Miers’s second subpoena rejection.
By on Jul 17th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Miers’s second subpoena rejection.
In a letter sent to House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI), George Manning, the attorney for former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, said that because of President Bush’s claim of executive privilege, “Ms. Miers will not appear before the Committee or otherwise produce documents or provide testimony as set forth in the Committee’s subpoena.” The Committee has previously warned that if Miers does not comply with the subpoena, she may face contempt of Congress.
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Enough with the empty threats, lets see some action!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 5:32 pmThis is soooo rich! She is just another example of why some inbred Bush ‘loving’ Texans should never be allowed to leave the state.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:32 pmNo more letters, no more warnings
July 17th, 2007 at 5:34 pmInherent Contempt charges now.
what does the president and her have to hide?
July 17th, 2007 at 5:35 pmMaybe she is protecting dubya and darth because she was promised the Magistrate job in Crawford, handling all their domestic violence and DUI cases.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:36 pmdispatching the sergeant at arms seems like the next logical step.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:37 pmShe’s better be careful. If she ignores the next 3 or 4 or 5 subpoena’s then the Democrats are really going to be mad. They’ll be so angry they may start considering maybe doing something someday.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:38 pmSend the Sargent at Arms to haul her ass to the cells they have and keep her there. Unlike Libby, she can’t be pardoned so let her stew. And for gods sake, TAKE AWAY HER LAW LICENSE!
WTF!
Ramifications! Accountability! ANYTHING!!
July 17th, 2007 at 5:39 pmGo for it!!! Let’s see some action!!!
Perp walk! Perp Walk! Perp walk! Perp Walk! Perp walk! Perp Walk!
July 17th, 2007 at 5:40 pmParliament forced King Charles to respond. Miers’ attorney ignores the English history.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:42 pmRULE OF LAW! RULE OF LAW! RULE OF LAW!
July 17th, 2007 at 5:43 pmThrow her in the dungeon, as soon as possible. The bootlicking hag can spend the rest of her life there, for all I care.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:43 pmDear Congressers,
Up yours.
Disrespectfullof,
Harriet Nelson Meiers.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:43 pmIt is time to act. This blanket executive privilege has to be checked.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:43 pmThis sorry old maid was Bush’s first pick for the Supreme Court. What a fuvking disgrace.
-GSD
July 17th, 2007 at 5:44 pmI’m concerned. This may mean somebody got a blowjob.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:45 pmthe president and gannon were having sodamy in the oval office without condoms.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:46 pmWhat a great Supreme Court judge she woulda made…
July 17th, 2007 at 5:47 pmGood for her!
Don’t let them waste your time!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 5:47 pmdispatching the sergeant at arms seems like the next logical step.
Uh. No. That won’t happen before HJC so orders and that can’t take place before there’s been a vote in the full committee as well as on the House floor and it is still unclear if there will even be enough votes.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:49 pmDrag her ass into jail.
NOW.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:52 pmBush’s mommy won’t come to dinner.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:52 pmNext time I get summoned to traffic court I’m invoking executive privilege.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:53 pmBush will find some way to pardon Meiers, she has too much info about him. He owes her too much to allow her to testify or go to jail.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:53 pmhttp://www.gregpalast.com/bush-hit-woman-behind-prosecutor-firings-has-long-history-of-purges-to-protect-bush/
Drag her ass into jail.
NOW.
Comment by dave™© — July 17, 2007 @ 5:52 pm
Legally they can.
And they should do it. God knows any of us would be hauled off in irons.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:55 pmYeah, isn’t Miers one of the old skool Bush boy enablers, like Bonzo the should be fired guy? She goes way back, the closet is so full, no one gets to see the house.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:55 pmNo more letters, no more warnings
Inherent Contempt charges now.
Comment by Wayne — July 17, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
can’t say it any better than that, Wayne.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:56 pmWhat a great Supreme Court judge she woulda made…
Meiers: “I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a craven bootlicker, which is what I am.”
