Twitter
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Delicious
Digg
Newsvine
Google
Yahoo
TechnoratiJudge Orders Cheney to Preserve Records
A federal judge on Saturday ordered Dick Cheney to preserve a wide range of the records from his time as vice president.
![[Vice President Dick Cheney ponders a reporter's question during a briefing at the White House, in this June 29, 2001 file photo. A federal judge on Saturday Sept. 20, 2008 ordered Dick Cheney to preserve a wide range of the records from his time as vice president. The decision by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly is a setback for the Bush administration in its effort to promote a narrow definition of materials that must be safeguarded under by the Presidential Records Act.
(AP Photo/Kenneth Lambert)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/cheneyponders.jpg "cheneyponders.jpg")
The decision by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly is a setback for the Bush administration in its effort to promote a narrow definition of materials that must be safeguarded under by the Presidential Records Act.
The Bush administration's legal position "heightens the court's concern" that some records may not be preserved, said the judge.
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.
In a 22-page opinion, the judge revealed that in recent days, lawyers for the Bush administration balked at a proposed agreement between the two sides on how to proceed with the case.
Cheney and the other defendants in the case "were only willing to agree to a preservation order that tracked their narrowed interpretation" of the Presidential Records Act, wrote Kollar-Kotelly.
The administration, said the judge, wanted any court order on what records are at issue in the suit to cover only the office of the vice president, not Cheney or the other defendants in the lawsuit. The other defendants include the National Archives and the archivist of the United States.
In response to the ruling, Cheney spokesman James R. Hennigan said that "we will not have any comment on pending litigation."
The lawsuit stems from Cheney's position that his office is not part of the executive branch of government.
This summer, Cheney chief of staff David Addington told Congress 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.
The lawsuit alleges that the Bush administration's actions over the past 7 1/2 years raise questions over whether the White House will turn over records created by Cheney and his staff to the National Archives in January.
In 2003, Cheney asserted that the office of the vice president is not an entity within the executive branch.
Two historians and three groups of historians and archivists joined CREW in filing the suit two weeks ago.
41 Comments so far
Show AllI believe there is enough public evidence already to prosecute Cheney. Just nobody with the ___ to do it.
Still, it is good to ask for it. People in government don't get caught for major crimes like mass murder, but more for lying about something irrelevant, or covering up evidence, or failure to disclose - technicalities. This is only a pawn move on the side of the chessboard, but I am happy to see any kind of attack toward a checkmate. Everything counts.
There are still honest people in government who believe in the rule of law who are dying to get their hands on this friggin piece of work.
Joe
Cheesedick Cheney, aka Stalin, Rasputin, Lavrenti Beria, Pol Pot, Robert Mugabe, Jefferson Davis, John Gotti, Willy Sutton, Charles Manson, and so on and so on, is going to burn the incriminating portion of his papers (which is nearly all of them) and belly laugh while he and his button man Addington do it. There is no one to stop him; there is no law enforcement official who will arrest him nor court that will punish him. One nation, under cash, with slavery and destitution for (nearly) all.
Really, what's left to say to that heedlesss circus out there called the American people who repeatedly put this scum into power except (expletive deleted) you!
These criminals are going to have a huge bonfire on the White House lawn on January 19 destroying all their criminal evidence before they run out of town.
No. The way to do this is to ARREST CHENEY and CONFISCATE his papers. Otherwise, this is just a warning to him to destroy his damning notes and write some phony ones to serve as the 'public record.'
What a disgrace! To think this criminal remains free and in charge of this country!
INFORMED CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED
There is already plenty of evidence in plain sight to throw the arrogant SOB's ass in jail, even without the mountains of records.
How hard would it be to shred all incriminating records?
Years ago, I took a local government to task and made a Freedom of Information request. The department in question denied that these records existed. I knew that was a lie because I myself had actually handled them before I left.
I contacted the head of FOI and explained that I had actually seen and read and handled these records. I was told there was nothing they could do short of having the police go to the home of this director of this department and search his premises. The FOI director asked me, "do you really think these records still exist?" - meaning of course that these records had probably been destroyed as they would have incriminated the director and his department.
What's to stop Cheney from shredding and destroying incriminating evidence against him?
Didn't he already burn a bunch of them up in his "office" fire last year?
I expect that Cheney, in the tradition of Old Hickory, simply responded, "Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has made her decision; now let her enforce it!"
And what would that enforcement look like?
I think every American citizen should ignore subpoenas from now until the bush admin. crooks (Meyers, Bolton, Rove, etc...) begin to honor them. After all, they are our supposed "leaders," right?
