The standoff over subpoenas for Bush advisors who are refusing to testify is moving to the next level.
The House Judiciary Committee approved a contempt of Congress citation Wednesday against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and one-time Counsel Harriet Miers, setting up a constitutional confrontation over the firings of federal prosecutors.
The Justice Department said it would block the citation from prosecution because information Congress is demanding is protected by executive privilege. Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House effort was important nonetheless. The contempt proceedings, she said, “are part of a broader effort by House Democrats to restore our nation’s fundamental system of checks and balances.”
The 22-17 party-line vote — which would sanction the pair for failure to comply with subpoenas on the firings — advanced the citation to the full House. A vote there is possible this fall.
Ultimately, this is a showdown that will be decided by the courts. My guess is the White House will win, since it’s hard to imagine that people in his kitchen cabinet wouldn’t be covered under executive privilege in something other than a criminal investigation.
