House Committee to Meet on White House Privilege ClaimSo it continues.
The House Judiciary Committee will meet this Thursday to consider the White House’s claim of executive privilege as to internal and external communications concerning the U.S. attorney firings, Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) informed White House counsel Fred Fielding today.
The committee issued a subpoena to the White House for those documents in June; the White House refused, citing executive privilege. The White House reiterated that blanket refusal last week.
If the committee were to rule that the White House’s assertion of privilege is invalid (as seems likely), that would be a step towards contempt proceedings. In this case, the subpoena was issued to Joshua Bolten, White House Chief of Staff, and so it would be Bolten on the hook. Those proceedings would be distinct from those against Harriet Miers, were the committee to choose that course.
Conyers’ letter to Fielding is below.
The letter:
July 17, 2007
Mr. Fred Fielding
Counsel to the President
Office of Counsel to the President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20530Dear Mr. Fielding:
We are writing to inform you that the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law will be meeting this Thursday, July 19, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 2141, Rayburn House Office Building, to consider the executive privilege claims you have raised in response to the subpoena issued on June 13 to Joshua Bolten, White House Chief of Staff, to produce documents. If those objections are overruled, you should be aware that the refusal to produce the documents called for in the subpoena could subject Mr. Bolten to contempt proceedings, including but not limited to proceedings under 2 U.S.C. 194 and under the inherent contempt authority of the House of Representatives. We strongly urge you to reconsider, and to produce the documents called for by the subpoena.
Sincerely,
John Conyers, Jr.
ChairmanLinda T. Sánchez
Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
