NY Times slams Bush's 'nasty and bumbling comments' on US Attorney firings; Calls on Congress to subpoena Rove, others

Ron BrynaertPublished: Wednesday March 21, 2007

Democratic leaders were right to reject an "unacceptable" offer presented by the White House on Tuesday which would allow unsworn testimony by White House officials behind closed doors, and should press on with planned subpoenas for Karl Rove and others, according to the lead editorial in Wednesday's New York Times.

"In nasty and bumbling comments made at the White House yesterday, President Bush declared that 'people just need to hear the truth' about the firing of eight United States attorneys," the Times editorial states. "That’s right. Unfortunately, the deal Mr. Bush offered Congress to make White House officials available for 'interviews' did not come close to meeting that standard."

In his address, Bush defended his administration's disclosure of an "unprecedented" amount of documents showing how the firing of those U.S. attorneys was handled. "There is no indication that anybody did anything improper," said Bush, asserting that Democrats were more interested in "scoring political points" than constructing an honest account of the firings.

The Times editorial continues, "Mr. Bush’s proposal was a formula for hiding the truth, and for protecting the president and his staff from a legitimate inquiry by Congress. Mr. Bush’s idea of openness involved sending White House officials to Congress to answer questions in private, without taking any oath, making a transcript or allowing any follow-up appearances. The people, in other words, would be kept in the dark."

In a statement released before Bush's remarks that was sent to RAW STORY, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called on Rove to testify under oath. >>>cont

LinkHere