The democratic leadership is preparing to move a final bill giving immunity to the telecommunication industry after months of waiting for public interest to wane. The new bill would give President Bush and the powerful lobby would it has long sought: immunity from violating federal law and the privacy of customers.
Category: Congress
In yet another story alleging an intentional falsehood from the Bush Administration given to the public and Congress, the Washington Post is reporting that Bush Administration officials began laying the foundations for a torture program using waterboarding long before there was any request or inquiry from field interrogators — a direct contradiction of what the Administration has been saying for years.
Before 9-11, the rationale for expanded oil drilling was sustainable energy for an expanding economy. Then, after 9-11, it became an anti-terrorism measure. Most recently, Cheney rose the alarm that we had to start drilling because the Chinese are coming. He insisted that Chinese were drilling under contracts with Cuba 60 miles of the Florida coast. He has now admitted that that is false and his office explained that his source was George Will. I thought that was the Vice President and the President’s reigning energy expert. Yet, he gets his industry intelligence from columnists?
Continue reading “Cheney Admits that His Warning of Chinese Oil Drilling Was Wrong”
The parents of Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth are fighting to preserve their lawsuit against military contractor KBR, which is seeking to dismiss their wrongful death lawsuit. Maseth was one of a number of soldiers who died of electrocution in showers maintained by KBR. Rep. Jason Altmire is calling for an investigation, but he is only half right. Altmire and his colleagues should be holding hearings on the elimination of the Feres Doctrice, barring soldiers from suing the military in such cases. Continue reading “Pittsburgh Family Sues Over Electrocution Death of Soldier in Iraq”
The American Red Cross could have at least served coffee and donuts this week to the legal team of Johnson & Johnson: a court all but vanquished the claims of the company that the Red Cross had violated its trademarked use of the iconic red cross on white background. Judge Jed Rakoff of the United States district court said that Congress gave the charity the right to use the Greek cross and that it could therefore sell the right to use it to competitors.
Continue reading “Court Rules In Favor of Red Cross in Lawsuit with Johnson & Johnson”
I have an interesting constitutional case developing before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Older pilots are challenging the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act, Pub. L. No. 110-135, 121 Stat. 1450 (2007). The legislation presents not only a raw example of age discrimination but a possible bill of attainder.
Continue reading “Senior Pilots Prepare Constitutional Challenge”
The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday served a subpoena on former top Bush aide Karl Rove in another showdown with the White House. He is being called to answer questions about the firing U.S. Attorneys and the politicization of the Justice Department. His lawyer had earlier indicated he would testify. The real question is the stomach of the House for taking real action in wake of the likely failure to appear. Continue reading “House Judiciary Subpoenas Karl Rove”
Rep. Vito Fossella (R., N.Y.) has announced that he is leaving Congress after this term in the wake of the disclosure of an extramarital affair and a child born with the woman, former Air Force Colonel Laura Fay.
Continue reading “Rep. Vito Fossella To Leave Congress After Disclosure of Affair”
My colleague, GW Professor John Duffy is causing quite a stir on the patent court and bar. Duffy has identified a rather clear constitutional problem in how patent judges have been selected — raising credible concerns over whether they — and by extension their past opinions — are legitimate. Continue reading “Crisis in the Patent Bar: Are 46 Judges (and their Past Opinions) Invalid?”
While many of us have continued to call for a ban on earmarks as a core area of corruption and abuse, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) appears unrepentent — even after years of criticism directed against her for earmarks. In 2009, Clinton has demanded nearly $2.3 billion in federal earmarks — 300% received by any other senator. Continue reading “Clinton Seeks $2.3 Billion in Earmarks”
The Bush Administration is continuing to claim that it can torture prisoners in violation of international law despite the so-called “torture bill” and pledge of the President to comply with international rules. Congress, which has protected the president from any criminal investigation, is again professing shock and outrage in the longest institutional imitation of Claude Rains in history. Continue reading “Bush Administration Re-Asserts Right to Torture”
Professor John Yoo has formally rejected a request from the House Judiciary Committee for his testimony, prompting a likely subpoena from the committee.
Continue reading “Professor John Yoo Refuses to Testify on Torture Memos”
The Senate is congratulating itself on finding taking a stand on ethics. It admonished Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R., N.M.) yesterday for his “appearance of impropriety” in connection with the firing of one of the nine U.S. attorneys fired. Yet, it is hard to see what it takes under congressional rule to commit an actual act of impropriety. Perhaps if Domenici had actually paraded around with the head of David C. Iglesias . . . wait, that is an “appearance of insobriety” under Senate rules. Continue reading “Senate Finds that Domenici’s Call to U.S. Attorney was Only an “Appearance” of Impropriety”
Last week, the Senate took an unprecedented step asking the Justice Department to investigate the possible criminal conduct of a House member. The subject of this ignoble moment is Rep. Don Young. For many, it was a well-earned distinction for Young, who is often cited as the face of earmark corruption. However, this is different. Young is accused of effectively stealing millions of dollars for a campaign contributor by changing the words of an appropriations bill after it was passed by his colleagues. Continue reading “Fraud by Write-Out? Don Young’s Extra Ordinary Earmark”
Washington is considering a proposal to add greater transparency to government to allow the public to see material online that is largely the domain of lobbyists today. The idea is to give the public equal access to government as lobbyists, an idea that Paul Miller, past president of the American League of Lobbyists warns is dangerous. After all, Miller notes, “what’s next? Are we going to let the American people decide our defense policy, our trade policy, our immigration policy?” Perish the thought. Continue reading “Lobbyist Warns of Immiment Outbreak of Democracy”