Recommending that Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolten be Found in Contempt of Congress, and Authorizing Committee on the Judiciary to Initiate or Intervene in Judicial Proceedings to Enforce Certain Subpoenas

Floor Speech

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Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as Members of a coequal branch of government to issue these contempt citations to members of the Bush administration who clearly feel that they are above the law.

Last year, when the Judiciary Committee was legitimately investigating the political purge of U.S. attorneys and conducting oversight into the politicization of the Justice Department, administration officials not only failed to turn over key documents after receiving subpoenas, they didn't even bother to show up to testify.

Madam Speaker, I am deeply frustrated by this administration's continued stonewalling and, frankly, the contempt that it has shown for Congress. As our former Republican colleague Congressman Mickey Edwards told our committee, the administration's actions have been outrageous and it continues to erode the separation of powers.

I applaud Chairman Conyers' patience and his many attempts to resolve this situation short of the manner in which we will today, but I know I speak for many of my colleagues when I say enough is enough.

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