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Cheney Power Grab: Says White House Rules Don't Apply to Him
Vice President Dick Cheney has asserted his office is not a part of the executive branch of the U.S. government, and therefore not bound by a presidential order governing the protection of classified information by government agencies, according to a new letter from Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to Cheney.
Bill Leonard, head of the government's Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), told Waxman's staff that Cheney's office has refused to provide his staff with details regarding classified documents or submit to a routine inspection as required by presidential order, according to Waxman.
In pointed letters released today by Waxman, ISOO's Leonard twice questioned Cheney's office on its assertion it was exempt from the rules. He received no reply, but the vice president later tried to get rid of Leonard's office entirely, according to Waxman.
Leonard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement e-mailed to the Blotter on ABCNews.com, Cheney spokeswoman Megan McGinn said, "We are confident that we are conducting the office properly under the law."
As director of the tiny, 25-person Information Security Oversight Office, Leonard is responsible for keeping track of the nation's secrets and making sure they are properly protected.
For the first two years of the George W. Bush administration, Cheney's office complied with a presidential order that requires officials to report statistics on the number of documents it classifies and declassifies.
Since 2003, however, Cheney's office has refused to submit the data to ISOO. And when ISOO inspectors tried in 2004 to schedule a routine inspection of the vice president's offices, they were rebuffed, Waxman's letter claims.
Other White House offices, including the National Security Council, did not object to similar inspections, according to Waxman.
"Serious questions can be raised about both the legality and advisability of exempting your office from the rules that apply to all other executive branch officials," Waxman said in his letter to the vice president, and asked him to explain why he felt the rules didn't apply to him and his staff and how he was protecting classified information in his office.
Former Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was recently convicted on several counts of perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from the leak of the identity of former covert CIA officer Valerie Plame, Waxman noted, and in 2006, former Cheney aide Leandro Aragoncillo pleaded guilty to sharing classified U.S. documents with foreign nationals. Aragoncillo also worked under former Democratic Vice President Al Gore, who complied with ISOO's requests.
Copyright © 2007 ABCNews Internet Ventures
120 Comments so far
Show Allrabblerowzer: You have asked the question of the decade, perhaps the century.
I wonder if this article has set any record for the number of comments? Cheney is a popular subject.
Try getting people so worked up over a false allegation that the press will be full of it, and then go slip a few nukes into Iran...
That MONSTER needs to be TERMINATED.
Impeach Cheney!
HR 333--sponser Dennis Kucinich
After he is convicted, send him to Gitmo for waterboarding, hypothermia, and stress positions enhanced interrogation techniques. Then make sure he is kept awake with heavy metal chainsaw rock played at the volume level of a fully accelerated jet engine for 20 hours at a stretch.
Does Cheney assert there is no controlling legal authority? What did the Repugnantcans do to Gore (well deserved) when he made that assertion? What will they do to Cheney? Will this open more eyes to the dictatorial asperations of this monomaniacal paranoid? Stay tuned for more developments.
Cheney is a rogue (elephant) official. In the old days when an elephant killed a few people a public spectacle was made of its execution. Haul Cheney's ass in front of a court.
Does this mean that Cheney has resigned from the executive branch of government?
Oh boy.. here comes martial law. Get ready. Get your money. Store some food.
"Cheney afraid of the public - Tells Bush to use his Magic Dictator Laser against the people"
The words "evil" and "Cheney" are interchangeable.
They are a sick, dangerous group.
If you've got a gun, keep it handy. If you don't have one, get one. I'm all for gun control, but I'm also all for self-defense against these people. And from what the Democrats have shown us since November, they won't be any damned help at all.
As I recall, Cheney claimed he was a part of the executive branch when it came to sealing presidential archives from the public. Time to do the perp-walk, dick!
Does anyone know what it is he's actually claiming?
I don't, but I'm guessing that this Machiavellian blow-hard
has actually come up with a constitutional argument
based on the fact that the VP (constitutionally speaking)
is actually the President of the Senate.
Originally the highest vote getter was President
and the second highest vote getter was President of the Senate
and next-in-line to the Presidency (Vice President).
So if Cheney is saying that he's not part of the Executive Branch
that makes him part of the Legislative Branch,
which is now under the control of the Democrats.
So if I were Waxman, I'd take the jackass up on his claim
and - whoosh - there goes "executive privilege"
Now - where are those minutes on his "Energy Committee" from 2001?
Jim Moran
Ann Arbor
The checklist is ready and the ducks are lining up. Get ready folks for the ride of your life. The 2008 election is going on the back burner.
