A federal judge has ordered Dick Cheney to preserve a wide range of the records from his time as vice president. Dick Cheney and the Bush administration were sued to ensure that presidential records are not destroyed…
The Bush administration’s legal position “heightens the court’s concern” that some records may not be preserved, said Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.
A private group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, is suing Cheney and the Executive Office of the President in an effort to ensure that no presidential records are destroyed or handled in a way that makes them unavailable to the public…
This summer, Cheney chief of staff David Addington told Congress that the vice president belongs to neither the executive nor legislative branch of government but rather is attached by the Constitution to Congress. The vice president presides over the Senate.
It’s become a cliche; but, not only is this the least competent administration in the history of these United States – they raise the standard almost daily for corruption.
Cheney hired Enron people to take care of the archiving.
He should have used the Sarah Palin Approach to Records Management (SPARM(R)) – Do his dirtywork on a personal laptop/ Blackberry and a Yahoo mail account.
Why didn’t they do this to keep a record of the bribes that Clinton took for his hundreds of paroles?
#3 – Gee, what a unique and original method for excusing your criminal ruler.
#3 – CbGb
>>Why didn’t they do this to keep a record of
>>the bribes that Clinton took for his hundreds
>>of paroles?
Huh? Paroles? Did you mean pardons?
Do you imagine that the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (defunct Puerto Rican nationalist/ terrorist) group paid for their paroles? The carnival owners? The Weather Underground ladies?
The only one who could conceivably paid for a pardon was Marc Rich, and he paid a pretty big public price ($100,000,000.00 fine, lack of immunity from civil liability, etc.) for his pardon.
Two special prosecutors looked into “PardonGate”, and neither one (most notably Bush Baby’s Deputy Attorney General) found any cause to indict.
In the end, Cheney will only turn over what he wants. If questioned he’ll just tell people there was no record kept for “X”.
Other than this headline I don’t think much will come of this.
#6, I think you’re right. The bastard will die and end any probes into his corruption. Then the R’s will want to put his sneering face on the $5 bill.
OTOH, who among his staff is stashing away the records anyway??
SHRED OF EVIDENCE
NEWSWIRE–Vice president Dick Cheney has been ordered to retain all records from his time in office.
You say my records must remain intact;
You’ll only ask to look as last resort.
Some hope they’ll prove my good intent. In fact,
Some might be better used as proof in court.
http://www.newsandverse.com
Light verse, ripped from the headlines
The judge said “a wide range.” He didn’t say Cheney had to preserve everything.
There is no precedent for a president handing over every bit of paper in their archives. Privacy laws still apply to the president and to the thousands of people who have private information in those papers.
It’s not like their could be a suspicious fire or anything: http://tinyurl.com/3syajk
If there were ever a guy more appropriately named.
Cheney doesn’t give a shit what some tin horn judge says about the rule of law. He will destroy the records that incriminate him and there is nothing the judge can do to stop him.
Laws and locks only keep honest people honest and that excludes Cheney and his buddies.
Love the photo.
I knew her name was familiar. This is the judge that presided over the MS anti-trust case…
Nowhere in the story does it actually say that Cheney’s office was destroying documents. NOWHERE. So this is a case of guilty until proven innocent and thus, agenda driven journalism. AS USUAL.
#14 – Matt
>>Nowhere in the story does it actually say
>>that Cheney’s office was destroying
>>documents.
Come on. You’re kidding, right? I thought it went without saying.
The administration waged a fierce legal battle so that they wouldn’t even have to disclose the GUEST LIST at Cheney’s 2001 Secret Energy Cabal White House meeting. Even after a court ruled that he had to turn over the documents, Cheney refused, and appealed to the Supreme Court. Three weeks after the court agreed to hear the case, Cheney went duck hunting with pajama pal Antonin Scalia.
That worked out real well for America’s energy policy over the next 7 years, huh?
And you think he’s just going to turn that shit over when he walks out the door?
HAW!
They’ve probably got maintenance crews on duty 24/7 clearing jams in the shredding machines! HAW HAW!!
