Sen Judiciary Committee has authorized of a subpoena for a copy of opinions of the DOJ's OLC

[maddezmom]

The Senate Judiciary Committee has authorized the issuance of a subpoena for a copy of opinions of the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel (OLC).

OLC opinions interpret the law for executive branch agencies. Controversially, they have been used to sanction official departures from existing legal norms in domestic surveillance, prisoner interrogation, and other areas. They have also frequently been withheld from most members of Congress (though they have reportedly been provided to the intelligence committees in many cases).

“During this administration, OLC has been misused to provide legal justifications for misguided policies,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee. “That advice has been deeply flawed, sloppy, and flat out wrong but it has been permitted to happen because secrecy has prevented our oversight.”

“Unjustified secrecy continues to prevent the review by this Committee that would provide a check and some control on how the administration is interpreting the law that is Congress’s constitutional responsibility to write. That obsessive secrecy even prevents us from knowing the subject matter on which OLC has written opinions,” Sen. Leahy said.

more:http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2008/09/subpoena_for_olc.html


Senator Leahy's letter here
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2008_cr/leahy092508.html

[aquart]

1. A subpoena?

Why not just send them a roll of toilet paper?

[bemildred]

2. There is nothing but lack of will that prevents their oversight.

Bush has been in office almost eight years. During all that time, Congress has been content to let him go his merry way without any but the most modest protests, let alone taking any sort of effective action to interfere.