"Don't Put Karl Rove Under Oath" Plea His Attorneys

Karl Rove

The clock is ticking for Karl Rove who has until July 10th to answer questions about his involvement in the 2006 firings of eight U.S. attorneys. The House Judiciary Committee has continued its investigations to find the culprit who gave the orders to dismiss the Republican-appointed U.S. Attorneys without explanation. Rove's own attorneys have tried to get their client off the hook since he was subpoenaed, but it looks like he is going to be crucified by Rep. John Conyers and other committee members.

The story of the dismissals made headlines in early December 2006. The Department of Justice had been caught firing attorneys without due justification. The attorneys, who were appointed by Bush, are still sure today that their dismissal was solidly politically motivated.

Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias who was among those fired spoke with Tavis Smiley this week. Iglesias spoke about the book he released in May were he writes about the October phone call from New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici. Iglesias claims Domenici pressured him to speed up a federal corruption case against a Democrat leader, right before a mid-term election. Other U.S. Attorneys had similar experiences where they were pressured by other high level Republican officials to not prosecute fellow Republicans or for failing to prosecute Democrats.

Then U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales took a huge blow from this controversy, which forced him to resign, though he never admitted that it was due to the firings that he did so. The scandal was a wake up call to Americans about an administration that had no respect for the law and could and would do anything to get rid of anyone who wasn't "loyal" to the White House's wishes.

Iglesias has called the incident the "biggest scandal since Watergate." Many White House officials left W. Bush over the next few months after the Department of Justice controversy, including Karl Rove. Now, Rove must answer questions about what happened on December 2006 when the pink slips were passed around. According to a report by Democracy Now! House Judiciary Chair John Conyers rejected requests by Rove's attorneys that their client not be placed under oath and that his testimony not be transcribed. Apparently, Rove will not be firing his own attorneys just yet.

However, do not be surprised if after the investigation is over Karl Rove manages to walk away a free man, yet again. The Bush Administration is still in control and Republicans in the House and Senate will fight tooth and nail to avoid Rove from being indicted right before the November election. But Iglesias says that it's perhaps time for Rove to get a taste of justice and to learn that "what goes around, comes around." We'll see if the tall lady with the blindfold is not afraid of getting fired by Bush's people too.

Back To Top