Posted on 05/20/2009 4:34:45 PM PDT by jazusamo
President Obama on Wednesday said his administration would consider exerting executive privilege to possibly withhold information sought by a new commission set up by Congress to investigate the financial crisis.
As Obama signed a bill that creates a 10-member commission with subpoeana power to look into the crisis, the White House issued a signing statement specifying that the administration would maintain its constitutional privileges over commission inquiries.
“As my administration communicated to the Congress during the legislative process, the executive branch will construe this subsection of the bill not to abrogate any constitutional privilege,” the White House said in the statement.
The signing statement noted the bill requires every federal office to give the commission “any information” related to its inquiries.
The Bush White House was criticized heavily for issuing more signing statements than all previous presidents combined and for using the tool as a practice to alter the intent of congressional legislation. Some estimates put the number of statements in the thousands during Bush's eight years in office.
Obama's statement on Wednesday is one of a handful during his roughly four months in office. The president has said his administration would rarely issue statements, but defended the practice as a constitutional right.
“There is no doubt that the practice of issuing such statements can be abused,” Obama said in a March memo. “At the same time, such signing statements serve a legitimate function in our system, at least when based on well-founded constitutional objections.”
Congress supported the commission idea with broad bipartisan support, although a group of roughly 50 conservative Republicans opposed it in the House. On Wednesday, the main Republican supporter of the commission, Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.) lashed out at the signing statement.
“Why is a President who talked so much about transparency now threatening to back away from it? If critical information is withheld from the inquiry on the financial crisis, its conclusions won’t have the credibility of the 9/11 Commission report,” Issa said in a statement to The Hill.
The commission will have six Democratic and four Republican members and is expected to have wide latitude in investigating the causes and response to the financial crisis. The commission is due to report its findings by Dec. 15, 2010.
Good question by Rep. Issa, especially on this bill.
You mean, like the right not to incriminate yourself?
“Transparency” is for suckers (ala the GOP).
I await the Democrat cries over his use of signing statements to thwart the intent of Congress.
I’ll be waiting a while.
Follow the under the table money trail.
Can he be this stupid? He must be in a real tight corner....
Well he has to make sure that only republicans look bad in this never the democrats!
That's what it sounds like. After all the noise he's made on this and now he's unwilling to turn over requested info...sheesh.
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”
Years from now, when we all know the details that put him where he is, there won’t be place on earth that will take him. Too bad we have to put up with him until we get past his obstacles and discover/publicize the truth.
Beat me to it...when his mouth moves he’s lying...
Thanks for linking that.
I remember he really ripped GW over signing statenments and that video proves him to be a liar.
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