I recall that before entering the White House in 2001, GWB signed an executive order sending all of his documents as governor of Texas to his father's library where they would be sealed forever - never available to the public. I'm sure Cheney like GWB is just scoffing at all of this - just as they scoff at America and Americans.
Hanging is too good for these traitors.
Even the great warrior Achilles had a weak point...I truly believe Cheney will not escape unscathed.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly must still believe in the tooth fairy
because Darth Cheney is the world's greatest scofflaw.
Try grabbing him by the short and curly wires of his Pacemaker if you want compliance.
Judge Kotelly
DO NOT go hunting with the Dick Cheyney.
Just imagine what could be done if one did go hunting with Dick.
"A federal judge on Saturday ordered Dick Cheney to preserve a wide range of the records from his time as vice president."
In response Cheney shredded them, boiled them, added pectin and put the results into mason jars.
By the Gods that is good news. We all know about Cheney's deep and abiding respect for the rule of law.
In the words that Dick Cheney can understand: "Dick You, dick-d-dick-head. I can only hope that you get to read this, Cheney: it's fer yew.
Cheney must laughing his ass off. He has the support of the entire corrupt congress and the American court system, this will come to nothing of course.
First, Bush will preemptively pardon him and 50 others.
Second, Cheney has so much cash he can buy anyone into submission. Even Cindy Sheehan would succumb to Cheney if offered the right amount. That's the American way, money talks, bullshit walks.
tetti_tatti September 21st, 2008 5:14 pm
"Second, Cheney has so much cash he can buy anyone into submission. Even Cindy Sheehan would succumb to Cheney if offered the right amount. That's the American way, money talks, bullshit walks."
I normally agree with you but in the case of Cindy Sheehan I don't. As KDelphi above me said, I think there are things more important to her than money.
Lobo Gris
I would like to know Sheehan's position on this, before we slander her. She lost her only child. I think that there are things more important to her than money.
Slight correction: her son was killed in Iraq. She has a daughter, as well as her son,Casey's wife. I think her record speaks for itself. I hope she wins.
Slight correction: her son was killed in Iraq. She has a daughter, as well as her son,Casey's wife. I think her record speaks for itself. I hope she wins.
I was slandering Sheehan, I was talking about human nature, which is driven by greed.
I omitted the 'not'. It should read: "I was NOT slandering Sheehan, I was talking about human nature, which is driven by greed."
That's a republican viewpoint if ever I heard one.
TROLL ALERT.
That's a Dem Party Apologist, Lesser Evilist viewpoint if I ever heard one.
TROLL ALERT.
Too late, tetti. The real you is already in print.
lol the real 'me' is still more in touch with reality than the real 'you', who obviously can't handle the truth.
Right.
Could someone get his meds?
Quickly.
The Bush administration's legal position "heightens the court's concern" that some records may not be preserved, said the judge.
Heightened concern? I doubt whether Cheney has even bothered to have those records made into gerbil bedding, when simply ignoring judicial directives will probably work as well in the future as it has in the past. The time for demanding accountability receded into history a long time ago. The American playground has sorted itself into bullies, thieves and poltroons according to the implacable laws of nature. Mercifully, the whole grotesque edifice is headed for the dumper.
Many of the evidentiary horses are out of the barn, but what remains should make a lovely Criminal forensics project for a dedicated team over the next decade or so.
Meanwhile, we can always hope that Darth will be seized and dragged to the Hague during some furtive trip abroad.
Makes me wish ther was a god, so he would go to hell.
Makes me wish ther was a god, so he would go to hell.
Alan MacDonald
Total disgorgement, and then disembowelment is the only path to justice for this psychopath.
Update:
Upon hearing the news, Cheney noisily chambered a couple personally hand-packed FF shells into Adolpho, his favorite shotgun, and as a familiar smirk quickly morphed into his trademark sneer and spread across his ruddy face, he barked at one of the monkeypuppet's toadies kneeling before his desk, "Get me some new batteries for my pacemaker... I'm going hunting for lawyer this morning."
Vote for Palin/McCain. Fascism is just good American business.
Too bad he's already destroyed many of the records, I'm sure, including the most incriminating. Official White House emails on RNC mail system, anyone?
If he's destroyed records, his arse should be thrown in prison where it belongs. Isn't there any kind of law that prohibits the destruction of records? It's obvious he's a criminal with plenty to hide. What kind of country lets politicians get away with this?
" SO?"