Congressman Who Defends Rove’s Refusal To Testify Calls On President Clinton To Testify

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, says it’s perfectly acceptable for Karl Rove and other top White House aides to refuse testifying over the U.S. Attorney scandal.

Smith didn’t show up to last week’s hearing when the Judiciary Committee authorized subpoenas against Rove and others. He called the session “political grandstanding” and said he would not help “provide votes for political subpoenas.”

Smith’s principled aversion to political grandstanding and belief in executive privilege was again on display yesterday, when he wrote a public letter to President Clinton asking him to testify about presidential pardons. An excerpt:

Dear President Clinton,

The House Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 29, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building on the appropriate use of the presidential pardon authority. I would like to inquire as to your availability to testify at this hearing. [...]

You are no stranger to controversial pardons, most notably the pardon of Marc Rich on your last day in office. I can think of no better person than you to speak on this issue. I believe your experience with exercising the pardon authority and defending it from intrusion by Congress would be invaluable to Members of the Subcommittee and I hope you are available to join us for this important hearing.

So, calling on Karl Rove to testify about a scandal involving possible illegal actions after evidence shows Rove and his deputies played a direct role is “political grandstanding.” This letter to Clinton isn’t.

For what it’s worth, President Clinton’s spokesman says Clinton is traveling on Thursday and won’t be available to attend the hearings.