WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is expected to claim executive privilege to prevent two more White House aides from testifying before Congress about the firings of federal prosecutors.

Thursday is the deadline for Karl Rove, Bush’s top political adviser, to provide testimony and documents related to the firings, under a subpoena from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Also subpoenaed was White House political aide J. Scott Jennings. The Justice Department included both men on e-mails about the firings and the administration’s response to the congressional investigation.

White House Counsel Fred Fielding has consistently said that top presidential aides - present and past - are immune from subpoenas and has declared the documents sought off-limits under executive privilege.

The House Judiciary Committee already has approved a contempt citation against two other Bush confidants, chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. The full House is expected to vote on the citation in the fall, but the Justice Department has said it won’t prosecute the two.

Full Story Here:
Bush Likely to Prevent Aides’ Testimony

I seem to remember a while back, the Bush administration was trying to pass the Patriot Act and they were telling us how it was going to help make America more safe from terroristic acts, and I seem to remember the Bush administration, and Mr. Bush himself using a justification that went something like, ‘if you have done nothing wrong, then you have nothing to fear’, something to that effect…

I also understand the ‘executive privilege’ thing too, not everything the president or his aides and advisers do needs to be public knowledge but this isn’t a NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE, it’s the firing of some U.S. attorneys, a group of people that serve at the pleasure of the president, he has the authority to hire and fire them at will, or to have the A.G. do it for him, or to do it at the bidding OF the A.G., and I have no problem with that, I think the Dems are trying for the ‘tempest in a teacup’ we hear so much about, just stirring the pot and hoping if they fling enough donkey poo, some of it might stick, in other words, American politics at it’s very best…

Here’s the only thing about the whole smelly mess that bothers me, IF the Bush administration truly has done nothing wrong, and had nothing to hide, why is the president invoking ‘executive privilege’ and not allowing his aides to testify??

I’m not making any accusations against the president or his staff, but these actions should raise suspicion in even the most adamant Bush supporter, especially given the fact that this isn’t a national security matter and is not something that terrorists could use against us, not to mention that a little open honesty from this president and his posse would be a welcome breath of fresh air right about now…

Somehow I have a mental image of Richard Nixon standing there, sweating, and saying, “I am NOT a crook”…

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