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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Impact Statement: If DOJ Officials Refuse to Respond to House Judiciary Subpoenas

There are meaningful legal, political, and power impacts if DOJ Refuses to respond to subpoenas.

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What happens if the Justice Department ignores the subpoenas Ref

Immediate impacts and Increased Support For

1. Backlash against GOP: Impeachment of Unresponsive Officials
2. Call for DOJ Staff counsel disbarment: Forward Charges to US Attorney
3. Shut off funding to DOJ, expand oversight and hearings into DOJ Activities
4. Issue Contempt Citations, and issue arrest warrants against DOJ Officials, enforced by the Sergeant at Arms; jail time
5. Adverse Voter action against GOP: Loss of Campaign funds
6. Loss of ability of FBI and JTTF to secure cooperation from cooperating witnesses
7. Loss of confidence in DOJ to conduct jobs
8. Increased oversight, audit sampling: Reduces prosecution rates
9. Juries less deferential to US Attorneys or Law enforcement, resulting in lower conviction rate
10. Judicial doubt about credibility of US Attorneys: Increase chance that convicted felons will have sympathy and have cases dismissed; or sentenced vacated, overtrurned, revisited; or have sentences thrown out
11. More difficult time for the GOP leadership to get support for initiatives
12. Less credibility with the GOP Lobbyists to move legislation
13. Shift in power from the Executive to the Congress
14. Cheney and Addington less confident they will survive a war crimes indictment
15. Increased pressure for impeachment of President
16. Demands for data from DOJ OPR and DOJ IG to explain where they were during the illegal activity
17. Change in oversight of the legal profession, with loss of independence for the legal community
18. Sanctions against DOJ Staff counsel for disbarment and war crimes prosecution
19. State Attorney General precautions and disbarment efforts against DOJ Staff counsel and White House Counsel
20. More evidence US President and US Government unresponsive to rule of law, and failing to permit enforcement of laws of war: [ War crimes evidence]
21. Expand evidence discovery into other areas
22. Secure cooperating from DOJ Officials to provide evidence without promises of immunity
23. Increased leaks from DOJ to House in re illegal activity
24. Inducting DOJ Officials to step forward to disclose evidence of war crimes, unlawful RNC Memorandum, and other documents showing who has been complicit with war crimes and other illegal activity
25. Additional evidence for grand juries to conclude indictments are appropriate
26. Basis for Grand Juries to expand inquiry into DOJ, White House, and demand evidence of ongoing communications related to illegal activity
27. Increased world support for anit-American combat forces, more funding to the Iraqi Insurgency, Taliban, and foreign fighters daring to oppose American Abuse
28. More support in the UN to impose economic blockade against the United States, and issue a declaration of war
29. Increased calls to remove the US form the Security Council, and Create a New United Nations without a security council
30. Decreased credit rating for the United States, increased borrowing costs
31. Less confidence in the American legal community, American Bar Association, and credibility of the bar to screen counsel to enforce the Constitution
32. More pressure to create a New Government which Will more timely compel responses to investigations, and compel oversight and enforcement of the law regardless which political party controls the government