White House Fires Back at ‘Overbroad’ Subpoena on Solyndra Documents
FOX News
The White House on Friday all but refused to turn over the documents House Republicans have subpoenaed on bankrupt solar firm Solyndra, firing off a letter saying the request would put an “unreasonable burden on the president’s ability to meet his constitutional duties.”
The feisty response appears to set up a clash between congressional investigators and the White House over the sprawling probe into Solyndra’s finances and the administration’s involvement in the decision to provide the struggling company a $528 million loan with taxpayer money.
White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, in her letter, scolded GOP lawmakers for demanding more documents, noting the Obama administration has already turned over 85,000 pages of documents in the course of their investigation. Without explicitly refusing to comply with the subpoena, Ruemmler repeatedly described the order as “overbroad.”
“The Committee’s extremely broad request for documents — now a subpoena — is a significant intrusion on Executive Branch interests,” she wrote, saying she can only conclude the subpoena was “driven more by partisan politics than a legitimate effort to conduct a responsible investigation.”
Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, questioned what the West Wing was trying to “hide” in a response late Friday.
“We have been reasonable every step of the way in this investigation, and it is a shame that the Obama administration and House Democrats continue to put up partisan roadblocks to hide the truth from taxpayers,” he said. “Now, we need to know the White House’s role in the Solyndra debacle in order to learn the full truth about why taxpayers now find themselves a half billion dollars in the hole. The White House could have avoided the need for subpoena authorizations if they had simply chosen to cooperate.”
Though the White House has turned over thousands of documents, Republicans say the administration has not provided everything they’ve requested. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted Thursday to subpoena, and the subpoenas went out late Thursday to the White House and office of the vice president.
“Unfortunately, we had to take this step after the White House has continued to slow walk the production of documents necessary for this investigation by only releasing selected documents and records,” Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., chairman of the House panel investigating the matter, said in a statement.
The subpoena called on the White House to produce “all documents referring or relating in any way” to the Solyndra loan guarantee, as well as to investors in the company and to the company’s financial condition.
As Republicans pressed the White House for more information, new bankruptcy court documents also revealed that Solyndra executives were paid quarterly bonuses earlier this year worth up to $60,000 apiece.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
Obama could care less about about “constitutional duties”, he hates our Constitution and has made that very clear.
Everything this miserable traitorous president does he considers an “unreasonable burden” when it comes to upholding the Constitution.
The White House on Friday all but refused to turn over the documents House Republicans have subpoenaed on bankrupt solar firm Solyndra, firing off a letter saying the request would put an “unreasonable burden on the president’s ability to meet his constitutional duties.”
This coming from the most transparent and open Administration in history! Just ask Nancy Pelosi for details.
Isn’t that called obstruction? I know it would be if this were a Republican regime.
My Deathstar crew advises me that Election Day 2012 is only…
367 days away, when the real SUN, created by God, shines!
(Leap Year is in February on the 29th and ObaMAO
can take a flying … leap!)
impeach
By ignoring a subpoena from the House of Representatives, he’s literally giving the middle finger to the People of the United States.
allah obama is above The Constitution, the Rule of Law and the citizens of America. His shit don’t stink, his wife is beautiful and Joe Biden never told a lie. I sure hope that in 12 months obama’s career is turned upside down, his narcissism is shattered and he decides to retire to Kenya.
Darth, heh heh thank you.
Billy, I wish that would happen.
Bob, you are exactly right.
Tom, I want that too so much. I want Obama out asap. I can hardly wait.