Rove stiffs House panel. Contempt citation next?

This is one of those stories about something that didn't happen. In this case, the lack of someone showing up is the news.

He's been gone from the White House for a while, but surely you remember the chief political advisor whom President Bush called the architect of his 2004 reelection -- and also "Turd Blossom"?

To no one's surprise, that same Karl Rove failed to answer a subpoena to testify before a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing today.

That didn't stop the staff of the subcommittee from placing a placard with his name on it in front of an empty chair at the witness table, according to the Associated Press.

The panel wanted to hear from Rove in its investigation of whether politics played into prosecutorial and other decisions at the Justice Department.

He was subpoenaed in May to get him to talk about whether he exerted pressure on prosecutors' decisions regarding Democratic officeholders -- most notably former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman -- or in firing prosecutors whose political loyalty to the Bush administration was being questioned.

Next up: A decision on whether he should be cited for contempt. That decision will be made by the full Judiciary Committee and, ultimately, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).

But according to the AP, demonstrators behind the empty witness table have already decided. A number of them called for his arrest.

For CNN's account, click here.

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Comments

[Mitchell]

Arresting Rove for contempt is a bit like the arrest of a mafia boss for 'tax evasion'. His crimes are numerous (and serious) enough to call for an arrest for high treason. But lets start with this contempt thing, its far easier to prosecute.

[bob]

They should wait until the next administration, then put him in jail. That way, Bush can't pardon him.

[David Givens]

If I stiffed a House committee to which I had been subpoenaed, what would happen to me? The same should happen to the turd blossom.

[Joe Walker]

What else could we expect from the architect of a scoff-law White House?

[Heather]

I had thought these attorney's were politically appointed anyway. I mean Clinton fired all the federal attorneys when he took office, so I am not sure even if politically motivtaed that it would be that odd.

It seems that when conservatives do the same things that Liberals do, it suddenly becomes wrong.

[cthings]

Well since it is a Bush Buddy issue...nothing will happen even if they decide to toss the book at him with charges of treason or mass murder...Bush and Dick would pardon him to ensure he kept his mouth shut, thus protecting their own butts.

A little over two hundred years ago...we had a tea party over the governing body not working for the people and only for their own interest...is it time we had another tea party?

[fat1de]

Don't worry about old "turd blossom". GW will dunk a pardon on him before he leaves office, if not McCain will catch him on the lay-up.

[Rodney Lamprey, jr.]

Those Liberal Democrats are at it again. The supeona was just a political stunt because everyone in the Bush administration, formerly in the Bush administration, or associated with the Bush administration in some way has the right to violate any law they wish and not be required to testify under oath. Hasn't Congress ever heard of the Constitutional point called "Bush's Priviledge"?

[Warner]

Of course he should be arrested. Unfortunately the cowardly craven Dems will once again cave in and let him walk all over them.

[Justin Jordak]

Karl Rove should not just be cited with contempt he should be dragged infront of the House of Representatives by his Jowls!

[Erik]

Rove's decision to not attend is stunning in its contempt for our democracy. In the United Staes, we have this thing called the separation of powers.

The Presidency can and should be called to account for objectionable and criminal behavior. To not attend is to spit into the Constitution.

[abby0802]

Rove probably should have been indicted ages ago for his role in helpig to disclose the identity of the CIA operative, but as a friend of Bush nothing will happen, of course.
Bush's administration has been one of corruption, disception, malfeasance. When will it end/
January 2009 when Obama is sworn into office.

[bill]

The elected representatives will fulminate and bluster, but they won't force him to come. That treatment is reserved for those without political high cover. Bonus points if the elected reps cite the need to 'get on with the peoples business' as justification for their lack of action.

[Kevin Seifert]

Oh, it doesn't matter if he complies with the law or not. Bush will just pardon him if he gets into too much hot water.

[Mike]

What does Rove care if they through him in jail Bush will pardon him.

