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Cheney Deposition Is Ordered in Lawsuit by Protester
DENVER - Former Vice President Dick Cheney will have to give his account - under oath, in a legal deposition - of what happened at a Colorado ski resort in June 2006 when a man stepped up to protest the Iraq war and was arrested, a federal district judge ruled Monday.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney (L) is seen after a meeting with members of the economic advisory team at the Treasury Department in Washington August 8, 2007.
(Larry Downing/Reuters) The protester, Steven Howards, sued five Secret Service agents in Mr. Cheney's security detail after the encounter at the Beaver Creek resort. Mr. Howards's lawyers have argued that Mr. Cheney's version of events is crucial to getting at the truth.
Mr. Cheney's lawyers had responded - successfully until Monday's ruling by Judge Christine M. Arguello in Denver - that a deposition was unnecessary. A federal magistrate agreed with Mr. Cheney last April; Judge Arguello's ruling reversed that decision.
Mr. Howards has admitted to approaching Mr. Cheney and saying the administration's policies in Iraq were disgusting, or words to that effect. He walked away unhindered by Secret Service agents, but he was arrested by them about 10 minutes later for what they said was the "assault" on the vice president.
Mr. Howards was detained by the Secret Service and local law enforcement officials, then released. Misdemeanor harassment charges were filed, then dropped by the local district attorney. Several of the agents, in their depositions, have accused one another of unethical and perhaps even illegal conduct in handling the matter.
Charles Miller, a spokesman for the civil division of the Department of Justice, which is representing Mr. Cheney, said lawyers were reviewing the ruling and could not comment.
Mr. Howards's lawyer, David A. Lane, said that the deposition would be videotaped and that Mr. Cheney would have to be served with court papers before a date for the deposition could be set.
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32 Comments so far
Show AllHOORAY!!!!!!!!lET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT...
Nothing...maybe a slap on Cheney's hand.....Just taking the public's mind off the serious questions of criminality and trashing of the Constitution for eight years.
I hope this is just the begining of this slime bag Cheney's legal problems.
I doubt Darth Fudd will ever testify. The gov't will continue to protect him. ("the Department of Justice, which is representing Mr. Cheney") They'll probably make a settlement offer to keep him off the stand.
probably right, and of course this is miniscule potatos in the grand scheme, but how to estimate the value (or pleasure) of seeing cheney squirm in the stand? hurray for the judge making this decision! undoubtedly obama's doj invoked the "threat to national security/state's secrets" clause to try to quash this.
racom40
He will have to be dragged to the witness chair and only then if g w bush appears with him. Shades of testifying to the 9/11 commission. They got the idea from the olympics synchronized swimming, it's called synchronized lying. And don't ask him to be put under oath.
No, no, racom; you've got it backward. Cheney spent the 9/11 "testimony" (sic) with his hand deftly hidden behind Bush's back. And I'm sure a review of the tape would show he never took a drink of water while Bush was "speaking."
You got the "speaking" part right, but his hand wasn't exactly behind W's back.
??? Did you not even read the article? The charges have nothing to do with Cheney's crimes, he is only called as a witness to crimes by his security team.
so what let's shoot him in the face anyways
cheers, b
Didn't the guy who Cheney shot in the face eventually thank him publicly (?).
I read in Emily Post that this is the correct etiquette when the Führer shoots you in the face.
well let's shoot him in the face and find out
cheers, b
If you repeat something often enough it will become the truth...
This is one of darth cheney's countless crimes !
He almost certainly ordered [ which is an illegal abuse of his power ] the illegal actions of the SS agents.
Of course, many of the SS would gladly 'fall on a sword' for their Führer , so who actually ordered the attack on the defendant will not likely reach the dizzying heights of the 'eagle's fetid nest'.
Namaste
The essential narcissistic Nazist-inclined dictatorial Cheney is revealed, and the attention to his testimony would further reveal it. His come-down has to start somewhere.
apparently they are having touble getting cheney to come out from under the sump pump
he is down there wheezing in the dank damp consuming insects and rodents as is befitting any evil shape shifting alien lizard
let's hang him by his neck in a garage and video the proceedings with a cell phone
hey if its good enough for his old buddy saddaam then its good enough for cheney
cheers, b
option b: shoot him in the face with a shotgun
cheers, b
option c: we could always tase him a few times with his heart attack machine
then we could post his squeals on youtube
"don't tase me dude"
cheers, b
"Go show that little bastard what happens to dogs when they act like they have the right to get in the President's - uh, I mean Vice President's space that way."
I thought we had free speech in this country, where does it say in any law that you can be arrested for verbal assault?
I am most pleased and happy that there are patriots in law enforcement who are realizing that to obey King George and King Dick is such a conflict of constitutional conscience that they would not march in to court lock step with the same story.
I say give the secret service guys a break if they testify that the order to arrest this man came from Dick Cheney.
And throw Cheney and all his warrant less surviellance stazi supporters in jail.
Lets get the spy network exposed nation wide for their cruel torturous surveillance tactics.
BornFreeMen,
Victim of Bush/Cheney stazi warrant less surveillance torture by local right wing christian republican comunity watch groups.
Cheney is a coward and will therefore die a thousand deaths. F*ck him back to the stone age...
Send Chaney to Guantanamo, then terminate the lease with Cuba, leaving him behind.
lol
Somehow I don't think that Cuba would want Cheney!
SAMBO
Chaney is one wicked piece of humanity. A lot of innocent people died ,and a lot of people maimed for life because of this man,not to mention Halliburton,and
KGB,with all the money he has stolen from the government,and taxpayers. I'd sure like to see this lead to justice for this piece of trash
Dear Common Dreams:
In articles about Cheney would you just use a link with his name instead of subjecting me to seeing his face yet again; unless of course he's in handcuffs or behind bars.
Sincerely,
Puck Twain
Lord!
Get the rest of the subpoenae inked and serve that %^#* when he pops his head out of his hole!
Plaintiff's lawyer: "Mr. Vice President, would you describe the events that transpired on the day in question?"
Cheney: "Go f**k yourself."
Judge: "Sentence has been passed. The plaintiff is hereby ordered to perform an unnatural reproductive act upon his own person. The witness is dismissed."
mr g: good one
cheers, b
As far as I know, we, in the USofA have free speech, except when you are using profanity. It is illegal to use cussing, or anything that fits #&%@*&, in a derogatory manner at someone. Of course, you must have three witnesses as proof that the person cussed at you. This was totally news to me and it may be a state law so Colorado's laws might be different. So, as long as this guy didn't use cuss words, in my state, he shouldn't have been arrested. Then he could sue for false imprisonment or whatever and as the secret service guys were only doing what they were told, Cheney (the Puppetmaster) should be the guilty one.
'Course Cheney got away with shooting someone in the face, but he's not the VP anymore (thank God).
Johnson sez: "Mr. Howards's lawyer, David A. Lane, said that the deposition would be videotaped and that Mr. Cheney would have to be served with court papers before a date for the deposition could be set."
***
All the entertaining one-liners aside, this closing graph is the key to the entire article.
Who's the lucky schmoe tasked with the assignment of getting deep enough in Tater's bunker to serve him? And if that by-God miracle should occur, whose authority will Tater recognize as compelling him to testify? On tape, no less!
I welcome any good sauce recipes that will go with hat, because I'll eat mine if all this comes to pass and that tape is made accessible to the public.
Please handle Cheney depositions with Universal Precautions and dispose of them in red biohazard bags.