Leahy Sets New Deadline For
Administration Wiretapping Documents
WASHINGTON (Wednesday, August 8) –
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday
set a final date for an extension given to the Administration to
respond to subpoena relating to warrantless wiretapping issues. The
August 20 deadline sets a final date of an extension that offered
the White House and the Vice President’s office nearly an additional
month to respond to committee subpoenas.
The Judiciary Committee initially
issued subpoenas to the Department of Justice, the National Security
Council, the White House Office and the Office of the Vice President
on June 27 for documents relating to the National Security Agency’s
legal justification for the warrantless wiretapping program. After
the Administration requested more time to comply with the subpoenas,
Leahy extended the original subpoena deadline of July 18 to
accommodate a more thorough collection of documents.
In a letter to White House Counsel
Friend Fielding, Leahy said, “Despite my patience and flexibility,
you have rejected every proposal, produced none of the responsive
documents, provided no basis for any claim of privilege and no
accompanying log of withheld documents.”
Below is the text of the letter sent
to White House Counsel Fred Fielding.
It is also available as a PDF.
August 8, 2007
Fred Fielding, Esq.
Counsel to the President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. Fielding:
As you know, on June 27, 2007 the
Senate Judiciary Committee served subpoenas on the White House
Office, the Office of the Vice President, the National Security
Council, and the Department of Justice for documents related to
legal justifications for and authorization of the National Security
Agency’s warrantless electronic surveillance program. The return
date for those subpoenas was set for July 18, 2007. I had a
telephone conversation with you and Josh Bolten in which you asked
for a brief extension of time to allow for thorough collection and
review of responsive documents. At that time you mentioned August 1
as the time you thought you would need.
Despite my patience and flexibility,
you have rejected every proposal, produced none of the responsive
documents, provided no basis for any claim of privilege and no
accompanying log of withheld documents. I had been requesting this
information for an extended time before issuing the subpoenas.
I am setting as the new return date
for these four subpoenas August 20, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. I look
forward to compliance with the Judiciary Committee’s June 27, 2007
subpoenas to the White House Office, the Office of the Vice
President, the National Security Council, and the Department of
Justice by the new return date of August 20, 2007 at 2:30 p.m., in
the place and manner indicated in the subpoenas.
Sincerely,
PATRICK LEAHY
Chairman
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