Bush claims executive privilege in Valerie Plame Wilson case

The concept of executive privilege rings a special bell with readers of a certain age. It was relied on by the Richard M. Nixon White House seeking to shield documents and personnel from inquiring congressional committees and prosecutors during the Watergate investigations.

President Bush quietly claimed executive privilege on Tuesday, after Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey requested the shield. Mukasey is seeking to avoid delivering to congressional investigators documents dealing with interviews of Vice President Dick Cheney and members of his staff regarding the unmasking of CIA covert agent Valerie Plame Wilson.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has subpoenaed the accounts of the FBI interviews, as well as notes about President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address in which he said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was seeking uranium for a nuclear weapon -- an assertion that proved wrong.

"The claim of executive privilege is ludicrous," said the committee's chairman, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills).

On Wednesday, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined the fray. He noted that the claim of executive privilege exempts the attorney general "from complying with a subpoena," and wrote to Mukasey:

This executive privilege claim, and your justification for it, appears to turn the privilege on its head. The purpose of executive privilege is to encourage candid advice to the president, not to cover up what the vice president and White House staff say to investigating authorities when that information is requested in the course of congressional oversight.

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Mark Wilson / Getty Images

Comments

[thinkingaloud]

The question remains, what will the Democrat congress do? They think Clinton got such a bad wrap, yet now they have all the justification in the world to impeach, incarcerate, and perhaps even hold for treason, the President and Vice President,...and they won't do it.

So who do you really think is worse, the criminals in the white house, or the criminals in congress who cover for the criminals in the white house.

enough of this garbage.
don't negotiate with your representative to do what they think is best. Tell them frankly: You are to impeach and convict this president, vice president, secretary of state, attorney general gonzales, and others for wiretapping, torture, outing a CIA operation (not just the agent), provoking a war based on manipulated intelligence, falsifying reports through omission related to our climate and environment, and countless other crimes.

This is not a policy issue folks. These are unconvicted felons.
GWBush ordered wiretapping without warrant 30 times by his own admission. This is a felony, even when the president does it. That is a 30 count charge right there.

Worried about what President you get when Bush is gone? Then start by outing that crook, Dick Cheney. But either way, get on with it.

[dave]

How was the yellow cake assertion proved wrong when we just found like 500 tons of yellow cake in iraq? this story makes absolutely no sense. Joe wilson's actual report contradicted what he said to the press and joe wilson was certified as a liar by the senate intelligence committe. Nice try lefties.

[alexander]

yep...pretty much sums up this administration. what a pack of criminals.

[TAllen]

It is time to file article of impeachment against these two.

[Chris]

Of course the claim of executive privilege is nonsense in this instance. So what is the milquetoast Congress going to do about it? Nothing. Bush knows that they don't have the courage to take the him and the rest of the Executive to task for their blatant violations of law. They will rant and rave and rend their garments in front of the cameras but they won't do a thing, just like they've done for the last 2 years. What a joke.

[Chris]

Ha! I just noticed that the headline of this article is "countdown to Crawford". I wish.... The moron in chief plans to take up residence in Dallas, my town, so he can go look at his book in his new presidential library anytime he wants.

[lorax]

It's quite understandable that the Bush administration will hang tough and claim executive privilege on the Plame affair. After all, leaking the name of a secret agent anytime is treason and a capitol offense during wartime. Bush and Cheney leaked her name to punish her husband for discovering that the Nigerian memo about yellowcake uranium was a forgery. (Wonder who forged it?) Or maybe to punish Vallery for not supporting Bush's claim that Saddam had WMD (she was in charge of two dozen agents who were interviewing Iraqi scientists. So the gang in the White House committed treason and will do anything to keep the evidence from becoming public. However, there are so many other crimes that are alleged against this administration, we all must wonder why Congress has not started impeachment proceedings. Perhaps, Pelosi and Reid are cowards. They certainly are negligent in their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution.

[Philip Cardella]

Well at least it is BUSH claiming executive privilege this time instead of Cheney--when no such privilege exists for the VP. As a Christian, I can say that I have nothing but respect for Jimmy Carter, the last boisterous Christian in the office. His presidency wasn't the greatest, but the man's legacy for peace and justice is unquestionable. This Christian president is a disgrace to justice and peace and brings shame to the faith. I believe he is a believer, but I also believe he has become a horrible example of the faith, of what it means to be an American, and what it means to be a man period.

[Nixon, Part 2]

Well, at least President Bush finally admitted he's committed high treason...or at least he's covering up the fact that he committed high treason. At any rate, the American people now know he was involved in unmasking a covert operative for political gains. The truth shall set you free, Mr. President!

[Chris]

Jimmy Carter is the best ex-president we've ever had. :-)

[Not Dave]

> How was the yellow cake assertion proved wrong when we just found
> like 500 tons of yellow cake in iraq?

Dave, the yellow cake is in your head instead of a functioning neuralogical organ. The assertion was that Nigeria sold Iraq uranium for making "weapons of mass destruction" -- which turned out to be patently false.