Do you suppose there’s a wee bit of tension brewing between Meiers and our notoriously disloyal Backstabber-in-Chief?
July 17th, 2007 at 5:57 pmSomebody’s gonna get a medal!!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 5:57 pm#25: They can’t do that before there’s been a vote both in the full committee and on the House floor approving the contempt citation. And that’s a bloody good thing – even if the Republicans don’t care much for the due process, we should.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:58 pmWhy not just pass her over to a Chinese court for sentence. If the Executive can use extrordinary rendition, why not the Legistrative?
July 17th, 2007 at 5:58 pmSomebody’s gonna get a multimillion dollar offshore bank account, funded by anonymous Saudis !!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 5:59 pmThe Punch and Judy Show Continues…….
July 17th, 2007 at 6:01 pmSuckers………
Top of the World Ma………
Isn’t Harriet the voice behind that cute little sock puppet lamb?
July 17th, 2007 at 6:03 pmClap her in irons, arrrgghh
July 17th, 2007 at 6:04 pmAccording to Jonathan Turley, the next step is to ask the DC prosecutor to indict her, if the prosecutor refuses to indict the following step is something that used to be very common, Inherent Contempt. The Sgt at Arms would be sent to bring her to the House, where she would be held and tried in the House Chamber. As I understand it, the Executive Branch cannot claim any kind of privilege and the courts cannot intervene. It hasn’t happened for nearly 100 years, but it’s legal.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:05 pmPowkay, we haven’t had this kind of blatant corruption and cronyism in at least 100 years, so,
Let it RIP!
July 17th, 2007 at 6:06 pm“Bush will find some way to pardon Meiers, she has too much info about him”
She hasn’t been charged with anything (yet), so there’s nothing to pardon. She’s simply being asked for information on White House deliberations on the firing of the U.S. attorneys.
I’m assuming that the Democratic leadership is mulling their options and counting votes. If the votes aren’t there for inherent contempt, I’d assume that they will not bring the matter to a vote.
Obviously, I don’t know for sure, but my assumption is that the Democrats view inherent contempt, along with tactics like impeachment, bringing Congress to a screeching halt, and so on, as “nuclear options.” And some number of them are just not sure that they have a “nuclear” crime. Let’s face it, they’ve been hit so long and so hard and so repetitively, that they now reflexively duck before they even start the fight! Does anyone else have any insight as to what they are doing and why they are doing it?
July 17th, 2007 at 6:11 pmCONYERS, LEAHY, REID, AND PELOSI NEED TO RESIGN!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 6:13 pmThey should do the right thing
for wasting time and money on witch-hunts!!!!
I still can’t believe she was a Supreme Court Justice nominee…
July 17th, 2007 at 6:15 pmThis is ridiculous, you need Inherent Contempt charges now. Just stop the threats, stop the pussy-footing around, just do your freaking jobs and do it now.
Butt Slush, CT_V1’s slurpy of choice.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:16 pmMaybe we could get Jack Bauer to interrogate Harriet.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:16 pmShe “MAY” face contempt of Congress charges??? Enough! She, her attorney, and her former boss have ALL shown plenty of contempt — time to issue the charges and quit with the warnings.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:16 pm“CONYERS, LEAHY, REID, AND PELOSI NEED TO RESIGN!!! They should do the right thing for wasting time and money on witch-hunts!!!!”
Yeah, how dare they pursue investigations into criminal matters! Don’t they know that the Bush administration is above the law? Damn them!
