The House Natural Resources Committee voted 26-17 today to let Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) proceed with issuing subpoenas for five Obama administration officials involved in the disputed report that led to the Gulf drilling moratorium.
The officials — who never confirmed an invitation to appear at a hearing last week, thus leading to its postponement until September — are believed to have direct knowledge or involvement in the drafting, editing or review of the Department of the Interior report that was edited to appear as though the moratorium was supported by a panel of engineering experts when it was not.
The Interior Department has refused requests made by the panel since February to interview the officials in the course of its investigation.
The officials are Steve Black, counselor to Secretary Ken Salazar; Neal Kemkar, special assistant to Steve Black; Mary Katherine Ishee, deputy administrator, Minerals Management Service; Walter Cruickshank, deputy administrator, Minerals Management Service; and Kallie Hanley, White House liaison & special assistant.
“Taking steps to issue subpoenas is not the preferred option,” Hastings said today. “In fact, I hope never to have to use this authority. We shouldn’t have to compel answers from an administration that claims to be the most open and transparent in history. But if the department continues to stonewall, we’ll be left with no other choice.”
The Interior Department has failed to comply with a subpoena requesting documents related to the moratorium, served in April to Salazar.
“This situation could have been easily avoided if the department was simply willing to answer questions and turn over documents. The department is choosing to do this the hard way,” Hastings said. “There is no excuse for the department’s behavior. The American people deserve the truth and deserve to have a full account of the circumstances surrounding this matter.”
Do the subpoenas have to be issued?
Yes, because to do otherwise would be the equivalent of yielding to the regime.
Will they have any effect on the regime?
No, because of the timelines. They will stall and delay, and the Committee will accommodate each move in order to not appear uncivil. And if forced, they will just refuse the subpoenas and dare the Committee to do something about it. That is about a year’s delay before anything could conceivably be done.
The deadline in point is November 6. If Obama wins, any action by Congress on any subject is futile and irrelevant. If Obama loses, any evidence on this and any of the other multiple criminal acts of the regime will be destroyed and all criminals will be pardoned.
Gotta do it because it can be used to influence the vote. But in a country where the rule of law does not exist, do not expect law to have weight against the government or its agents.
Subotai Bahadur
Agree with Subotai that the Dept of Interior officials being subpoenaed will almost certainly ignore same, since they know Congress won’t do anything to them if they do. Everyone up there is scared to death of being labeled a racist if they do anything to make the Obama regime obey the law.
Sad, because if the Republicans on the committee were to go full-throttle, the additional headlines pointing out yet another instance of Obama minions defying the law might just swing a crucial state or two into the R column.