Executive Branch
Discussions Taking Place in White House Subpoena Case
Posted Aug 25, 2008, 06:29 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The parties in the subpoena standoff between Congress and two former White House officials have held two meetings in an effort to resolve their differences.
A status report filed in the case on Friday said the parties have met twice since a federal judge rejected a claim that the officials have absolute immunity, Legal Times reports.
Former White House counsel Harriet Miers and former chief of staff Josh Bolten were subpoenaed to testify in a House Judiciary Committee investigation of the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. U.S. District Judge John Bates rejected their absolute immunity claim on July 31. He said Miers must testify before Congress or assert her privilege claim on a question-by-question basis, CQPolitics reports. He ordered Bolten to turn over nonprivileged documents and details about privileged materials.
The Justice Department filing says "the parties have re-commenced discussions to determine whether a negotiated resolution may obviate the need for continued litigation." The government is seeking a stay of the ruling so discussions can continue.