Reply #35: The One-Party State of Fred Fielding and the White House False Claims

[L. Coyote]

The One-Party State of Fred Fielding
BY Scott Horton - April 13, 2007
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/04/horton-email-fielding-108393183821838

Politico reports that White House counsel Fred Fielding has responded to a request for certain emails written by White House staffers using Republic National Committee email accounts:

---------
"the White House has not budged in its refusal to allow the panels to question several White House aides, including Karl Rove, about what they know regarding the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys, moving the two sides closer to a constitutional battle over the scandal.

"Fielding also appears to be trying to head off an attempt by Conyers to obtain e-mails and documents from the Republican National Committee regarding the firings. Roughly 50 White House officials, including 22 curent aides, used e-mail accounts controlled by the R.N.C. to send messages, including some related to the prosecutor firings, and Conyers asked R.N.C. Chairman Mike Duncan to turn over those records today."
---------

Fielding's position supposes that communications carried out through the Republican National Committee are subject to the same claim of Executive Privilege that might apply to internal White House communications. This in turn supposes the legal unity of the Executive Branch and the Republican Party. Granted, this is the likely aspiration of Mr. Rove and his team, but things haven't quite progressed that far. As Congressman Conyers stated in his response:

“The White House position seems to be that executive privilege not only applies in the Oval Office, but to the RNC as well. There is absolutely no basis in law or fact for such a claim.” ..............