White House uses executive privilege in EPA spat
By ERICA WERNER Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 06/20/2008 08:37:22 AM PDT


WASHINGTONâ??President Bush asserted executive privilege Friday to withhold documents from a congressional investigation into whether he pressured EPA to weaken decisions on smog and greenhouse gases.

White House officials notified a House committee of the rare assertion about 15 minutes before the committee was to vote on holding the head of the EPA and a White House budget official in contempt of Congress for not providing the documents.

The committee's chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., then canceled the vote while expressing skepticism over the privilege claim.

"I have a clear sense that their assertion of this privilege is self-serving and not based on the appropriate law and rules," Waxman said from the dais of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing room.

"I don't think we've had a situation like this since Richard Nixon was president when the president of the United States may have been involved in acting contrary to law, and the evidence that would determine that question for Congress in exercising our oversight is being blocked by an assertion of executive privilege," he said.

The article continues: White House uses executive privilege in EPA spat - ContraCostaTimes.com

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This president is the filthiest corrupt crapbag we've had since Nixon.

A little history on this case. I live in California, and my state has voted to limit greenhouse gas emissions. One of the ways we have chosen to do this is to mandate that cars in the state meet certain CO2 emission standards. Because California has a lot of cars and weather conditions that lead to smog, we have for years had stricter emissions standards than most of the country. In order to do so, we have had to get waivers from the EPA. The EPA has always enthusiasticly granted those waivers and supported California's efforts for clean air and clean water --- two of the EPA's mandated responsibilities.

According to records that congress is now reviewing, the head of the EPA was enthusiastically in favor of granting California this waiver. Career staff at the EPA were also in favor. The EPA was working toward granting the waiver until Bush personally intervened. After a personal call from Bush, the head of the EPA reversed his previous position and decided to deny the waiver that would have allowed California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Career staff at the EPA disagreed with that decision and pointed out that it could open the EPA to lawsuits from California and also that it violated the Clean Air Act.

Now congress is investigating whether the EPA violated the Clean Air Act in denying the waiver. Ther EPA and Bush have been asked to turn over records to determine if there was political influence in this case, but now Bush has invoked Executive Privilege.

What a cowardly, corrupt pisshole. This shitball president has worked to subvert the mission of the EPA and to use its authority to DENY states the ability to prevent pollution. And now when congress calls him on it, he invokes executive privilage to hide his corruption. This is not a matter of national security worthy of executive privilege protection --- he needs to give up the documents and own up to his corruption.

God, I cannot wait to be rid of this sleazy turd.
dragonrider Reviewed by dragonrider on . White House uses executive privilege in EPA spat White House uses executive privilege in EPA spat By ERICA WERNER Associated Press Writer Article Launched: 06/20/2008 08:37:22 AM PDT WASHINGTONâ??President Bush asserted executive privilege Friday to withhold documents from a congressional investigation into whether he pressured EPA to weaken decisions on smog and greenhouse gases. White House officials notified a House committee of the rare assertion about 15 minutes before the committee was to vote on holding the head of the EPA Rating: 5