The Daily Muck

The House is set to vote on contempt citations for Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolten after both declined their congressional subpoenas. In preparation for the vote, Rep. Conyers (D-MI) has pulled together a fifty-page memo that might be considered the first official allegation that several members of the administration broke the law carrying out and then covering up the U.S. attorney firings. The vote is scheduled for 10:15 AM (EST). (Washington Post)

The House Oversight Committee informed the White House yesterday that they will be questioning former White House officials on the death of Corporal Pat Tillman, who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in April 2004. The White House waited weeks to make Tillman’s death public and Congressional investigators want to know what officials knew prior to the public announcement. (Associated Press)

The FBI is moving forward with its plan to pay telecom firms to store information on citizens that the FBI cannot legally preserve itself. Yesterday, the FBI requested a budget of $5 million a year from Congress to fund such a program. Under its current formulation, the FBI would not be allowed direct access to the records without a subpoena or national security letter. (Washington Post)

Duke Cunningham is back in San Diego! But he’s probably not enjoying it; Cunningham is back for follow-up interviews with federal prosecutors regarding Wilkes, Foggo and John Michael. (San Diego Union Tribune)

ABC’s The Blotter gets the irony: The Department of Homeland Security can’t seem to secure its own facilities. According to a new Government Accountability Office report, DHS did not meet a July 2004 deadline to create a comprehensive security plan and instead relied on a “patchwork” of efforts to secure its facilities. (ABC’s The Blotter)

Gonzales might not remember how many attorneys he fired for upholding the law, but here’s one that appears to have earned his stripes as a loyal Bushie. The U.S. Attorney of South Florida is coming under fire from staff members for helping politicize his office when he reigned over the Civil Rights Division. (Palm Beach Post)

The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation against several oil businesses because of allegations that they have been bribing foreign customs officials. (Wall Street Journal)

Earmarks are getting nasty! Another spat broke out yesterday when Rep. Westmoreland (R-GA) tried to strike funds marked by Rep. Abercrombie (D-HI). Abercrombie spoke out and was remanded by the chair, who reminded him that remarks should not be directed towards other lawmakers. Abercrombie replied, “I am confining my remarks to the chair. If I was saying it directly to the gentleman, he would know it a lot more physically.” (Congressional Quarterly)

FEMA has finally decided to wake up and smell the formaldehyde. Yesterday the agency announced it would “review” its policy on selling and providing trailers that cause respiratory problems in trailer inhabitants due to unhealthy levels of formaldehyde. The agency has come under fire for not investigating complaints by FEMA trailer residents. We hope FEMA will also review its policy on word usage: a spokesman said the “formaldehyde issue” is “very fluid.” (Associated Press)

The Veterans Affairs Medical Center in D.C. is missing roughly one quarter of its computer supplies, according to a recent audit. The VA has three other medical centers around the country, all of which in better shape: they were only missing about 11% of their hardware. (Associated Press)