Karl Rove defying the law is nothing new. This time he has ignored a subpoena to testify in front of the Senate about the unlawful political prosecution of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Rep. Linda Sanchez(D-CA) has ruled that Karl Rove’s defiance is a violation of the law which means that this may be the first step in holding him in contempt of Congress. The ultimate choice about contempt will now lay with Speaker Pelosi.
House Republicans declared that the Democrats were simply playing politics and that if they really cared about information they would have accepted his offer to discuss informally. This of course completely misses the point as his informal offer would have been off the record and not under oath. The reason the Democrats refused his earlier offer is that they want his testimony to be part of the public record so that he can be held accountable for his actions. It seems as though Rove knows this and thus is trying to avoid justice in any way he can.
Rove’s lawyer and advocates insist that Rove did nothing wrong. This of course raises the question of just why Rove refuses to testify. If he was truly innocent, wouldn’t he want to go before the Senate and prove that he has been falsely accused? Of course, Rove is now an analyst for Fox News and reportedly informally advising the McCain campaign.