July 17th, 2007 at 6:18 pmWitch hunts – Harriet Miers – hee, hee.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:19 pmI still can’t believe she was a Supreme Court Justice nominee…
In her defense she was definitely more qualified than Barney the dog, who was Bush’s first choice – and the pretzel he choked on, whose fearsomeness Bush sought to placate with a plum seat on the bench.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:20 pmIf this is indeed a witch hunt, we should probably ask Sharon for some help nailing Meiers to the wall.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:20 pmI must be missing something. This really looks like the Whitehouse is trying to force a constitutional confrontation with Congress. That makes me wonder if they see some sort of angle that gives them an insurmountable edge (is it just that they own the Supreme Court now and can count on them to rule the right way?). I can’t see why they would so blatantly force the confrontation.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:21 pmIf Harriet doesn’t show up NEXT time we send her a subpoena, I am going to scream and hold my breath and stamp my little feet until she is really, really sorry.
Know why? Because “subpoena” means “under penalty” and I am going to make her sorry with my penalty. I will turn blue and throw my bowl on the floor and will she ever be soooory then.
No I am not a troll, just so f*cking sick of this “I’m going to lie down now so you can stomp me… ooh he stomped me!” and I’m feeling betrayed by the Democrats and… well, this country is totally f*cked. Damn it.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:23 pmComment by Ralph — July 17, 2007 @ 6:23 pm
Nice!
July 17th, 2007 at 6:24 pmLooking forward to seeing Meirs dragged into the House in chains.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:25 pmInteresting that the response came back so quickly. Conyers gave her until Wednesday to respond.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:27 pm#51 ~ It looks like that is what the WH is betting on.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:27 pmeveryone knows people have to show up for the subpoena, even if it is to state taking the 5th.
otherwise you go to jail.
RULE OF LAW! RULE OF LAW!
July 17th, 2007 at 6:29 pmSkepticRising, according to John Dean, the Bush administration may well believe that they can get away with this.
The whole thing is worth reading. I don’t buy into all of it because, among other things, he’s assuming that the Bush administration is acting rationally, ignoring the times that it has failed to do so in the past. Still, with Roberts and Alito added to Scalia and Thomas, you have potentially four justices with an expansive view of presidential power. If that holds, all you need is one more, and Bush may well believe he can get that one additional vote.
Personally, I’d say that there’s another factor and that is that Congressional Democrats have been reluctant as hell to see the reality here — that we have a rogue administration with a dangerous view of presidential power. They’re playing softball, he’s playing hardball, and I rather suspect that Dick Cheney knows it. If they don’t challenge him head on, it would have almost as bad an effect as if they’d challenged him and lost.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:30 pmwhat does the president and her have to hide?
Comment by nym@alias.net — July 17, 2007 @ 5:35 pm
Considering how guilty they have been acting, I suspect that what they are trying to hide is a deliberate attempt to influence elections in this country by using U.S. Attorneys to make things as tough for Democrats as possible. If any US Attorney refused to play ball with the Bushies, they got canned.
Carol Lam, attorney in San Diego, went after Duke Cunningham (a Rep congressmen — oops!) for taking bribes. She lost her job — she was only supposed to go after Democrats. John McKay refused to challenge for voter fraud a close gubernatorial election in Washington State where the Dem won — because he said there was no evidence of any voter fraud. He lost his job. The U.S. Attorney in Arkansas was canned to make room for Tim Griffin, a Rove protege who knew how to run caging schemes. And it goes on and on.
Harriet Miers was front and center during all this activity. Naturally, Congress wants to talk to her. The fact that she refuses only lends more credence to the idea that the Bushies have been using the attorneys to build power for the GOP at local levels.
Yeah — I’d LOVE to know what else they are hiding. And if everything they did is on the up and up, I wish they would come over to Capitol Hill and straighten the record out.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:34 pmWhen we send you the 42nd letter asking you to appear before the committee and produce documents.. we will really really mean it, and if you don’t, you will be put on double secret probation.
Conyers is beyond lame if he doesn’t DO something about this, like I don’t know… find her in inherent contempt and send the Sergant-At-Arms to arrest Miers ugly ass.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:37 pmComment by PaulB — July 17, 2007 @ 6:30 pm
Thanks for the link, PaulB. But you left out my favorite quote:
July 17th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
“Contempt” is too soft a word for the attitude of the administration’s flunkies (and that includes W) toward the rule of law. I hope the most severe possible penalty is imposed on every one of them.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:41 pmthank you, missmolly.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:44 pmThat Miers skank should be put in jail now!
