Posted on 08/02/2007 9:12:37 AM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday scored its first public interview with a currently-serving aide to President Bush about the firings of federal prosecutors.
But the session with White House political aide J. Scott Jennings at the outset was yielding little more than an appeal for sympathy and a citation of Greek mythology.
With top presidential aide Karl Rove skipping the hearing on Bush's orders, the committee had to make do with a Rove underling who made clear he was appearing only to signal goodwill and to avoid a contempt of Congress citation.
"I will be unable at this time to answer any questions concerning White House consideration, deliberations or communications related to the U.S. attorneys matter," Jennings, deputy director of Bush's White House political shop, told the panel. He made that assertion after initially noting at the outset that he is only 29 years old.
The committee has heard all of this before.
Jennings' former boss, Sara Taylor, took a similar approach last month when she testified with a lawyer by her side and for several hours tried to pick and choose which questions to answer and which to refuse — citing executive privilege. The results were inconsistent, and Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said that he had not yet decided whether a contempt citation was in order.
Like Taylor, Jennings said he would answer questions if a court directed him to do so. But the matter was unlikely to get that far.
Congressional Democrats for seven months have been investigating whether the Justice Department's purge of several federal prosecutors over the winter was done at the White House's direction, for improper political purposes.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
It would be nice of congress would get some actual WORK done for a change.
“Mr. Jennings, I am not here to play games,” warned Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. “Let’s not be too contemptuous of this committee.”
Answer should have been: “That’s not possible Senator.”
No one could be too contemptuous of that group!!
“Mr. Jennings, I am not here to play games,” warned Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
Mr. Leahy, if you are not there to play games, then, dadgum it, STOP PLAYING GAMES.
Wish he could just say:
My Dear Senator Leaky Leahy,
I’m not here to play any games either. Let’s get straight to the point:
You, Mr. Leaky Leahy, are a vicious and contemptible weasel. It is impossible for anyone to appear before you without wanting to spit in your eye, because you are dishonest scum.
There, have we cleared the air now?
Someone posited yesterday on FR that the proper response to anything that Leaky Leahy asks would be, “Senator, you do not have security clearance to receive that information - need we remind the American people why that is?”
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