White House

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Thompson (Already) Falters
Thompson (Already) Falters

Thompson (Already) Falters

Campaign sinking before it starts swimming

(Newser) - Fred Thompson's White House campaign is in trouble before it has even officially begun, according to the Washington Post's campaign diary. Short of money and minus a manager, the unannounced Thompson is tied for last in the polls with the floundering John McCain.

General Faces Demotion in Tillman Probe

Six other officers will draw career-ending punishments

(Newser) - A retired three-star general who allegedly misled investigators about the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan could be stripped of his stars and part of his pension, Pentagon officials told CNN. Retired Lt. Gen. Phillip Kensinger told inspectors he didn't know the Green Beret was killed by...

White House Expands Exec Privilege Claims

Congressional Dems face new obstacle in US attorneys probe

(Newser) - White House officials have made a broad new claim to executive privilege that would block the Justice Department from pursuing contempt charges initiated by Congress, the Washington Post reports. Citing a Regan-era legal opinion, they argued that "A US attorney would not be permitted to bring contempt charges or...

Fear Rules Iraq, Briefers Tell Congress

Benchmarks not likely to be met, say Crocker, Petraeus

(Newser) - Iraq is gripped by widespread fear and is unlikely to fulfill political and security goals by the pivotal September assessment, US officials told lawmakers yesterday in a briefing from Baghdad. "One word I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq is 'fear,' " said ambassador Ryan...

Did Drug Officials Boost GOP Reps?
Did Drug Officials Boost GOP Reps?

Did Drug Officials Boost GOP Reps?

White House arranged appearances to prop up weak candidates, Dems charge

(Newser) - Public appearances by top guns in the Office of National Drug Control Policy may have been used to support vulnerable GOP Congressman in the run-up to the '06 elections, a Democratic lawmaker charged yesterday. Henry Waxman, chair of the House Oversight Committee, said it was part of a larger White...

Bush Satisfied With Iraq Progress
Bush Satisfied With Iraq Progress

Bush Satisfied With Iraq Progress

Acknowledging 'war fatigue,' president warns against hasty withdrawal

(Newser) - President Bush used today's interim report on the Iraq war to renew his call for Congress to withhold judgment on the troop surge until a September update, saying the military will "be in a better position to adjust" in 2 months. The report notes positive movement in eight out...

Ex-Aide Stays Tight Lipped on Attorneys

Sara Taylor respects former boss's executive privilege claim

(Newser) - Former White House political adviser Sara Taylor never discussed the ouster of nine US attorneys with President Bush, she told the Senate Judiciary Committee today. The subpoenaed Taylor said little else about the Justice Department scandal, citing executive privilege, but waffled occasionally between discretion and disclosure—for instance apologizing for...

Bush Directs Aides to Defy Subpoenas

Cites executive privilege in bid to stop Miers, Taylor testimony

(Newser) - In an aggressive use of executive privilege, President Bush instructed two of his former aides yesterday to disregard congressional subpoenas demanding they testify about the attorney firings scandal. In a letter to Congress, Bush's counsel rebuffed Democratic senators for encroaching on internal White House affairs, bringing the two branches closer...

Bush Commutes Libby Sentence
Bush Commutes Libby Sentence

Bush Commutes Libby Sentence

President spares former Cheney aide jail time; conviction remains

(Newser) - Scooter Libby won't be going to jail: President Bush commuted the former Cheney aide's 30-month sentence for perjury and obstruction of justice tonight, but stopped short of a pardon. The move came hours after a federal appeals court denied Libby's motion for bail pending his appeal.

Leahy Ready to Take White House to Court

Senator stands behind subpoenas in US attorney probe

(Newser) - 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"...

Supremes Will Hear Gitmo Cases
Supremes Will Hear Gitmo Cases

Supremes Will Hear Gitmo Cases

Inmates seek right to challenge confinement in federal court

(Newser) - Two Guantanamo Bay detainees will have their say before the Supreme Court, which today unexpectedly agreed to hear their cases in the term that begins this fall. The prisoners want permission to challenge their indefinite confinement in federal court. The high court had rejected an identical appeal in April, and...

White House Stonewalls on Subpoenas
White House Stonewalls
on Subpoenas

White House Stonewalls on Subpoenas

Bush invokes executive privilege in Senate probe of US attorney firings

(Newser) - The White House shot down attempts to subpoena internal documents concerning the US attorney firings today by invoking executive privilege. Though not a surprise, the refusal moved the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to accuse the administration of "Nixonian stonewalling." If the committee doesn't back down, the...

Domestic Spying Probe Reaches West Wing

Frustrated Senate committee doles out subpoenas

(Newser) - Patrick Leahy came out swinging against the Bush administration's "sweeping assertions of secrecy and privilege" today, issuing subpoenas to the White House, Dick Cheney's office, the Justice Department, and the NSC. The documents demanded by the Senate Judiciary Committee relate to the warrantless wiretapping of terrorism suspects and the...

White House Budget Director Will Step Down

Surprise departure precedes expected battle over spending

(Newser) - The White House budget director will leave his post this summer after just over a year in office. Rob Portman departs the OMB at an awkward time, with Congress gearing up for a bruising fight over next year's federal budget. He enjoys bipartisan support that his successor, onetime Iowa congressman...

White House Aides Broke Rules on E-Mails

Staff used political channels for government business

(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands of White House e-mails sent on Republican National Committee accounts have been deleted or are missing, an apparent violation of the law governing presidential records. The Washington Post reports that Karl Rove personally sent or received 140,000 e-mails, more than half of which appear to be...

US Attorney Firing Probe Spreads to White House

Congress calls Miers, another ex-official

(Newser) - The congressional investigation of the US attorney firings reached the White House today as the judiciary committee in each chamber subpoenaed a different former high-level official. Lawmakers subpoenaed documents from the White House chief of staff, the AP reports, but Karl Rove has not been served because Democrats are...

Pardon Me?
Pardon Me?

Pardon Me?

Will Bush let a former caporegime off the hook for old time's sake?

(Newser) - Yesterday's steep sentence for Scooter Libby is forcing Bush's hand on a possible pardon for the convicted perjurer. Judge Reggie Walton probably won't let Cheney's former chief of staff remain free pending appeals, WaPo reports, so the president is short on time if he wants to spare a close and...

Give Scooter a Jail Break
Give Scooter
a Jail Break

Give Scooter a Jail Break

One group's rooting for probation as the man who wouldn't snitch is sentenced

(Newser) - With Scooter Libby facing sentencing today for perjury in the Valerie Plame affair, Salon's Joseph Cooper asks his English class at the Webster Correctional Institution in Connecticut what punishment they would impose. The student cons go for probation, on the grounds that Libby's only crime was that he didn't snitch.

Top Bush Aide to Step Down
Top Bush Aide to Step Down

Top Bush Aide to Step Down

Bartlett bows out after 14 years

(Newser) - Another Bush administration official is stepping down, and this time the resignation shrinks the president's inner circle: Top aide Dan Bartlett will leave on July 4 after 14 years working for Bush. The defection is the latest in a trickle that's rapidly becoming a flood. Bartlett, 36, will seek a...

Veil of Secrecy Descends on White House

Court fight rages over Secret Service visitor records

(Newser) - The White House wants records of top officials' meetings to be secret, and the latest attempt to put a lid on that information raises questions about privacy, confidentiality, and the definition of presidential records, the AP reports. This week's revelation of the vice president's effort to restrict record-keeping at his...

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