She is as GUILTY of shillin gfor these criminals as she is for not knowing how to apply mascara!
July 17th, 2007 at 6:49 pmmiers looks like tammy fey baker
July 17th, 2007 at 6:52 pmmiers looks like tammy fey baker
Comment by nym@alias.net — July 17, 2007
One of the funniest T-shirts I have ever seen was on a bagger at the end of a Safeway check out line in Pinetop, Arizona.
It had a smeared mascara, eyeliner, rouge and lipstick face,
and read:
“I ran into Tammy Fay at the mall…”
And, I agree, Miers does look like an emaciated, dragged behind a pick-up truck version of Tammy Fay…………
July 17th, 2007 at 7:05 pmI’ve just called my congressman asking for a call for impeachment of Bush and Cheney, on crimes against the Constitution of the USA. I encourage anyone who is concerned with the current state of lawlessness to do likewise.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:12 pm“Yeah — I’d LOVE to know what else they are hiding”
Well, one of the bigger things they are hiding is that THEY CAUSED AND ORCHESTRATED 911.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:14 pmI’VE JUST CALLED CHENEY, ASKING HIM TO MAKE CONGRESS GO AWAY!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 7:15 pmnobody could have ever anticipated that…..
July 17th, 2007 at 7:16 pmINHERENT CONTEMPT INHERENT CONTEMPT INHERENT CONTEMPT

Please keep calling John Conyers. My understanding is he’s going the Criminal Contempt route. This is a Guaranteed Failure. The US Attorney from DC, who’d be asked to pursue this, is a Bush-lackey. Why the hell would Conyers decide on a path that leads to a brick wall?

Call:
Nancy Pelosi: 1-202-225-0100
Harry Reid: 1-202-224-3542
John Conyers: 1-202-225-5126
**not one minute of coverage of this from CNN during the hour I watched today.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:22 pmrabid dogs that are cornered BITE!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 7:23 pmsleeping giants carry pitchforks and torches
July 17th, 2007 at 7:24 pm2+2=5
July 17th, 2007 at 7:28 pmDrag her sorry ass into jail!
July 17th, 2007 at 7:30 pmJust called Conyers office! NOW IS THE TIME to call and Demand Inherent Contempt charges be brought against Harriet Miers. An actual person answered the phone. I ask all my TP friends to FLOOD Conyers office with calls. Conyers may be making a decision on Contempt charges tonight. Its being reported he’ll choose Criminal Contempt. We must stop him from making this dead-end decision and demand Inherent Contempt.
Call right now there’s an ACTUAL human answering his phone:
John Conyers: 1-202-225-5126
July 17th, 2007 at 7:35 pmThe stalling has gone on long enough. Find her in contempt of congress and proceed from there.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:46 pm#73 Larry
I just called the number and expressed my opinion.
Chimpeach!
It’s time.
It’s actually way past time.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:12 pmMethinks the American public needs to see Harriet Miers carried kicking and screaming into the appropriate committee hearings.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:35 pmMethinks the same should happen to the other elusive clowns, such as Rove, Gonzalez, Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice, et al.
Methinks, also, that if this chickenshit congress doesn’t start enforcing the laws with subpoenas, arrest warrants and other instruments of authority, then we all need to escape to Canada.
Damn it, stop with the “may” and make it “will” and then act. If they don’t act on this, they will forever marginalize the Democratic party.
Write Nancy Pelosi and tell her to use Inherent Contempt, their only hope for getting these neoCONS to talk.
http://speaker.gov/contact/
July 17th, 2007 at 8:35 pmDEMOCRATS stand up and do something real? Ha, what a joke. Fat chance of that happening.
They will cave in and give the scumpublicans everything they want, just like they’ve been doing for the last 40 years.
