Watch the right-wing members of the committee take a principled stand against accountability:
SPECTER: The question is should the ruling of the chair be upheld that Attorney General Gonzales not be sworn.
Specter wins the vote but concludes “this is really not a very good way to begin this hearing.”
Full Transcript:
SPECTER: So the question is, should the ruling of the chair be upheld that Attorney General Gonzales not be sworn?
HATCH: Aye.
GRASSLEY: Aye.
DEWINE: Aye.
GRAHAM: Aye.
KYL: Aye.
CORNYN: Aye.
SPECTER: By proxy, for Sen. Brownback, aye. Sen. Coburn – We’ve got enough votes already. Sen. Leahy?
LEAHY: Emphatically, no.
KENNEDY: No.
BIDEN: No.
KOHL: No.
FEINSTEIN: No.
FEINGOLD: No.
SPECTER: Aye. The ayes have it.
FEINGOLD: Mr. Chairman, I request to see the proxies given by the Republican senators.
SPECTER: Could you repeat that Sen. Feingold?
FEINGOLD: I request to see the proxies given by the Republican senators.
SPECTER: The practice is to rely upon the staffers. But without counting that vote – Well, we can rephrase the question if there’s any serious challenge of the proxies. This is really not a very good way to begin this hearing.
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