House Pushes for Quick Handling of Contempt SuitA quick update on the House’s lawsuit against Harriet Miers and White House chief of staff Josh Bolten. From The Politico:
The House General Counsel’s Office, which is representing the Judiciary Committee in a civil contempt lawsuit against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, has asked a federal judge to set up an expedited schedule to resolve portions of the case, a schedule that would require a ruling by this summer, according to court documents filed today.
The Justice Department, which is representing Bolten and Miers in the case, countered that the only reason the Judiciary Committee is seeking a speedy determination of the case is so that it “recommence prior to Congress’ August recess” its investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006. The Justice Department wants a slower review of the contempt case, and it is already warning that it may appeal any ruling that goes against it.
What the House wants is to just settle the White House’s more expansive claims of privilege — namely, that Miers didn’t even need to show up in response to the House Judiciary Committee’s subpoena and that both Bolten and Miers didn’t even need to indicate what sort of documents the White House were claiming privilege for.
A private conference is scheduled for tomorrow. The judge’s decision will likely indicate whether the House has any hope of hearing any actual testimony from Miers or seeing any documents from Bolten during the Bush administration.