Why should they change? We keep voting for them anyway. It’s our own damned fault.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:39 pmOh, you poor poor liberals. You lose. We win. Bush is telling you, and we tell you too, that you have no power, no influence, nothing. And you will never get it. I rejoice.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:42 pmRemember, voting for Nader was throwing away votes, well voting for Dems was “saving the republic.” Ha ha. Loosers, loosers all.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:43 pmStrange … people like our dear chum Gary were telling me in 2006 that I was wasting my time voting for Democrats since they would never take over Congress.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:44 pmFor God’s sake, ARREST HER and drag her butt before Congress to force her to testify!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 9:00 pmThe administration of George W. Bush has been demonstrating contempt for the citizens of this country for several years now; That is, sadly, not illegal.
The administration of George W. Bush is now demonstrating contempt for the Congress of the United States; That is illegal.
All due steps to halt the erosion of our republic should be taken. Should the arrest and physical sequestration of Ms. Miers — or any other members of the Executive Branch — force a constitutional crisis, so be it. The time to take action has come.
July 17th, 2007 at 9:24 pmLoosers, loosers all.
Comment by Gary Ruppert
From a man who can’t even spell… hmmm…
July 17th, 2007 at 9:26 pmI am going to get this in at least once on every blog I post to:
Watch the Bill Moyers interview on Impeachment with staunch conservative Constitution scholar Bruce Fein and John Nichols author of THE GENIUS OF IMPEACHMENT:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07132007/profile.html
It is crucial this happens BEFORE they leave office. Watch and understand why.
I cannot get over the arrogance and total lack of regard for the law and the Constitution displayed by this Administration. They have got to go before they can do any more damage. They are setting a terribly dangerous precedent for future presidencies and they are totally obliterating the checks and balances of our government that makes this a democracy..
July 17th, 2007 at 9:36 pm“No president would do this unless he was quite confident of the outcome. Clearly, Bush’s White House and Justice Department lawyers believe that the solidly conservative federal judiciary will grant them a favorable ruling, and that, in the process, they will greatly weaken congressional oversight powers, to the advantage of the White House.”
This is why Inherent Contempt is our only hope. It totally bypasses the judiciary. I can’t understand how any congress person wouldn’t find her in contempt. She didn’t even bother to show up! Talk about giving them the virtual finger.
If Congress blows this one, there really is no hope.
July 17th, 2007 at 9:42 pmAccording to Jonathan Turley, the next step is to ask the DC prosecutor to indict her, if the prosecutor refuses to indict the following step is something that used to be very common, Inherent Contempt. The Sgt at Arms would be sent to bring her to the House, where she would be held and tried in the House Chamber. As I understand it, the Executive Branch cannot claim any kind of privilege and the courts cannot intervene. It hasn’t happened for nearly 100 years, but it’s legal.
Comment by Powkat — July 17, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
No. If the DC prosecutor fails to indict her, sure, haul her in on inherit contempt.
But haul the DC prosecutor in also. Imprison him until you can get around to impeaching his ass for failing to do his job, or until he resigns first.
July 18th, 2007 at 11:03 amHave you noticed the common behavioral trait of the Gary Rupperts of this country?
It’s not about “right” and “wrong”; “Constitutional” or “unconstitutional”; “lawful” or “unlawful”.
It’s all about “WE WIN!!” and “YOU LOSE!!”
It’s one great, big, freaking high school football game. “Our” team, vs. “their” team.
The Republicans have done a formidable job, rounding up the authoritarian personality types, and forming a voting bloc with them. They have about 30% going for them.
If the Democratic base, which came out and turned Congress blue in 2006, stays home next time because the Dems have not stood up and fought… this country will once again be co-opted by a bloc of voters who are, for all practical purposes, mentally ill.
THINK ABOUT THAT. And never, ever underestimate the pure, sick evil of Karl Rove.
July 18th, 2007 at 3:09 pm