So today was the day that Karl Rove was supposed to appear before the House Judiciary committee to testify about the US Attorney firings. And of course, Rove didn’t show.
That wasn’t a surprise. After getting the deadline pushed back, Rove had already publicly indicated he didn’t plan on being there, citing President Bush’s claim of executive privilege. Rove’s lawyer had then asked for a second postponement, a request that Judiciary chair John Conyers had declined to grant.
It’s a bit unclear where things go now. The next key date is March 4th — the new deadline for the Obama administration to weigh in on the Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten case, in which President Bush also asserted executive privilege. The new administration’s stance on that case could well also determine how a judge would rule on the Rove case, should the issue go to court.
And given Rove’s continuing failure to cooperate, it looks like that’s where we’re heading.
