Tuesday, August 21, 2007

"almost two months since service of the subpoenas, three weeks since the time they asked for additional time. ... still nothing"

Leahy Threatens Bush Aides With Contempt | JESSE J. HOLLAND | August 20, 2007 05:45 PM EST

WASHINGTON — A top Senate Democrat on Monday threatened to hold members of the Bush administration in contempt for not producing subpoenaed information about the legal justification for President Bush's secretive eavesdropping program.
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"It has been almost two months since service of the subpoenas, three weeks since the time they asked for additional time. And still, we have nothing at all," Leahy said.

Leahy also questioned whether the Senate would again reauthorize laws that expand the government's authority to spy on foreigners without the subpoenaed information.
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"For Congress to legislate effectively in this area, it has to have full information about the executive branch's interpretations of FISA,"
Leahy said. "We cannot, and certainly, we should not legislate in the dark, where the administration hides behind a fictitious veil of secrecy."
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"I don't think he had a valid claim of executive privilege, because all the testimony has been it wasn't discussed with the president. If it wasn't discussed with the president, there's no executive privilege," Leahy said. ...

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