[NYTr] Demand (sigh) Congress Hold Miers and Bolton in Contempt

[nytr at olm.blythe-systems.com]

PFAW Activist Network - Jul 26, 2007
http://www.@pfaw.org


Contempt of Congress!

PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY  July 24, 2007

Both former White House counsel Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff  
Josh Bolton are stonewalling Congress on orders from President  
Bush. Demand that Congress hold them in contempt!

Once again, President Bush is hiding information from Congress and  
the American people to prevent the truth about his administration's  
actions from getting out.

Last week, former White House counsel Harriet Miers flat-out  
skipped a House Judiciary Committee hearing to which she had been  
ordered to testify about her role in the months-old U.S. Attorney  
scandal. Chief of Staff Josh Bolton also defied a subpoena by  
refusing to turn over White House documents that Congress demanded  
by law. Both are stonewalling Congress on orders from President  
Bush, who is making outrageously sweeping claims of "executive  
privilege" to keep the public in the dark about what has been  
happening in the Bush White House.

Sign the Petition! Demand that Congress hold Miers and Bolton in  
contempt!

Congress has a responsibility to oversee the executive branch and  
the president. It's built into the Constitution. But this President  
and Vice President keep trying to reshape the Constitution and  
declare themselves above the law. Congress must stand up for itself  
and protect our constitutional checks and balances!

One of the next steps Congress can take is to vote to hold Miers  
and Bolton in contempt. President Bush is trying to block  
Congressional oversight with blanket claims of executive privilege.  
The president has even ordered the Department of Justice not to  
enforce charges of Contempt of Congress. But Congress needs to  
fight this fight and send the president a message that its  
authority will not be ignored.

Sign the Petition! Demand that Congress hold Miers and Bolton in  
contempt!

The idea that a president has the power to decide on his own what  
the law is would be laughable if it weren't really happening. But  
it is, and it represents a terrifying threat to our system of  
government and the basic individual rights the Constitution  
protects. This president is determined to grab ever more power for  
the executive branch. Look at what's happened so far:

The NSA's warrantless domestic spying
The stripping of habeas corpus and other due process rights
The mistreatment of detainees
The abuse of executive privilege and Presidential Signing Statements
The politicization of the DOJ
All demonstrate this president's belief that his power is nearly  
limitless.

The Constitution makes it Congress's job to watch over the  
president for abuses of power. Now Bush is trying to prevent that  
-- trying to find new ways to put himself above the law. Tell your  
representatives to reject this outrageous claim of executive  
privilege and hold Miers and Bolton in contempt.

--Your Allies at People For the American Way

Petition: http://www.kintera.org/site/lookup.asp?c=feIJKQMEF&b=3002055

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PFAW ) 2007