US Lawmaker Threatens to Hold White House Officials in Contempt
By Deborah Tate
from VOA.com
The Democratic chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, has threatened to hold members of the Bush administration in contempt for withholding documents subpoenaed by his panel. The administration did not meet a Monday deadline for handing over information about the legal justification for its wiretapping program, as VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.
Senator Leahy says he may seek contempt citations against members of the Bush administration, whom he did not name, if the requested documents are not handed over by the time Congress returns from its recess early next month.
"I will have no hesitation voting for contempt, if that is what it takes," said Senator Leahy.
The Judiciary Committee on June 27 sent subpoenas to the Justice Department, the National Security Council and the offices of the president and vice president for documents relating to the legal justification for the National Security Agency's surveillance program.
In a letter to Leahy, White House lawyer Fred Fielding said the administration needed more time, but expressed hope that Congress and the White House could reach an accommodation.
Leahy said his panel had waited long enough.
(Continued here.)
from VOA.com
The Democratic chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, has threatened to hold members of the Bush administration in contempt for withholding documents subpoenaed by his panel. The administration did not meet a Monday deadline for handing over information about the legal justification for its wiretapping program, as VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.
Senator Leahy says he may seek contempt citations against members of the Bush administration, whom he did not name, if the requested documents are not handed over by the time Congress returns from its recess early next month.
"I will have no hesitation voting for contempt, if that is what it takes," said Senator Leahy.
The Judiciary Committee on June 27 sent subpoenas to the Justice Department, the National Security Council and the offices of the president and vice president for documents relating to the legal justification for the National Security Agency's surveillance program.
In a letter to Leahy, White House lawyer Fred Fielding said the administration needed more time, but expressed hope that Congress and the White House could reach an accommodation.
Leahy said his panel had waited long enough.
(Continued here.)
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