Committee Votes to Hold Rove, Bolten in Contempt

Act challenging executive privilege may stall before full Senate

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 13, 2007 12:37 PM CST

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Committee Votes to Hold Rove, Bolten in Contempt — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., right, and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., ranking Republican on the committee, left, listen to comments during the committee's executive business meeting, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington, to vote on contempt of Congress... (Associated Press)

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to hold Karl Rove and Josh Bolten in contempt today, the AP reports, for ignoring subpoenas on the US attorneys scandal. The White House, however, says the citations will likely die on the Senate floor. “I vote knowing that it’s highly likely to be a meaningless act,” Sen. Arlen Specter said. “In this context, we have no alternative.”

Specter was one of two Republicans to cross party lines in the 12-7 vote to cite the presidential confidants. Even if the bill gets past the Senate, the resulting legal battle would likely outlive the Bush presidency, hashing out complicated debates on executive privilege. “They should be fully aware of the futility of pressing ahead on this,” a White House spokesman said. (More US attorney firings stories.)

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