Leahy Ready to Take White House to Court

Senator stands behind subpoenas in US attorney probe
By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 1, 2007 1:48 PM CDT
Leahy Ready to Take White House to Court
Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty testifies before the House Judiciary Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington Thursday, June 21, 2007 on the firing of eight U. S. attorneys. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)   (Associated Press)

Patrick Leahy has a message for White House officials who object to subpoenas issued in the US attorney firing investigation: See you in court. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman took the dispute over executive privilege to the airwaves today, saying, "If they don't cooperate, yes, I'll go that far" when asked about a congressional vote on contempt charges.

Leahy, a former prosecutor, appeared on "Meet the Press," wrapping up a week in which Congress and the administration swapped subpoenas and assertions of executive privilege relating to the prosecutor firings and the domestic wiretapping program. A contempt vote would land the US attorney dispute in court, setting up a constitutional showdown. (More US attorneys scandal stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X