The House bill HR 333 suddenly becomes a very important tool in saving the way of life as we know it in this country.
For those of you who aren't familiar with that bill, it was introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich last month, and contains three separate articles of impeachment against Vice President Cheney.
And I have just learned yesterday, that it now being co-sponsored by six other representatives. I am proud to say that my representative (Lynn Woolsey, Sonoma, Napa, Ca.)is one of the six.
The reason so many of you may not even know about this at all, is because the mainstream media didn't cover it. Another dictatorial trait that needs to be addressed(media control)
So contact your representatives, and tell them to sign on to this bill, and save what's left of our democracy, before Cheney and Bush make themselves king and queen (pretty much respectively)
John Nance Garner said the vice-presidency wasn't worth "a warm bucket of spit." Perhaps Cheney is trying to create an imperial vice-presidency.
Not bad for a twice convicted drunk driver and former lineman.
The website for the Whitehouse describes Cheney as a Chief Ranking Member of Bush's cabinet or administration or member of the executive branch. The president's cabinet consists of the heads of the executive departments plus a few other high-ranking executive officers. From the website usa.gov they clearly show that the vice president is part of the executive branch. Now what are we going to do about this clear abuse of power. Better catch him now before he and his cronies repeat this nonsense again and again, which is their specialty, until people get bored, or people believe him or people take him down.
Visit me at www.taureandevi.blogspot.com for more of my Modern Musings.
Didn't we used to HANG traitors!?
"...or people take him down."
What would be wrong with that?
Henry Waxman sure seems to be a Congresperson of substance. You don't hear much about what he has going on, but when he does get publicity it always seems as if he is at the forefront of some key issues....issues that resonate.
Thank-you Mr. Waxman.
Sincerely,
Ken Hausle
* I support HRes333 - Impeach the VP
***** time is of the essence *****
So the Man Behind the Curtain finally drops the strings of the puppet (aka GWB) and snarls at the mob outside his door. Abuse of power? Who does anything about that in post-9/11 America?
Get ready for the Mother of all Shitstorms if anybody in D.C. has the balls to push this issue. So far, though, I haven't seen enough balls in either the Senate or the House to stand up to a sick old man with a pace maker.(Kuchinich exempt) I like Special K. If there was any justice left in America, he would get the nomination. But he doesn't kiss ass and, as far as I know, special interest hasn't got it's claws in him. I could even go for an Edwards-Kuchinich combo. How 'bout you guys?
Is someone planning an election in '08? That's even more iffy now.
Cheney may claim that he is not bound by executive orders issued by the POTUS since he was not appointed to his office by the POTUS, but was elected to his office by the people. I recall reading somewhere that this idea had been discussed during either the Nixon or Reagan administrations.
Let's see if there is a position in the Justice Department for the VP.
Now that China is locking up Iraq oil, Chaney may just leave town and the troops may just come home.
Grrrr. Scary pic.
Just look at him. Doesn't he scare the crap out of you! How'd you like to have him as your father? As for me, I'll run away from home.
Why didn't the editor put a photo of Cheney in the article? That guy in the photo looks like a madman, one who would shoot someone in the face. Sure is a strange country.
Cheney will kick George into rehab and take over as the dictator. Forget about having anymore elections unless you can get HR333 passed. We will have martial law for as long as Cheney is alive and long after with the corporatacracy in charge.
whatever. this'll be a story when waxman decides to do something about it, just like the DOJ firings will be something when leahy subpoenas rove, meiers, etc. how many years has this been going on? why is ISOO doing something about it now?
wake me up when congress gets some cajones and makes a constitutional crisis out of ANYTHING our fearless leader and his#2 have done.
In this country, I believe we have a standard of EXECUTION for treason. Cheney committed treason when he exposed a CIA agent to the mass media. Why isn't he on trial for his life? Cheney sees himself above the law, but why does the law concur? Where is the OUTRAGE through our national media that this man OUTED a CIA AGENT in an act of personal VENGEANCE??? This is the kind of person we put in the White House? A man whose ethics of personal vendetta override the health of the NATION? Can we imagine the media outcry had CLINTON done the same thing? Our government and our mass media are a joke. Apologists for the interests of death and destruction. For greed and profit. We are killing our young people in a war for Haliburton and friends. We are killing countless people in Iraq who certainly didn't ask for Cheney's presence. We are KILLING on behalf of a man with the lowest ethics I have ever seen in such a high office...and that is saying something. Cheney needs to be on trial. NOW. Not in a year, when he is out of office. We need to have an official discrediting of this administration NOW, starting with Cheney's trial for TREASON.
whack him!
