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Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Rove and executive privilege

Posted: Monday, August 13, 2007 2:14 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: ,

From NBC's Pete Williams

What effect will Rove's departure have on the argument by the White House that executive privilege shields him from having to testify before Congress? In one critical way, not much. 
Rove was obviously a part of many Oval Office discussions that would be subject to a claim of executive privilege even after he is gone from the White House. So the president could use executive privilege regarding past discussions, says George Mason University professor Mark Rozell, an expert on the privilege. And many legal experts agree.

The Bush Administration has already taken just this position with Harriet Miers, the former White House legal counsel. Of course, the bottom-line question of which is more important -- the president's need for confidential advice or Congress' need to get information in investigations -- is largely unresolved by the courts.

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From the White House...We are still accepting resignations. Please just take a number and be patient, George has alot on his "mind".P.S. you can E-mail them in but we can't guarantee that we will find them.
It's never too late,
Thank God he's going
Good Ol'Bushy and his croonies will find a way to stop Rove from ever talking. Isn't it funny how criminals can get away with anything in this adminstration. November 2008 cannot get here quick enough for me.
Just because the Prez has claimed executive privilege in similar situations does not mean that position is valid.  That has yet to be determined.
It was bound to occur at some point in time. Rove has called this retirement after some planning.

Will Rove-baby get a medal now?

Here is the plan/logic the Bush Admin could be using: If Rove is indicted for any possible crime while in the White House, BEFORE Bush is gone in late January, 2009, then Bush would just pardon him.

NOTE TO THE DEMS: Cool it until AFTER Inaugeration Day 2009 before indicting any Bush staffer or Bush or even Cheney for crimes while in office. (However, is there a very short statute of limitations on these alleged (not yet proven in a court of law) crimes? And, is there an obscure law that prevents people being convicted after their administration has ended?)
Bush will invent the pre-pardon.
This is the most Patriotic thing Rove has done for this country...even if that was not his intentions. Gonzales needs to be next. I'm sure he will be steadily employed by FoxNews and conservative thinktanks.
What a bunch of cowards they are hiding behind that 'executive privilege' rubbish... may they lead miserable lives till the end.
may they not only lead miserable lives, but may they suffer all the woes that the rest of us have endured and will endure due to their immoral, self-righteous and hypocritical ways the past 7 years.

It must be possible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Karl did it. Only thing is, the silk is not real, but pig's hair.
Maybe they'll send him out on a duck hunting trip with Cheney and an accident will occur. Oops! I guess little troll Karl can never write that book about all he knows.
Rove has not only helped the president with his elections, but also to rebuild the US economic stability after the Clinton debacle, and to rebuild the US military to begin stopping the Islamic rebels who want to take over the whole world after destroying Israel and the US.  Thank God Rove and Bush are a winning team. Were it not so, many in the U.S would be dead from more AlQuaeda attacks already.
What rock did you crawl out from under?  This is for Mr. Wicks.  You must also believe the world is flat.
"Thank God Rove and Bush are a winning team."  Too bad they're such dismal, greedy, grasping, unconcerned Constitutional and war criminals. For that, I thank you.
Oh Stop Gordan he is an evil manipulative bastard and should get jail time. Clinton did not ruin the economy and it's Bush that dropped the big ball with 9/11...most vacationing pres ever...yeah that's right GW!!
Gordon what have you been smoking? the reason we have not been hit again is because it is easier to kill americans in Iraq.
Rove wouldn't be leaving if he thought this would leave him outside the Cone of Silence Cheney/Bush has raised over all of them.  He knows he'll still get away with it all.
I can't stand the Bush Administration. My thought is that whenever scumbag LAWYERS are involved there is no RIGHT or WRONG just shades of gray and information that can be minipulated. A perfect example of the Gray is the spin put on by the NEO-RATS and NEO-CONS in regards to Sandy Berger.
So now we know Jerrys last name-Wicks!
"Of course, the bottom-line question of which is more important -- the president's need for confidential advice or Congress' need to get information in investigations -- is largely unresolved by the courts."

Bush has basically thrown out most of the US Constitution, ignoring the "faithful execution" of the laws Congress passes with his signing statements or just flat-out breaking the law like he did with his electronic eaves-dropping. So since Congress now is left with virtually no power, its need for information has become a moot question. Satisfying Bush/Cheney's desire to keep its actions secret from the public is the only thing that matters now.
Gordon, exactly how will the Islamists take over the US and impose Sharia law when something like 85% of the people describe themselves as being Christian?  That percentage isn't all that different among all the democracies of western Europe and of course most of Asia isn't exactly a hotbed of Muslim culture either.
Another one takes the dive!  
Karl "King of the the Liars" Rove - Most corrupt administration ever in the history of the US...every last one of them - They're all shameless!  This administration makes the Ulysses Grant & Warren Harding administrations...look honest.
Tim seems to forget Clinton had a recession going when he left office and didn't even make a quarter of his promises to the middle class about tax relief and had Obama pretty much in chains waiting for him, but was too much of a coward to take him.  And Susan, shame on you!  Of course you are angry, you live in one of the most dangerous cities in America, so I guess anger is part of life in Miami.
Jerry seems to forget the recession King George I. gave Clinton, as well as what as (at that time) the largest deficit in human history, and turned it all around, and won the war in Sarajevo.  They say elephants never forget, but I think they have VERY short memories...
CJ...putting rove and patriotic in the same sentence is a crime in itself
Hay karl, where did you say That boogeyman was again? Hay , what happened to karl? Did he leave to when i was on vacation, Again? Dauuuuuuuuum, i'll never find that Boogeyman for gordon now!!!!!!!!!!!
Rove is going to work for Romney..thats where  the money is now, and the glory forever, amen.
Won the war in Sarajevo?????

