Yes, it continues to get worse. This report in Roll Call tells us about McDermott's attempts to subpoena three Republican representatives in what appears to be a clumsy attempt to embarrass the GOP. It's fascinating watching McDermott's lawyers justify their antics, as McDermott opposed subpoenas from a grand jury investigating the case by citing the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause, which the three GOP former ethics panel members are citing in their request to quash the subpoenas. The house counsel's brief noted senior government officials are subject to deposition only in extraordinary circumstances. McDermott, they argued, has not met the test defined in dozens of cases that would allow the questioning of busy, high-ranking government officials. They also pointed out that what McDermott is attempting to obtain in the depositions is not relevant to his case against Boehner. Roll Call notes:
Cicero, McDermott's attorney, wrote in letters to the general counsel that he wanted to question the three former ethics members on whether they believed the conversation captured on the tape violated the terms of the agreement with Gingrich. But the House lawyers said they could not discern any link between this information and Boehner's claims or McDermott's defenses.
It is a rather transparent attempt to coerce Boehner to drop his suit by strongarming his fellow Republicans.
posted on May 29, 2002 08:27 PM
