Legal News

Oath, Shmoath! A Modest Gonzo-Gate Proposal

By Ashby Jones

The L.A. Times’s editorial board is seemingly tired of Gonzo-Gate — the kerfuffle that flared up in 2006 concerning former AG Alberto Gonzalez and a handful of U.S. Attorneys allegedly dismissed for political reasons.

The most recent battle in this ongoing war: Congress wants to have present and former Bush administration officials testify about the White House’s involvement in the dismissals.

In July, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates rejected the contention that former White House staffers Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten enjoyed absolute immunity to congressional subpoenas for their testimony and for documents. The administration has appealed.

In an editorial today, the LA Times suggests that the Bush administration is dragging its feet over Congress’ “legitimate request” to have the officials testify. Its proposed solution: have Meirs, Bolten and former Bush strategist Karl Rove appear before the House Judiciary Committee and answer questions for the record, but without being sworn in. Opines the LAT: “That would avoid the precedent of an advisor to the president being forced to testify under oath.”

In the wacky world of politics, in which compromise is often the name of the game, this may well be an eminently reasonable suggestion. Stilll, it seems a bit strange to us. How valuable would the trio’s testimony be if not first made subject to oath and the threat of perjury charges?

LB Readers, we’d love to hear from you on this one.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on September 02, 2008 (boomark / email).