Yes, we did just remove a bunch of radioactive materials from Iraq -- materials that WE were storing there, and it's not yellow-cake uranium.

It's obvious that you don't let little things like FACTs get in the way of your point-of-view, nor does it prevent you from stating it. This is the crux of freedom of speech: The idiots get to talk, too.

[jessica]

What don't these sociopaths get away with? Vote 3rd party.

[Milo]

Carter best president? "Secret agent"? A secret agent whose husband is flapping his jowls in national media? You all apparently have no understanding of what it is like to work covertly or with a security clearance. Carter best president? Good god. What is the purpose of engaging this blog anyway. Simpleton ranting? Lovely.

[Justin]

I dont understand why we cant stop this stuff....why isnt anyone doing anything? I am getting really angry...this president is like a terrible King....why cant we stop him?

[Carcajou]

Neither party is worth anything, and neither presidential candidate is worth anything. Bush runs around doing what ever he wants and claims executive privilege, while congress either supports him or does nothing. The WMD, Plame, attorneys, and Gitmo affairs, individually, would have been enough for an impeachment in years gone by. Yet no person in Congress will do anything. The current system is completely broken, and cannot be fixed in its current incarnation. That is why I voted for Ron Paul in the primary, and why I will vote for Bob Barr in the presidential race. We need a change; not the surface changes that McCain and Obama talk about, but fundamental change that puts the people of this country back in charge, and makes being an American mean something positive again!

[Not not dave]

Not Dave, you need to read the news more. Maybe even from more than one source? The uranium was Saddams. It was there since the first Gulf War. Who was responsible for it? The International Atomic Energy Agency.

[jurisdoctor]

treason.. and the penalty should be death... But Congress doesnt have the balls to do anything.. and even if they did, they would never get enough votes since there is barely a majority.

[God]

Hello my children,

This is your lord speaking. You ask why can't we stop this yet the power is in your hands. I created the Ten Commandments thousands of years ago and you failed to listen, I sent Jesus to you and you failed to listen, I created the United States Constitution and you forget all about it. I ask you please to read the original copy of the constitution and not only live by it but act upon it. Ignore all of these extra amendments that you have added.

You the people have the right to bear arms against your treasonous government.

After 9/11 it was said do not let the terrorists win by taking our freedom.
I say to you, you have already let the terrorists win by allowing the Patriot Act and many other laws to be enacted and enforced. Your current president is not the only one who has committed treason but you yourselves have also committed treason.

Is not the man who sits idly by and watches and allows a sin to be committed just as guilty as those who are sinning?

I now give up on mankind for there are more interesting things in the universe to play with.

[RV]

There was nothing wrong with Carter that Nixon and Ford's misconduct and incompetence didn't set him up for. Same problem with whomever takes over in January- our administration is a complete disaster, our budget is broken, raising taxes & cutting expenditures is the ONLY option for our next president & congress. Yes, Bush/Cheney should be impeached- no, please correct that- they should have been impeached years ago. Pelosi (a poor choice for democrats as a leader) made a stupid promise not to impeach, so the bushies essentially have carte blanche. What a mess. But bush jr. is just the puppet- Cheney, the Carlyle Group & his secret committess ought to be sent to Gitmo & warterboarded.

[bob]

the problem with dealing with this now is two-fold. First is that we have other, pressing issues and this is just another diversion. Second, this is better dealt with in a new administration. Then Bush can't just pardon everyone on his way out of office. Patience is sometimes a virtue. I am sure we are nowhere near the statute of limitations.

[dqueenofeverything]

The thing that upsets me so much is that we will be paying retirement salaries and benefits to these two the rest of their deceitful lives. Are we surprised that this happened…not really; let’s put it this way, Enron wasn’t the first to cook their books and milk innocent people for all they had. All you have to do is research Harkin Energy, Bush’s first big scam to see who started taking advantage of the American middle class. Check it out:

www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0203/S00035.htm
http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/warehousea/id82.html
http://www.pensitoreview.com/2005/11/08/more-on-bushs-eminent-domain-14-mil-windfall/
http://www.stewwebb.com/FRAUDS%20ARE%20US%20AT%20MDC.html

Now instead of scamming some of the American public, he is screwing us all.

This Democratic Congress is no better, we elected them to clean up this mess. What's the deal?

[Wizwill]

As long as a few chickens go to those outside the henhouse, there is no fuss about the fox inside, but when the trough run dry, the Troubles began.

[John Davis]

I am not American - I am a British national. I don't live in the U.K. - I live in Japan. I echo the sentiments of most of the posters on this board - WHY AREN’T BUSH, CHENEY AND THE REST OF THE WRECKING CREW ON TRIAL?

Do you know how much money the "War against Terror" has cost your country? Even if there is oil in Alaska, it's going to take decades to pay back the huge loans to China and Saudi Arabia. It probably can't be done.

What's more, do you realize how the U.S.A. is hated these days? I don't think it's just Japan.

For God's sake bring these guys to justice!

John Davis

[Dave]

Those who wish to support impeachment can start by going here. http://www.impeachbush.org

[Joe]

Read more about the yellow cake and Mr. Wilson's role. AP