Separation of Powers
Spy Document Showdown Threatened
Posted Aug 21, 2007, 08:08 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee is threatening to pursue contempt charges against the administration if it refuses to release documents about a secret surveillance program.
Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the administration had failed to meet a Monday deadline to turn over the documents about the spy program conducted by the National Security Agency, the New York Times reports.
“Time is up,” Leahy said at a press conference. “I prefer cooperation to contempt, but right now, there’s no question they’re in contempt of a valid order of the Congress.”
A letter to the committee by White House counsel Fred Fielding said the administration had identified documents that appear to be covered by the subpoena, but executive privilege may protect them. The letter asked for more time.
A lawyer for Vice President Dick Cheney also told the committee he had dozens of relevant documents, the Washington Post reports. The lawyer indicated the documents will likely be withheld.