White House refuses to give essential documents
WASHINGTON, July 25 – After the unexpected smooth start of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts in the appointment procedure it seems like rough roads are ahead. While not yet officially requested the White House has already announced that they will not give out any memos of Roberts from his employment for the Bush administration. The administration is claiming attorney-client confidentiality and have made clear that if such a request will be made, which is almost inevitable, they will not comply to it.
As comparison, when Chief Justice Rehnquist was nominated for the Supreme Court he did give insight in his internal memos, not hiding any of his opinions. Senator Patrick Leahy explained that there is a pretty big precedent in these situations, all in favour of publicizing these documents. The Senator continued: ”It’s a total red herring to say, ‘Oh, we can’t show this.’ And of course there is no lawyer-client privilege. Those working in the solicitor general’s office are not working for the president. They’re working for you and me and all the American people.”
This issue is most likely the biggest problem in the confirmation of Roberts for the Supreme Court. Democrats have mostly praised Roberts’ qualifications but have expressed concerns over the amount of information they have been given. Last year Bush’s nominee for the ambassador to the United Nations was blocked for that exact reason, they refused to give enough documents.