I feel sorry for his daughter. You got the children you deserved but you don't deserved the parents you have.
'POET' has the right idea! And so does Dennis Kucinich! What in the WORLD is our CONGRESS DOING??? I've yet to see ANYTHING they've done to put an end to this maddening Executive Branch! COME ON CONGRESS...GET US OUT OF IRAQ AND GET BUSH & CHENEY ON THE TRAIN OUT OF HERE!!!
steppenRazor: I'm with you on that thought. Edwards and Special K sounds real good, it could work.
Two easy answers if the Democrats really wanted to do anything (as opposed to their usual 'much noise signifying nothing' stance).
One ... Contempt of Congress. Toss Cheney and his staff into a federal prison until they comply.
Two ... Impeach.
If Congress does neither, Cheney will just laugh in their face like he's been doing because he clearly reads Congress as being all bark and no bite.
To me, Cheney reads the Democrats quite well. He knows the Democrats just want some headlines and some material for campaign ads while not really doing anything. Given that read on the Democrats in Congress, he's probably being very sensible in his reply. If Congress was truly serious about their oversight role as being an important part of the processes of government instead of just a campaign tool, then this would be suicidal as it would be immediately followed by the two steps listed above.
PS ... a third option might be to completely defund the Office of the Vice President in the budget under debate.
Let him tell it to the judge! I don't know what reality he is living in the the vice-presidency is part of the executive branch though he can also be considered part of the senate at times -- at least according to that "piece of paper" called the constitution.
Message from Grandpa -
If Dickie doesn't want to play by the rules, he should take his bat and leave the playground. Or be thrown off. Please.
Article II
Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows:
-----------
Ie, the Constitution plainly seems to put the VP into the Executive Branch along with the President. They are certianly both mentioned in the first paragraph of the section of the Constitution that refers to the Executive branch.
Of course, the part I really like is the following.
--------------
Section 4. The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Reid, Pelosi and the rest of the leadership is the ONLY FORCE that still is propping these crooks up and keeping them in office.
We've had the person who was the Acting Attorney General of the United States between Ashcroft and Gonzales testify to a Senate committee that the President of the United States acted illegally while he served in that role. That statement alone should have immediately triggered impeachment hearings. And Cheney has flaunted the Constitution of the United States and had his chief aide arrested and convicted of Obstruction of Justice.
Why are Reid and Pelosi propping these people up and keeping them in office? What loyalty do Reid and Pelosi have to Bush and Cheney that supercedes their constitutionally mandated role which so plainly calls for impeachment?
Off with his ugly head.
Cheney is right, his office is NOT part of the executive branch of the US government. It is actually part of Haliburton/Blackwater and based loosly on a 1938 German Nazi Propoganda department
Sound like one or both of two things..
1) His dementia is getting out of control.
2) He is preparing for a power grab..
Watch out America..
All true patriots should be prepared to stand up and fight this.in All true patriots in the military should refuse any and all illegal orders against people and property, domestic and foreign.
It really is that easy to take back YOUR country from these barbarians.. Just stop ENABLING them..
All the best
Newsflash: "Cheney Shoots Waxman In The Face"
IMPEACH!
canuckchuck: I wish you wrote for Saturday Night Live, you are really funny and make great points while being so. Golly, someone writes an article about Cheney and does it ever get attention,, about 45 comments already.
I'm with you ricg . . . I have always hated guns, have no idea what to do with them. I'm going to ask my brothers to teach me how to use one . . . I can only hope a revolution is somewhere in the future. Problem is, nincompoop Amerikkans will fight against each other (race, immigrants, yadda yadda yadd) instead of the real enemy - the Cheney cabal of fascists. Why can't we all get together . . . . like in V for Vendetta? Do you think this is a precursor for martial law????
The alpha pig speaks
Cheney is truly a monster, dedicated to effecting major change in the US Government to give both President and Vice President unheard of power. He must be impeached; there certainly is ample evidence now of his high-handedness and dictatorial behavior.
YOU CAN'T SHUT THIS MONGREL UP.....
In Stalinist Russia the only way the suffering plebes could get any peace was to shoot these "sons of bitches".....
Not dissimilar to the way Cheney shot his duck hunting partner....
I have always been opposed to the death penalty but I would make an exception for Cheney. He is beyond redemption.
Evelyn Smith: canuckchuck might already be writing, for The Daily Show.
I'm with you, though--his comments are a very funny bright spot on commondreams.