A bit late for oversight, with seven weeks left.
Matt Garrett says: So this is a case of guilty until proven innocent
Are you living under a rock or something?
#15,
Yeah, except that Cheney set the agenda, not the media. When you’re the most secretive administration in US history — always, always refusing to release the documents they create as public servants, as if the law doesn’t apply to them — then the media, like the courts, would be idiots not to worry about their destroying documents — just like their buddies did at Enron.
What you’re talking about is a journalism that’s merely awake — unlike half the population.
Congress is part of the legislative branch, so as written it makes no sense. I’d guess the media has the story wrong again.
Why do you use Darth Vader to represent Cheney?
It is Democrats who vote for the left because they crave power to change society and they like the Dark Side’s health care plan.
#29 – Lyin’ Mike
>>Congress is part of the legislative branch,
>>so as written it makes no sense.
Lyin’ Mike, wtf are you talking about??
Heart Attack Cheney claimed he wasn’t part of the Executive or Legislative branches of government (just like the article said), therefore he wasn’t subject to any of the regulations pertaining to those branches (just like the article said), therefore he didn’t have to do jack shit that those laws mandate, like keeping important documents pertinent to the way he “ran” the country (just like the article said).
Now, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is suing to prevent Heart Attack, as a self-proclaimed free agent, from destroying all the smoking guns he has accumulated over the past 7.5 years (which you just KNOW he’s going to do, if he hasn’t done so already).
I agree with edwinrogers, however. It’s a little late for oversight. Cheney may be evil, but he’s no Dumbya-style dummy. Any evidence has been shredded, burned, and the ashes scattered at sea.
Since they have been leading the charge to remove the right to privacy for everyone else I hope the end up in jail over this issue.
Mr. Cheney’s retirement home should be right beside Bernie Ebbers of Worldcom.
If any of you were in government would you want your records (e-mail, etc.) available to the public? With people out to impeach, indict for mass murder, etc. etc. etc…? No administration wants to, especially in the political climate that encompasses DC. Neither the Clinton nor the Bush administrations have been exactly ‘open’.
Oh, then again, wasn’t it Sandy Berger who stole documents and destroyed them so as to protect Bill’s legacy? Bet you Eideard types have forgotten that little bit. And other aggregious examples on the Left side of the aisle.
#25 – Selvy
>>Oh, then again, wasn’t it Sandy Berger who
>>stole documents and destroyed them so as to
>>protect Bill’s legacy?
Naw. You’re paying too much attention to Faux Spews.
If you read your history, you will know that Berger only stole COPIES of the documents that were stored electronically.
No originals were ever tampered with or stolen.
>>If any of you were in government would you
>>want your records (e-mail, etc.) available
>>to the public? With people out to impeach,
>>indict for mass murder, etc. etc. etc…?
Heck no. Not if I were a mass murderer! I guess that’s why Cheney is so secretive with his records.
Keep believing that copies story. That was just the defensive spin that the media was fed and since Sandy’s a Democrat, that was all they needed to hear.
He never took the lie detector he was supposed to take. Appears to be a bipartisan coverup going on.
Berger admitted to cutting up three versions of a document with scissors. Most likely these ‘copies’ had handwritten notes on them as well.
Ummmmm FYI, wrong outfit for cheney. He should be in Emperor robes.
#28 – Lyin’ Mike
Ah, Lyin’ One. You keep on with the FUD campaign no matter what, don’t you?
Even if I were to grant every charge you make wrt Sandy Berger (which I don’t)…BFD!!!
Sandy Berger isn’t president, he isn’t vice president, and he’s not running for either of those offices.
The controversy at the moment has nothing with any monkey business Berger may or may not have committed.
It has everything to do with whether Dick Cheney should be allowed to withold and/or destroy documents that may reveal the malfeasance he has perpetrated during the past 7.5 years as the Shadow President.
Are you saying he should be allowed to withold and/ or destroy documents at his discretion, acting as an old, evil fox guarding his own chicken coop??