Qtec
07-26-2005, 09:27 AM
White House will hold back some Roberts documents
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Risking a showdown with Democrats, the White House said Tuesday it won't release documents that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts prepared while working on cases to argue on behalf of the first Bush administration before the high court.
Some documents from Roberts' work for two previous Republican presidents were being released Tuesday by the National Archives.
At the urging of Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, the White House was also asking the Reagan presidential library to expedite the review of other Roberts records to determine what can be released.
In total, 75,000 pages of writings from Roberts' work in the Reagan administration, as a special assistant to Attorney General William French Smith and in the White House counsel's office, would be turned over to the committee, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
"What we are providing goes above and beyond what a reasonable person would expect to be made available," he said. "This is more than what senators need to be able to do their job."
But the White House will claim that the work Roberts performed while serving as principal deputy solicitor general in the administration of George H.W. Bush is subject to lawyer-client privilege and thus off limits, McClellan said.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, had said earlier that material written in confidence while serving in an administration has been provided in the past -- for instance by Reagan when he nominated William H. Rehnquist for chief justice.
"The Senate should see all relevant material related to Judge Roberts' nomination. We trust that members of the Judiciary Committee and the White House will work out a way for the Senate to review this material," said Rebecca Kirszner, spokeswoman for Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
McClellan said that providing such documents would violate attorney-client privilege and have a chilling effect on the decision-making process in the solicitor general's office.
"Democratic and Republican solicitor generals have said that to make that information available would really stifle their ability to have a candid and independent and honest assessment from attorneys in their office," he said. "These future solicitor generals might as well put up a sign that says 'do not apply' if you are thinking about going through a Senate confirmation process."
Attorney-client privilege allows communications between lawyers and the people they represent to remain confidential.
Executive privilege is the right claimed by presidents to decline some requests, including for production of documents, from Congress and the courts, based on the Constitution's separation of powers.
With Bush's first chance to shape the Supreme Court at stake, the White House is hoping to avoid the kind of confrontation with Democrats over document requests that has stymied Senate confirmation of some of the president's other high-profile nominees. Asked repeatedly to say whether the administration was open to making Roberts' writings as a former administration lawyer available, McClellan avoided saying "no" outright on Monday.
He took a harder line Tuesday."
As I understand it, his wife is a rabid anti-abortionist! Apparently, they say, HE is not!
Can you imagine the arguments they must have at home!!!
Its amazing, the Reps see a problem with Wilsons wife but suddenly they are blind to Roberts wife, whose political leanings are not in doubt.
What a bunch of hypocrates.
/ccboard/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Q........??????????
Apparently, " Bush plans to screen whole US population for mental illness "............ I would start with the RNC. /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Risking a showdown with Democrats, the White House said Tuesday it won't release documents that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts prepared while working on cases to argue on behalf of the first Bush administration before the high court.
Some documents from Roberts' work for two previous Republican presidents were being released Tuesday by the National Archives.
At the urging of Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, the White House was also asking the Reagan presidential library to expedite the review of other Roberts records to determine what can be released.
In total, 75,000 pages of writings from Roberts' work in the Reagan administration, as a special assistant to Attorney General William French Smith and in the White House counsel's office, would be turned over to the committee, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
"What we are providing goes above and beyond what a reasonable person would expect to be made available," he said. "This is more than what senators need to be able to do their job."
But the White House will claim that the work Roberts performed while serving as principal deputy solicitor general in the administration of George H.W. Bush is subject to lawyer-client privilege and thus off limits, McClellan said.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, had said earlier that material written in confidence while serving in an administration has been provided in the past -- for instance by Reagan when he nominated William H. Rehnquist for chief justice.
"The Senate should see all relevant material related to Judge Roberts' nomination. We trust that members of the Judiciary Committee and the White House will work out a way for the Senate to review this material," said Rebecca Kirszner, spokeswoman for Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
McClellan said that providing such documents would violate attorney-client privilege and have a chilling effect on the decision-making process in the solicitor general's office.
"Democratic and Republican solicitor generals have said that to make that information available would really stifle their ability to have a candid and independent and honest assessment from attorneys in their office," he said. "These future solicitor generals might as well put up a sign that says 'do not apply' if you are thinking about going through a Senate confirmation process."
Attorney-client privilege allows communications between lawyers and the people they represent to remain confidential.
Executive privilege is the right claimed by presidents to decline some requests, including for production of documents, from Congress and the courts, based on the Constitution's separation of powers.
With Bush's first chance to shape the Supreme Court at stake, the White House is hoping to avoid the kind of confrontation with Democrats over document requests that has stymied Senate confirmation of some of the president's other high-profile nominees. Asked repeatedly to say whether the administration was open to making Roberts' writings as a former administration lawyer available, McClellan avoided saying "no" outright on Monday.
He took a harder line Tuesday."
As I understand it, his wife is a rabid anti-abortionist! Apparently, they say, HE is not!
Can you imagine the arguments they must have at home!!!
Its amazing, the Reps see a problem with Wilsons wife but suddenly they are blind to Roberts wife, whose political leanings are not in doubt.
What a bunch of hypocrates.
/ccboard/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Q........??????????
Apparently, " Bush plans to screen whole US population for mental illness "............ I would start with the RNC. /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ccboard/images/graemlins/grin.gif