warrantless wiretapping, and an untouchable and unaccountable executive branch (as long as it’s Republican) more than all those items you mentioned.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:57 pmC’mon Dems. If this was the Republicans, they’d be mopping the floor with you guys. Stop asking. Subponea and lock them up.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:02 pmPatrick1 :
I’m assuming you are stationed over in Iraq or Afghanistan along with Chimpy’s daughters, Cheney’s kid, every Senator and Representative’s kids.
So glad you put your money where your mouth is.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:04 pmI’m no longer going to eat red meat, because of all the farting those cows do. -BB
So if someone were to plug a bovine bunghole….ewww, nevermind.
Anniewhoo, I think perhaps it would be a better idea feed cows methane producing product and then allow them to graze in a covered pasture so the methane could rise and be captured, compressed and then stored. =)
May 25th, 2007 at 2:08 pm#8. What is this ‘we’ stuff, do you have a mouse in your pocket or what???? All you are is a vote for these guys, they don’t know you from Adam, and they would run over you, just like they run over everybody, and everything else.
The ability and inclination to use physical strength is no indication of bravery or tenacity to life. The greatest cowards are often the greatest bullies. Nothing is cheaper and more common than physical bravery: Clarence Darrow, Resist Not Evil
According to this Patrick, you are a bully!!!! If you believe that these guys are right, then ‘Suit up and show up, the Marines are looking for a ‘few good men,’ seems to me you fit the bill.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:10 pm#29 You are not very smart are you? Part of the job of their committee is to oversee the thugs in the executive. Go read a book, sparky, you may learn something. We had an executive back in the ’70s that thought they could be king, didn’t happen and this one is worse. The entire Bush Crime Family should be drug out, put on trial and then put in prison for the damage they have done to the constitution alone. The Republican Senators and Congressmen and women who sat by and used their rubbernecks of approval to allow it to happen are just as guilty. Oh yes, any Democratic congressman or woman who gaver their approval should be treated likewise. Ignorant trolls should be punished by taking away FAUX Noise Channel and that lard assed, drug addle, gas bag that lies everyday from 12-3. They should also be required to read the constitution, history, and take a civics class someplace besides homeschool or church…have a nice day, porky.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:11 pmLeahy, Specter talk tough. Then, Rove’s lawyer will say “no” and Leahy and Specter will say “ok.”
It’s one party now; the Republicrats want war and secret prisons and torture and no unalienable rights and pretty much anything disgusting that you can think of.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:14 pmComment by Betty Boop — May 25, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
Save it, and can it, Booper.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:15 pmSenate Judiciary Committee heads Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) have written Karl Rove’s attorney, Robert Luskin, asking him to turn over emails from Rove’s RNC account related to the U.S. Attorney scandal.
OH WOW! Another f**king letter! Whoopeeee! Until I see subpoenas, I don’t give a sh@t anymore about this f**king admin or Congress.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:18 pmIgnore the troll Patrick1. Sometimes it is true that if you ignore something or one, it or they will go away.
Ignore the troll. Pretend what he wrote wasn’t posted. His comments aren’t worth wasting the space on this post to respond to.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:29 pmSpecter and Leahy are really testing my last nerve with all these letters. Do you really think if the tables were reversed that the Rethuglicans would pussy foot around.
Absolutely not.
They would’ve already issued subpoenas.
This administration makes a mockery of our Constitution, undermine the Democratic process, encroach on all of our civil liberties
May 25th, 2007 at 2:30 pmWhen is the next Shadow Government Generated “Terrorist” Attack going to occur?
As we heard from testimony this week from the left’s last hope, there is no scandal. But lets not worry about terrorists when we have lawyers to rescue!
Comment by Patrick1
Awww… poor little baby, sooo scared of the boogie man.
An average of about 3,000 a month die from the flu every month in the US alone.
Does the flu scare you too? It should. Your chances of dying from the flu are several magnitudes greater than ever dying from a terrorist act.
About 3,000 people a month also die in car accidents in the US.
Doe that scare you too?
Of course not. Your a complete and utter fool. Probably possessed of an “authoritarian” personality type and give blind allegiance to men in power that talk tough. Unfortunately, people like you are too stupid to realize that the whole BS “war on terror” is nothing but a pretext for expansion of executive power.