What about Somilia and blackhawk down.
Osama Bin laden in Sudan.

Nice try Warrior....
Maybe MC Rove can get back to what he's best at, tearing the heads off of critters.
Jerry -- People who support and defend thieves and liars (as Rove confesses himself to be) are thieves and liars themselves.  And don't forget Rove is also a chickenhawk and someone who would rather destroy the CIA and endanger lives than do something honest.

WTF are you doing in MY country?  I pray to G-d you never served and thereby endangered my buddies, just like Coward Cheney and Coward Bush.

In my life and 20 years in uniform I have seen a chain of command so contemptuous of truth and honor and devoid of actual respect for those who have the gonads to do what they chose not to.
The claim that there was a "Clinton recession" is just another one of those lies that the Lying Liars like Karl Rove tell:

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_08/b3871044.htm

o one should be surprised when economic or budget forecasts coming out of Washington are influenced by politics, especially during an election year. But when economic history is rewritten -- with political consequences -- that's going too far. President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, chaired by Harvard economist N. Gregory Mankiw, is trying to get away with exactly such revisionist history. The CEA's Economic Report of the President, released Feb. 9, unilaterally changed the start date of the last recession to benefit Bush's reelection bid. Instead of using the accepted start date of March, 2001, the CEA announced that the recession really started in the fourth quarter of 2000 -- a shift that would make it much more credible for the Bush Administration to term it the "Clinton Recession." In a subsequent press conference, Mankiw said that the CEA had looked at the available data and "made the call."
I heard that Rove was also in cahoots with Bush in allowing our borders to remain wide open so their rich corporate donors would have cheap illegal alien labor.  Bush's job is too secure our borders from invasion from another Country.  The whole administration has been a dismal failure
Gordon, like so many of your fellow neo-conservatives YOU ARE AN IDIOT! There are certain people (like you) who drive around with your "W '04" stickers proudly displayed on your vehicles that are so loyal to a corrupt, inept "president" that you won't look at what's really going on. I used to be a republican (voted for Regan yet he was a real president unlike W). Bush senior made me see the errors of my ways and made me realize that being right wing isn't always right. Then you get someone like his son who is cocky, arrogant, ignorant, reckless, criminal, and simply full of crap. I bet W has, by himself, converted a lot of Republicans to join another party. Conservative? I think not! Now he pardons the criminal Libby and (I'm sure) suggest to Karl that he leave so he, hopefully, won't have to testify before Congress over the Valerie Plame ordeal. These guys are the very definition of corruption and crime. Please take me back to the 90's when Bill Clinton was in charge. Hopefully Hillary will bring back those plesant times (at least for us Bush haters!)
Where did the interview with Rover disappear to when he "FIRST" laid eyes on "Poor George who couldn't help being born with a Golden PAIR of OVERSIZED, Cow Patty Kickers, PLUGGING his ORAL abilities to ACKNOWLEGE and TELL the TRUTH?" I recall a photographic description of Rover's GUSHING first sighting ( along with his "uncanny" ability to describe in detail, Shrubs entire, fabric identifying, 1st view of Georgie including everything with such clarity as being able to identify the exemplary recall of the "Cherished Opportunity" to "LAY EYES?" on his hero  included satisfying his curiousity of "IS IT BOXERS OF BRIEFS?)" What a JOKE.....Now, he's referred to, introduced and portrayed as the childhood friend that "grew up" with Georgie.  "NEVER HAPPENED and NEVER SHALL" grow up.

GET REAL & GET A GRIP.  Documents are available that PROVE this self-appointed, American version of Royalty with his record setting "Executive Signings and Priviledges" re-writes the rules and history as he deems necessary for each new questionable exposure he Predictably Falsifies.  "Turd Blossom" has reset our Nation's Standard of Respectability.  FIRE BUSH, CHANEY, GONZOBGONE and accept NOTHING LESS than assurance they ALL go under OATH and "Expectantly" PERJURE their ignorance of HONEST, DESERVED, TRUTH. through testimony.

Make HASTE...One year, 4 months, and seventeen days CAN be enough time to FORCE their thus far successful POWER GRAB to crumble and demand the decency to acknowledge TRUTH.  We deserve NOTHING LESS than accountability for irrefutable, documented LIES!

PLEASE, may JUSTICE BE SERVED!
Better late than never just does not cut it!
America is so damaged by this infestation of scum.
They must be held accountable and we must reverse the carnage to our laws.
I have a difficult time believing this is possible.
They have infested every fiber of our Nation.
The courts are filled with zealots, all courts, lower and higher.
Every dept is full of incompetent, inexperienced, gullible people, easily led by the spin of working for Jesus. It will take years to undo the damage. We may have to bring in an exterminator to root out the vermin.


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