WASHINGTON - A Senate panel, following the House's lead, authorized subpoenas Thursday for White House political adviser Karl Rove and other top aides involved in the firing of federal prosecutors.
The Senate Judiciary Committee decided by voice vote to approve the subpoenas as Republicans and Democrats sparred over whether to press a showdown with President Bush over the ousters of eight U.S. attorneys.
Democrats angrily rejected Bush's offer to grant a limited number of lawmakers private interviews with the aides with no transcript and without swearing them in. Republicans counseled restraint, but at least one, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, backed the action.
WASHINGTON - A Senate panel, following the House's lead, authorized subpoenas Thursday for White House political adviser Karl Rove and other top aides involved in the firing of federal prosecutors.
The Senate Judiciary Committee decided by voice vote to approve the subpoenas as Republicans and Democrats sparred over whether to press a showdown with President Bush over the ousters of eight U.S. attorneys.
Democrats angrily rejected Bush's offer to grant a limited number of lawmakers private interviews with the aides with no transcript and without swearing them in. Republicans counseled restraint, but at least one, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, backed the action.
It is not surprising that the Senate approved the issuing of subpoenas against the top Bush aids. Both sides are gearing up for a major fight over this attorney scandal. As I've said in my previous post on the House issuing of subpoenas, the Bush administration was offering a crappy deal to the Democratic Congress in allowing Karl Rove and Harriet Miers to be interviewed behind closed doors, without being sworn in, and with no transcripts. It was the perfect Bush White House situation where both Rove and Miers could continue to get away with lying to the Congress on the attorney purge. The Bush administration thought that this was a fair and reasonable deal. In reality, it was pure crap. We've heard the House's response to this deal, and now we've got the Senate's response.
Ironically, the Bush White House continues to spin that their deal is still fair and reasonable. According to the MSNBC story:
Even as Democrats derided the White House's offer, Bush spokesman Tony Snow maintained that lawmakers will realize it is fair and reasonable once they reflect on it.
"We're not trying to hide things. We're not trying to run from things," he said. "We want them to know what happened."
Democrats, however, called Bush's position untenable.
"What we're told we can get is nothing, nothing, nothing," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Judiciary chairman. "I know he's the decider for the White House -- he's not the decider for the United States Senate."
[....]
The Senate panel voted to approve subpoenas for Rove, former White House counsel Harriet Miers and her former deputy, William Kelley. The House subcommittee Tuesday authorized subpoenas for Rove, Miers and their deputies.
More to come.
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