You are truly a sad and pathetic individual. Your kind are far more damaging to this country that any terrorist can ever hope to.
Please just do the country a service and go crawl back under whatever rock you came from.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:52 pmHeh. I love this show. Leahy knows he can’t touch anyone over this “issue”.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:54 pmForget the lawyers, subpoena the IT person at the RNC. That’s the person who will get to the emails.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:58 pmLike was said before…
We are not pulling out of Iraq
We are increasing deployment
We are going to attack Iran next
Picture this like the game of chess. The player that controls the four center squares has better odds of winning the game if both players are a good match. If you control the center 4 and are a superior player then it will be difficult for you to lose.
Iraq represents the center 4 squares and the strategy being used here…
http://english.people.com.cn/200301/25/eng20030125_110744.shtml
Now that more troops are filling those new bases in Iraq the invasion of Iran will be even more exciting! Stay tuned, all your base are belong to us!
May 25th, 2007 at 2:59 pmPerhaps they should check with Greg Palast?http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4594
May 25th, 2007 at 3:01 pmGee, if they have NOTHING TO HIDE,
they should have NOTHING to WORRY ABOUT, and should TURN OVER
the emails as ORDERED.
Right, trolls?
See YOU in hell my azzlicking trolls (cause I’LL be THERE),
Mr. Bush
May 25th, 2007 at 3:21 pmMURDEROUS WAR CRIMINAL
COWARDLY TRAITOR TO THE USA (TM–BushCrimeCo, Inc.)
Can’t wait to see Leahy blow a gasket when another of his requests is ignored.
Yup, you Bush TRAITORS just LOVE it when you BREAK THE LAW, right?
No problem. SOME will go to jail.
God DOES SEE ALL.
And he WILL remember WHO has slaughtered his children.
Whether it be Bush, Osama, Saddam or Hitler.
The last 3 of which were BushCrimeFamily (TM) “business associates”.
See YOU in hell Bush azzhole-licker cynicon (cause I’LL be THERE),
Mr. Bush
May 25th, 2007 at 3:33 pmMURDEROUS WAR CRIMINAL
COWARDLY TRAITOR TO THE USA (TM–BushCrimeCo, Inc.)
Comment by R. Guliani — May 25, 2007 @ 1:30 pm
BTW, it’s “Giuliani”.
May 25th, 2007 at 3:37 pmHeh. I love this show. Leahy knows he can’t touch anyone over this “issueâ€.
Comment by BottomBoy — May 25, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
They can read your emails but they can lose theirs? Are you that freaking stupid? Remember nothing happens quickly in the court system. That is a good thing and we want it to be that way. The wheels of justice mover very slowly. Leahy and Spector have both been prosecutors, KKKarl Rove has always been a thug and in the crime family. Have a good weekend.
May 25th, 2007 at 3:44 pmWatch them say something idiotic like
“We shredded those emails”…
May 25th, 2007 at 3:48 pmI’m sick of the democrats pussyfooting with these criminals of the Bush/Cheney crowd.
Maybe if Nancy Pelosi, who put impeachment “off the table” were to face a recall movement, it would give a wake-up call.
Isn’t it the DUTY of congress to impeach these bastards for acts we know to be in violation of the constitution?
May 25th, 2007 at 4:31 pmLeahy and Waxman better start acting like Democrats.
Now that we know that we were let down by Pelosi & Reid, the pressure is now on Leahy and Waxman to start putting the pressure now!
We have very few DC politicians who represent us in the Democratic party after the fiasco of this week.
Something tells me that VOTER REVOLT is going to happen on November 2008 with both Republican and Democrats being outsted.
At the point I could care less!
May 25th, 2007 at 6:43 pmThe BBC has the emails via Greg Palast. Call them!!!
May 25th, 2007 at 6:48 pmWhy doesn’t Mr. Leahy and Mr. Specter ask for the e-mails that Greg Palast (at the BBC) has… he got them the old fashioned way…by way of FIOAI, I’m sure Mr. Palast would be glad to share…and testify if needed..(..he is an American citizen, after all)
May 25th, 2007 at 6:57 pmPalast got the emails because they had a spoof site georgewbush.org and emails got sent there by mistake instead .com
Palast I believe has a warrant out for his arrest.
