WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy says he wants the Bush administration to provide documents and testimony related to terrorism policies.
The Vermont Democrat issued a subpoena for testimony and documents regarding legal analysis and advice from the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel about such things as U.S. detention and interrogation practices, The Hill reported.
Leahy and Sen. Arlen Specter, the committee's ranking Republican member, wrote to White House counsel Fred Fielding requesting the opinions written to advise the White House and agencies within the executive branch about the administration's interrogation and detention policies.
"This administration's stonewalling leaves this committee without basic facts that are essential to carrying out its oversight responsibilities," Leahy wrote in a Tuesday letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey. "There is no legitimate argument for withholding the requested materials from this committee. The executive branch should not obstruct Congress from conducting its constitutional oversight and lawmaking duties by making sweeping assertions of secrecy and privilege."
Leahy said in the letter that the subpoena could be satisfied without presented testimony if the Justice Department would provide a comprehensive and unredacted index of the legal memos.
The judiciary panel authorized Leahy to issue the subpoena at a Sept. 25 meeting. The deadline for the Justice Department to deliver the testimony and documents is Nov. 18.
