Gonzales Ignores Subpoena - Committee Says "Please?"

Below is the text of the letter sent by the Senate Judiciary Committee to Abu Gonzales. Seems to me they should be filing Contempt of Congress charges, but I expect to Dems to wimp out again.


May 15,2007

The Honorable Alberto Gonzales
Attorney General
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Attorney General Gonzales:

You did not appear before the Committee or produce any documents and you have
provided no explanation for your failure to do so. Today at 2 p.m. was the return date
and time for you to appear before the Committee and bring with you the documents
compelled by the Judiciary Committee's May 2 subpoena.

Please provide the documents compelled by the subpoena to the Committee immediately
and without further delay. You should at least have provided in writing the specific
reasons for not producing any responsive documents, including any objections to the
subpoena or privileges claimed by the Department. You failed in that obligation, as well.
If you have anything to offer in these regards please do so by May 18 at 10 a.m.

You have twice before been asked to provide these documents without being compelled
by a congressional subpoena. First when you appeared before the Committee last month
and then by letter dated April 25.

On May 2, acting under the Committee's April 12 authorization and after consultation,
the Chairman issued a subpoena compelling you by today at 2 p.m. to produce all of Mr.
Rove's e-mails in the Department's possession related to the Committee's investigation,
including those obtained by Mr. Fitzgerald. The subpoena requires you to produce any
White House account, Republican National Committee account, or other account, in the
possession, custody or control of the Department of Justice. It also calls for you to
appear before us unless you produced the required documents to the Committee prior to
the return date and time.

You ignored the subpoena, did not come forward today, did not produce the ,documents
and did not even offer an explanation for your noncompliance. Your action today is in
defiance of the Committee's subpoena without explanation of any legal basis for doing
so.

Please provide the information requested by May 18 at 10 a.m., so that the Chairman and
the Committee can assess any objections to the subpoena or privileges claimed by the
Department. The Committee intends to get to the truth.

PATRICK LEAHY
Chairman

ARLEN SPECTER
Ranking Member