Senate Democrats Want Ashcroft Memos

[NewJerseyDem]

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/49_141/news/5970-1.html (subscription required)

Senate Democrats are pushing for a floor vote, possibly as early as this week, on their effort to compel Attorney General John Ashcroft to turn over Justice Department memoranda regarding legal opinions on torturing prisoners of war.

Hoping to put the entire Senate on record regarding one of the Bush administration’s most controversial figures, Judiciary Committee Democrats won assurances from Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) that he will push the Ashcroft subpoena issue onto the floor.

“If we cannot complete our efforts satisfactorily in the committee, we will look for the appropriate vehicle and do it on the floor,” Daschle said Thursday just before a party-line 10-9 vote in Judiciary turned back the Democratic subpoena request.

Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) dismissed the issue out of hand, calling the subpoenas a “fishing expedition” and a “dumb-ass thing to do.” Hatch and other Judiciary Republicans instead have said they would like to give Ashcroft and White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales more time to meet the committee’s request that they turn over the documents, a request that was made at Ashcroft’s June 9 appearance before the panel.