February 14, 2008
House GOP Walks Out Over Contempt Vote, FISA
UPDATED.
Enraged House Republicans staged a walkout from the floor after Democrats sought a contempt of Congress vote for White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers.
"We will not stand for this and we will not stay for this," said Minority Leader John Boehner, speaking from the House floor. "I would ask my House Republican colleagues and those who believe that we should be here protecting the American people to not vote on this bill. Let's just get up and leave."
And with that, a few dozen House GOP lawmakers got up and left. They convened on the Capitol steps to address the cameras.
Republicans are angry that House Democrats are taking a one-week recess starting today without tackling a bill overhauling the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Senate on Tuesday passed a version that included White House-backed provisions granting retroactive immunity to telecoms, but House Democrats weren't so ready to compromise.
"Instead of bringing the FISA bill to the floor of the House today, the House decided to take up a political stunt by trying to hold several White House officials in contempt," said Boehner, flanked by his fellow Republicans outside the Capitol building. "The majority leader said 'we're bringing it up today because we've got space'.... but we don't have space to do what's in our nation's interest, and that's to protect the American people."
The House Democratic leadership vehemently opposes granting retroactive immunity, which they say allows telecom companies that facilitated spying on Americans to get off scot-free. Republicans counter that telecom companies need to be protected from lawsuits in order to ensure future cooperation in terrorism investigations.
"We need to clean the deck and move forward with the bill that has been agreed to in the Senate," said House Minority Whip Roy Blunt.
Today's contempt vote stems from unanswered subpoenas in a congressional probe into the U.S. attorney firings scandal. Both Miers and Bolten have refused to testify or submit documents in relation to the investigation of the politically motivated firings.
With Republicans boycotting the vote, the measure passed easily along party lines, 223-32. The Justice Department will not be pursuing the charges, at the request of the White House. That means lawmakers will have to seek relief through the judiciary -- essentially taking the Bush administration to court and following through on an oft-repeated promise.
The White House continues to beg executive privilege, but hasn't yet been forced to prove why allowing Miers and Bolten to testify would be detrimental to national security or to President Bush's ability to do his job. As a former official, Miers may be more vulnerable to court intervention than Bolten.
Inside the building, Democratic members leveled accusations of their own.
"They walk out to preclude us from doing our business," scolded Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
After Republican David Dreier, who remained behind, said Democrats were ignoring the "urgency" for the FISA overhaul, Hoyer countered, "There is no urgency! That claim is a claim that is meant to stampede this House and the American people."
Democrats in the chamber clapped and shouted their approval.
Hoyer continued that the Democrats wouldn't bring the FISA bill to the floor "without full and fair consideration."
"That is our duty, that is our responsibility and that is what we will do," Hoyer concluded.
Yesterday, Bush urged the House to pass the bill before the current law expires Saturday at midnight.
"Congress has had over six months to discuss and deliberate. The time for debate is over. I will not accept any temporary extension. They have already been given a two-week extension," he said.
Bush warned lawmakers he would veto another temporary extension, and said he would postpone his trip to Africa tomorrow in order to wrangle a permanent measure.
Posted at 3:53 PM
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Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Harriet Miers, Homeland Security, House, President Bush, Senate, Terrorism
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