NEW VIDEO -- what to expect from judiciary chairman john conyers on july 11, 2007

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U P D A T E D
07.09.07 -- 10:00 a.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~

as predicted, fred fielding
will not articulate the legal
basis for the white house's
claim of blanket executive
privilege -- setting up a
vote on contempt of congress,
once sara taylor, as many now
expect, appears, but asserts an
illusory executive privilege, in
sneering defiance of her subpoena
this coming wednesday at 10 a.m.

meanwhile, over in the house
judiciary committee, chairman john
conyers' notice is up for noon on 7/11. . .

official house judiciary
committee hearing notice:

Wednesday 07/11/2007 - 12:00 PM
2141 Rayburn House Office Building
Full Committee
Hearing on: The Use and Misuse of
Presidential Clemency Power for
Executive Branch Officials

Witnesses:

Ambassador Joseph Wilson

Roger Adams,
US Department of Justice Pardon Attorney

Douglas A. Berman,
The William B. Saxbe
Professor of Law,
Moritz College of Law,
The Ohio State University

Tom Cochran,
Assistant Federal Public Defender,
Middle District of North Carolina
(Attorney for Victor A. Rita,
Rita v. US)

David Rifkin,
Baker & Hostetler LLP,
former Justice Department official
during the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations.

Chairman Conyers added: “Congress must now look into presidential authority to grant clemency, and how such power may be abused. Taken to its extreme, and possibly in the case of the Libby clemency, the use of such authority could completely circumvent the law enforcement process and prevent credible efforts to investigate wrongdoing in the executive branch.”

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A LIVE REALVIDEO LINK WILL
APPEAR HERE ON 07.11.07 a.m.
~~~~~~~~~~~

because so many events of this summer
clearly echo those of the summer of 1974,
it once again seems fitting to hear
from the entirely ethical former white
house counsel, under richard m. nixon, john
dean, on what we might expect from rep. john
conyers' house judiciary committee hearing july 11, 2007.

the subject, of course, is the process surrounding,
and the circumstances governing the decision by the
president to commute the 30 month sentence (on 4 counts
of felony perjury, and obstruction of justice) of i.
lewis "scooter" libby, while not commuting the sentence
of victor a. rita -- for two counts of felony perjury,
resulting in a sentence of 33 months. note also that,
as mr. dean later pointed out, the mere refusal -- by
president nixon -- to comply with a congressional sub-
poena for his documents, was what led to the first article
of his impeachment -- defiance of congressional subpoenas.

note also that nixon asserted a blanket executive privilege
over the papers and recordings sam ervin sought. finally,
note that the white house has until 10 a.m. monday, july 9,
2007 to explain the legal basis for its blanket assertion
of executive privilege against the subpeonas issued by the
house, and senate judiciary committees, for documents
re the n.s.a. warrantless wiretapping program, and the
firings of at least nine united states attorneys,
among other matters.

the video is only 1:15 long, and includes some
archival photos of a young john conyers, with the
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from 1968. . . do enjoy.



it should be an interesting first
few days of next week, no?