GhostOfCaptSpaulding
06-21-2009, 06:52 PM
Arguments by Bush, whoops, that is, Obama administration lawyers appear to fear that future POTUSs and VPOTUSs may be less than cooperative in criminal investigations out fear they may be joked about.
[offsite:2e6hbrcv]Judge to review Cheney interview in CIA leak case
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge said Thursday that he wants to look at notes from the FBI's interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney during the investigation into who leaked the identity of a CIA operative.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan's decision to review the documents followed arguments by Obama administration lawyers that sounded much like the reasons the Bush administration provided for keeping Cheney's interview from the public.
Justice Department lawyers told the judge that future presidents and vice presidents may not cooperate with criminal investigations if they know what they say could become available to their political opponents and late-night comics who would ridicule them.
"If we become a fact-finder for political enemies, they aren't going to cooperate," Justice Department attorney Jeffrey Smith said during a 90-minute hearing. "I don't want a future vice president to say, `I'm not going to cooperate with you because I don't want to be fodder for 'The Daily Show.'"
Sullivan said the Justice Department must give him more precise reasons for keeping the information confidential than they had in previous court filings
AP | Judge to review Cheney interview in CIA leak case (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jhWbGDvP0BrC4wbU3TZofFlT57LwD98TCHO00)[/offsite:2e6hbrcv]
The more things change, the more they stay the same...
On the plus side, the Judge ruled against them and intends to review the Cheney interview notes.
[offsite:2e6hbrcv]Judge to review Cheney interview in CIA leak case
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge said Thursday that he wants to look at notes from the FBI's interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney during the investigation into who leaked the identity of a CIA operative.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan's decision to review the documents followed arguments by Obama administration lawyers that sounded much like the reasons the Bush administration provided for keeping Cheney's interview from the public.
Justice Department lawyers told the judge that future presidents and vice presidents may not cooperate with criminal investigations if they know what they say could become available to their political opponents and late-night comics who would ridicule them.
"If we become a fact-finder for political enemies, they aren't going to cooperate," Justice Department attorney Jeffrey Smith said during a 90-minute hearing. "I don't want a future vice president to say, `I'm not going to cooperate with you because I don't want to be fodder for 'The Daily Show.'"
Sullivan said the Justice Department must give him more precise reasons for keeping the information confidential than they had in previous court filings
AP | Judge to review Cheney interview in CIA leak case (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jhWbGDvP0BrC4wbU3TZofFlT57LwD98TCHO00)[/offsite:2e6hbrcv]
The more things change, the more they stay the same...
On the plus side, the Judge ruled against them and intends to review the Cheney interview notes.