Posted on 05/13/2005 4:59:18 AM PDT by OXENinFLA
Minority Leader Harry Reid strayed from his prepared remarks on the Senate floor yesterday and promised to continue opposing one of President Bush's judicial nominees based on "a problem" he said is in the nominee's "confidential report from the FBI."
Those highly confidential reports are filed on all judicial nominees, and severe sanctions apply to anyone who discloses their contents. Less clear is whether a senator could face sanctions for characterizing the content of such files.
"Henry Saad would have been filibustered anyway," Mr. Reid said on the floor yesterday, about the Michigan Appeals Court judge who is nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
"All you need to do is have a member go upstairs and look at his confidential report from the FBI, and I think we would all agree that there is a problem there," Mr. Reid continued.
Republican staff members and supporters of Mr. Bush's nominees were outraged.
"Can you think of a better way to trash someone's reputation?" Sean Rushton of the conservative Committee for Justice asked after seeing a transcript of the remarks. "Say that there is bad stuff from an FBI investigation in a file somewhere and leave that hanging. This is character assassination of the lowest order and completely improper."
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Judicial committee.....
Ok, now is someone going after Reid to see if he actually laid eyes on the folder?
Allen addressing it now
Hah! Let's hope our side nails him to the wall.
BTW, have you heard that Laura's wedding is off? It was posted on another thread yesterday.
Allen is rocking right now.......
Sen Allen was suppose to have a news conference at 10 am
I haven't heard anything more about it though
He said on Tony's show that he's not sure if Reid violated any rules but that he will look into it
WHERE??
Tell me as much as you can. There is someone else in the office right now so I can't listen :(
Do you think Reid just ensured the Constitutional Option??
GOT IT .. ON C-SPAN 2
http://www.c-span.org/watch/cspan2_wm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2
yeah , Allen is on Cspan2
Thanks for the heads up. Lillian Bevier, UVA Law Professor just spoke.
He's on CSPAN-2 talking about this, in the genral context of judicial nominees.
Even without this comment. The crap he pulled yesterday ensured that the repubs must change the rule back.
Reid needs to be flogged for this, day after day, week after week, month after month.
Flogged until dogpoop squirts out his ears.
Allen said Dusty Harry should mitigate the damage with some worthwhile "esplainin'" no appology will do!
I'm listening to Laura right now.She explained that not only is someone who is NOT on the Judiciary Committee permitted to view these"raw"FBI files,they are strictly forbidden to discuss or even hint at their contents.Censure is one thing but expulsion is something else altogether.If the spineless Repubs let The RATS get away with this,add one more page to their dirty,rotten playbook!!!
Laura's wedding? Off, or just postponed?
I haven't heard her show in several weeks myself, but on a thread last week several posters said that the wedding was off. Laura said that Jimmy is still a good friend.
I'm "licking my chops"waiting for the "Cisneros,Slick Willy/IRS"scandal to come out"BIG TIME"!
It must be permitted. How else can it happen? And Allen's comments seemed more along the lines that invoking the FBI file was more a problem because it besmirched Saad's character.
I agree that the Senate would prefer the general public not be cognizant that it (the Senate) has routine access to FBI files; but if you think about it, FBI files have a purpose, which is generally to ascertain the suitability of a person for a job. Somebody has to look at the file, or its purpose is mooted.
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