Leahy sets final deadline for wiretapping docs

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday set an Aug. 20 deadline for the Bush administration to produce documents related to the panel’s probe of the National Security Agency’s wiretapping program.

{mosads}“Despite my patience and flexibility, you have rejected every proposal, produced none of the responsive documents, provided no basis for any claim of privilege and no accompanying log of withheld documents,” Leahy said in a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding.

On June 27, the committee had issued subpoenas to the Department of Justice, the National Security Council, the White House Office and the Office of the Vice President to provide documents in conjunction with the controversial program.

The files were originally due July 18, but Fielding and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten requested an extension to allow for a more thorough collection and review of documents. Leahy said the two White House officials, in a phone conversation, had indicated that they might only need until Aug. 1 to complete that task.