The RNC server for Rove was the same one Blackwell used to steal Ohio.
Google Smarttech
The dems are wussies. Where are the real men? Paul Gladstone is needed BAD!
May 25th, 2007 at 7:29 pmthis “patrick” clown is another useful idiot for the fascists trying to over throw our democracy. He gets nothing for being a wanabe lap dog and sucking up to these crook’s while they rob the dumb blind fool. Patrick cannot think for himself. The right depends on these stupid water carrying drones.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:05 pmOh boy, oh boy.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:12 pmLeahy and Specter are really, really acting rough and tough with these thugs. I’ll bet they’re shaking in their boots.
“Turn on the cameras, here we are”
We REALLY REALLY mean it Karl…
May 25th, 2007 at 9:25 pmHaul Rove’s butt into the Senate hold him accountable. The time for talk is over. Hold them accountable.
May 25th, 2007 at 10:16 pmThe GOP again has the investigators on a witch hunt. Or more than likely an adventure to try to confuse the hell out of the investigators so eventually the investigation goes no where.
May 26th, 2007 at 4:02 pmBut believing the administration is coming close to the end of its journey the investigations will dig a little deeper until an answer is found. And that may mean until the new election year of 2008. But in the arsenal of the right conservative wing a new spirit of fighting may put more fear in the American people than ever before. In this case the
investigations will be put on hold until the dust settles. And that may be forever. Considering the far right would like to attack Iran ..
Lets try to make sense of this whole thing…..
These bunch of whimpish thugs in this corrupt administration blow the lid off the TeaPotDome scandel of years past——IMPEACHMENT is only solution to save our DEMOCRACY as we know it to be ! ! !
May 26th, 2007 at 5:38 pmWhy is everyone worried about Rove, and his emails? The Chimp, and Big Dick have violated everyones civil rights! The congress stands by and watches while crimes against the constitution take place in plain view! Congress is guilty of violating their oath to uphold the constitution, and should be held accountable for giving aid and comfort to the criminal Bush administration!
May 27th, 2007 at 12:05 pmBush is about to declare himself Dictator over all government even Tribal..
Maybe that’s why Karl Rove went to Congress..for the end of our Republic and Bush’s soon to be arranged full fledged Dictatorship..
Thanks to these new Presidential Directives NSPD-51 and NSPD-20..
http:www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-51.htm
These call for Immediate Impeachment and also why Gonzales is buying time and not budging from his position as Attorney General..
Anything Bush declares an Emergency in or out of America and he is full Dictator and Chertoff and Gonzales and Bartlett, and Roberts and Scalia and Sam Alito that criminal are all in on this..
It’s a full coup and blatant treason..
Singed May 9th and not one word from Leahy or Spector or Biden or even hardly any of our Media but for C-Span and Brian Lamb who had the author from WND who is also outraged and aware we are one signature from Dictatorship..!
Happy Memeorial Day..!
May 27th, 2007 at 2:21 pmYou Americans are really dumb. Don’t you know what happened!? The bad guys won.
May 27th, 2007 at 7:02 pmbush/cheney won. Seems you folks can’t get enought TV, you gotta’ create your own soap opera on the net. The time for crying and whining and bitching and emoting is over. The only thing for certain is, “we are screwed” Oh! wait, maybe pelosi and reid will … hahaha.
Also, we ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!
Are the new presidential directives (NSPD 50 and 21) legal? How can an American president declare he will have dictatorial powers upon his own declaration? Doesn’t the Constitution protect our democracy from something like that? It seems obvious that a power-hungry president could/would create such a state of emergency to become a dictator without challenge.
A bird flu epidemic, the effects of global warming, tainted food, or any other INTENTIONALLY neglected public health issue could create the desired state of emergency. With minimal National Guard in the States to protect our country and with a military that is stressed from lack of new recruits and extended/repeated tours, a private defense company like Blackwater could easily step in and follow orders without fear of retribution or remorse. To me, the writing is on the wall.
Bush and Company are not incompetent. Everything going according to their Plan.
May 28th, 2007 at 4:00 am