Judiciary Committee Panel Rejects Rove Privilege Claim

(Washington, DC)- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. and Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sánchez today criticized Karl Rove for failing to appear before a Judiciary subcommittee in violation of a committee subpoena. Mr. Rove's privilege claim was rejected by a 7-1 subcommittee vote.

"Mr. Rove's absence today is an insult to the American people and to the system of checks and balances that are the basis of our constitution and our democracy," said Conyers. "I applaud Chairwoman Sánchez's ruling rejecting his overreaching claim of immunity. And as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I will seriously consider all available options to obtain Mr. Rove’s testimony as required by the subpoena. Whatever path we take, the end result must be the same: the full restoration of our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no one-- not the president and certainly not Karl Rove -- is above the law."

"By failing to appear in defiance of a subpoena, Mr. Rove, his attorney and the White House are trying to run away from an investigation that's about one thing: ensuring justice is dispensed free of fear or favor," said Sánchez. "Mr. Rove is not above the law and Congress will assert its constitutional role to serve as a check on the power of the executive branch."

Mr. Conyers and Ms. Sánchez today also wrote to Mr. Rove’s attorney urging him to reconsider his refusal to testify as required by the subpoena. That letter calls for a response by July 15, 2008.

Linked below are today’s ruling by Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee Chair Sánchez here, Mr. Rove's attorney's correspondence with the committee here, and the letter from Chairman Conyers and Subcommittee Chair Sánchez to Mr. Rove’s counsel here.