New White House Subpoenas

The Senate Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed the White House and the Vice President's office for documents involved in the government's warrant-free eavesdropping program. I'm sure the White House will fight this but if they do have to produce the documents we may find out more about the incredible melee in 2004 when then White House Counsel Robert Gonzales and then White House Chief of Staff Andy Card raced to the hopsital room of John Ashcroft to get him to sign off on the program's renewal. Famously now, the Number Two man at Justices, James Comey, intervened and as bedridden Ashcroft sided with Comey. The documents could offer insight into how the program came about and what other end runs the White House used to keep it afloat. Three Republicans, including Sen. Charles Grassley and Orrin Hatch, signed off on the subpoena power.

Alberto Gonzales has survived much longer than I, or many other, reporters predicted but I think we could be approaching the tipping point where all of the woes during his tenure at the Justice Department and as White House Counsel finally catch up with him.