Story Transcript
July 4, 2008
Where is Karl Rove? Part 3
Produced by Davin Hutchins & Harry Hanbury
VOICEOVER: A lot has happened since the last time ANP reported on Karl Rove. A few weeks ago, the head of the House Judiciary Committee, John Conyers, threatened to hold Rove in contempt for ignoring a subpoena to appear before Congress.
REPORTER: Are you worried about the contempt charge?
VOICEOVER: On the day he was scheduled to appear on Capitol Hill, Rove predictably was a no-show. In a written statement, Rove said executive privilege protected him from testifying. Since then Rove has made numerous public appearances stateside, but not before Congress. Each one seems to get more and more citizens up in arms. In Iowa this week, four peace activists tried to make a citizens arrest with Rove outside a country club where Rove was speaking at a GOP fundraiser. Instead, the activists were arrested. Also this week, more than 100,000 citizens signed a petition urging Congress to hold Rove in criminal contempt and have him arrested.
~~~
REP LINDA T. SANCHEZ (D-CA), HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBER: Oh my God. These are all of them?
MAN: Yes, these are all of them.
SANCHEZ: Karl Rove thinks that he doesn’t have to follow the law, and nobody in this country should be above the law.
REPORTER: What’s the next step, should the resolution pass tomorrow? What do you expect to happen/
SANCHEZ: It’ll then be forwarded for floor consideration, and that would be the next step.
~~~
VOICEOVER: Many House Republicans say all this is simply Washington political theater at its worst and an utter waste of time. But others say Rove has provoked Congress toward contempt.
REP. ROBERT WEXLER (D-CA): In a deliberate effort to reduce the power of this Congress and obstruct our ability to provide oversight over the executive branch, President Bush has ordered Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, Josh Bolton, and other administration officials to simply ignore Congress by refusing to testify. This failure of administration witnesses to even appear is unprecedented in the history of our nation.
VOICEOVER: If Rove skirts by, many say it sets a bad precedent that anyone with a relationship with the president can pretend Congress isn’t even there. But more important, Rove has answers no one else has about specific issues the House Judiciary Committee is investigating. According to the official contempt resolution, they want to know what he, Bush, and Bush officials knew about outing CIA agent Valerie Plame, firing US attorneys for their political leanings, which is a federal crime, and using dirty tricks to selectively prosecute former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Rove’s critics say he made a career out of destroying other people’s careers and it’s time to hold him accountable.
~~~
REP. JOHN CONYERS (D-MI), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: All those in favor of issuing this contempt, signify by saying aye.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Aye.
CONYERS: All those opposed, say no.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: No.
CONYERS: Ayes have it. Do you want a numeric report?
~~~
TEXT ON SCREEN: On July 30, the House Judiciary Committee voted 20-14 to hold Karl Rove in contempt of Congress.
VOICEOVER: The decision to bring the contempt charge to the House floor now rests with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Should the full House and US courts agree with the committee, Rove could be immediately arrested by the House sergeant at arms.
Stay tuned…
DISCLAIMER:
Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.
Story Transcript
July 4, 2008
Where is Karl Rove? Part 3
Produced by Davin Hutchins & Harry Hanbury
VOICEOVER: A lot has happened since the last time ANP reported on Karl Rove. A few weeks ago, the head of the House Judiciary Committee, John Conyers, threatened to hold Rove in contempt for ignoring a subpoena to appear before Congress.
REPORTER: Are you worried about the contempt charge?
VOICEOVER: On the day he was scheduled to appear on Capitol Hill, Rove predictably was a no-show. In a written statement, Rove said executive privilege protected him from testifying. Since then Rove has made numerous public appearances stateside, but not before Congress. Each one seems to get more and more citizens up in arms. In Iowa this week, four peace activists tried to make a citizens arrest with Rove outside a country club where Rove was speaking at a GOP fundraiser. Instead, the activists were arrested. Also this week, more than 100,000 citizens signed a petition urging Congress to hold Rove in criminal contempt and have him arrested.
~~~
REP LINDA T. SANCHEZ (D-CA), HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBER: Oh my God. These are all of them?
MAN: Yes, these are all of them.
SANCHEZ: Karl Rove thinks that he doesn’t have to follow the law, and nobody in this country should be above the law.
REPORTER: What’s the next step, should the resolution pass tomorrow? What do you expect to happen/
SANCHEZ: It’ll then be forwarded for floor consideration, and that would be the next step.
~~~
VOICEOVER: Many House Republicans say all this is simply Washington political theater at its worst and an utter waste of time. But others say Rove has provoked Congress toward contempt.
REP. ROBERT WEXLER (D-CA): In a deliberate effort to reduce the power of this Congress and obstruct our ability to provide oversight over the executive branch, President Bush has ordered Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, Josh Bolton, and other administration officials to simply ignore Congress by refusing to testify. This failure of administration witnesses to even appear is unprecedented in the history of our nation.
VOICEOVER: If Rove skirts by, many say it sets a bad precedent that anyone with a relationship with the president can pretend Congress isn’t even there. But more important, Rove has answers no one else has about specific issues the House Judiciary Committee is investigating. According to the official contempt resolution, they want to know what he, Bush, and Bush officials knew about outing CIA agent Valerie Plame, firing US attorneys for their political leanings, which is a federal crime, and using dirty tricks to selectively prosecute former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Rove’s critics say he made a career out of destroying other people’s careers and it’s time to hold him accountable.
~~~
REP. JOHN CONYERS (D-MI), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: All those in favor of issuing this contempt, signify by saying aye.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Aye.
CONYERS: All those opposed, say no.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: No.
CONYERS: Ayes have it. Do you want a numeric report?
~~~
TEXT ON SCREEN: On July 30, the House Judiciary Committee voted 20-14 to hold Karl Rove in contempt of Congress.
VOICEOVER: The decision to bring the contempt charge to the House floor now rests with Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Should the full House and US courts agree with the committee, Rove could be immediately arrested by the House sergeant at arms.
Stay tuned…
DISCLAIMER:
Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
