Conyers Offers White House Last Chance to Comply with Committee Subpoenas, Files Contempt Report

November 05, 2007 -- (Washington, DC) - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) offered White House Counsel Fred Fielding yet another opportunity to negotiate terms and agree on compliance with the committee's subpoenas issued to Joshua Bolten, for documents, and Harriet Miers, for documents and testimony.

The two were subpoenaed earlier this year as part of the ongoing U.S. Attorney investigation. Conyers sent a letter to Fielding today, laying out a final proposed compromise solution - the ninth such letter sent. The committee will also file its contempt report with the House clerk when the House begins its legislative business at 2:00 p.m., which would allow a contempt of Congress vote in the full House to move forward if Fielding rejects this final offer.

"I have written to you on eight previous occasions attempting to reach agreement on this matter," Conyers writes. "As we submit the Committee’s contempt report to the full House, I am writing one more time to seek to resolve this issue on a cooperative basis."

Specifically, Conyers requested that the following terms be met:
1. The White House would provide the committee with copies of documents reflecting communications between White House staff and persons outside the White House relating to the U.S. Attorney terminations and related matters.

2. The White House would make available for confidential staff review the remaining, internal White House documents relating to the same subjects, after which the committee would identify what would most probably be a smaller number of such documents for production.

3. The Committee and White House would specify present and former White House staffers for interviews but would not require those persons to be under oath.

Conyers notes that the White House has agreed to similar terms for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's investigation into Pat Tillman's death. Further, several of the same agreements were successfully carried out with Justice Department interviews and document production.

"I hope you will consider this offer in earnest and based upon the good faith with which it is delivered," Conyers concludes. Conyers asks Fielding to respond by November 9.

The full text of Conyers' ninth letter to Fielding is below. The full text of the committee's contempt report will be available on the Web site when the report is filed after 2:00 p.m. today.

Conyers' Final Letter to Fielding on Contempt

Source: House Judiciary Committee

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