[Barney]

Will Congress find a spine? As much as I'd like to see Turd Blossom (and his lawyer) do the perp walk for his contemptuous behavior, smart money says that Pelosi will lose interest or find some other reason to not follow up...

[hesingswithfrogs]

Just another in a long line of examples of how the Bush administration thinks it's above the law. I hope they lock that oinker Rove up for about 12 months, preferably in maximum security facility.

[Jay in NJ]

He worked for the government so let him show respect to the government. The court asked him to be there and he should have been. I say bring him in just like they would any other tax payer. Good riddance Mr. Rove.

[dave]

Clinton = fired all but 1 = his job
Bush = fires some = liberals foaming at the mouth looking for blood.

[sd-mouth]

Why should this surprise anyone? Rove, the Pond scum of Washington, has orchestrated the insertion of the worst president in US history. He has deliberately ignored the Constitution of the United States of America, probably one of the greatest documents ever conceived by human beings. Nancy Pelosi has to have some backbone and cite this monstrosity for contempt. The people deserve to get their country back from this abysmal administration.
Shame on us and our supposed leadership for letting this continue without efforts to right the situation. Clinton was impeached for trivial reasons in comparison to what Rove's protégé GWB has done to our country.
I’m for change!

[AZmac]

I don't know if there is spine enough in congress to hold this guy accountable for his actions. As a member of the Bush Boy's Club, he's betting that nothing will come of this. He's probably right. Congress will talk it to death and do nothing.

[Capt Volt]

I guess Pelosi has nothing of any importance to do and can't get anything done, so she has to go barking after one of W's advisors to make up for her own lack of leadership and skill? Puhleeze. What a ridiculous non-story. This is nothing but partisan politics. If this is all Nancy's got to do, she needs to get the boot.

[Chapman]

I agree that any prosecution should wait until this administration has gone.
I am all in favor of impeachment but if these traitors are prosecuted before Bush leaves office pardons will fly. We've waited this long & when Rove finally goes down he should do time.

[Jen]

If it were someone else - nearly anyone not so intimately connected to W - would there be anything to discuss? Wouldn't citation be a given?

[Xeno77777]

Guilty Persons, will not freely show up for questiioning, when they have any sort of semi-plausible "excuse" for avoiding anserwing a supenoa; Rove is a Flight-Risk, and needs to be locked-up; until his trial. That is what an ordinary judge would find; NO BAIL FOR KARL ROVE. The Bush'es, The Rockefellers, The Kissingers, and The Roves, all are secret Muslims. Note that they did not implement their promised Richmond Plan, to trighted Drug Dealers of Drugs form Afghanistan, to remove Lyndon Johnson's law to challenge the riights of Preaachers to comment on Politics, when Ethics haave been recognized as a subdivision of Politics, sense Socraaes, Plato, and Aristostle. Why??? because All are secret Muslim Terrorists. The Rockefellers have been Petro Terrorists, since 1896, when The :President of The Standard Oil Trust, was convicted of Petro Terrorism, for dynamitiing a competitior's Oil Refinery, and was sentenced to Siing Sing Prison for Two Years,. John D. Rockefeller Sr. was chairman o'f the Board of Trustees, of the Standard Oil Trust. at the time, How did the Rockefellers get awaay with this??? Well, in 1905, John D. Rockefeller Sr. had a Net Worth off Five Billion Dollaars; that is 5,000,000,000 dollars. in 1990 dollars, the 1905 would have been worth Five Hundred Billion Dollars; today, fronm One Trillion Dollars to Two Trillion Dollars. While the Rockefellers gave away large sums of money to found charitable institutiions, they still controlled tham, and use them to promote their political views. The Rockefellers have made a lot of money since,. Their amounts of money, can buy off a lot of politicians, and still does,. The Rockefellers have revived the Old Standard Oil Trust, which keeps its workinng papers Off Shore as part of OPEC, beyond the reacch of the Justice Department.