Conyers welcomes administration’s negotiation offer

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) Friday welcomed a new White House entreaty to resume negotiations over the testimony of several senior administration officials before the Judiciary Committee on the firings of nine U.S. attorneys last year.

But, he argued, a federal judge should not grant the White House’s request to stay a ruling last week that would require White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers to testify about what role, if any, they played in the Justice Department firings.

{mosads}"I am glad that [White House counsel Fred] Fielding has agreed to my suggestion of attempting to resolve this matter by negotiations, and we will, of course, set up a meeting with his staff for next week. I look forward to meeting with Mr. Fielding directly as well,” Conyers said in a written statement. “At the same time, given the lateness in the Congress, I do not believe a stay of Judge Bates' order is necessary or appropriate."

Fielding wrote Conyers Friday informing him of Bolten’s and Miers’ decision to appeal last week’s ruling and request a stay.

In the letter, Fielding also emphasized the White House’s willingness to continue to negotiate with Judiciary Committee Democrats over the terms and conditions of testimony if Bolten and Miers agreed to provide it. He proposed the members of each of their staffs meet “as early as” next week to “re-commence discussing possibilities for reaching an accommodation between the Branches on this matter.”

He added that he has asked Emmet Flood, special counsel to the president, to contact the committee’s counsel “as soon as possible."

“…The fact that the Executive has noticed an appeal in this matter does not signify that we think further litigation is the exclusive path forward,” Fielding wrote. “During the life of the 110th Congress, this Administration has responded to more than 650 Congressional inquiries and investigations, and through negotiation and accommodation with Congressional committees has been able to resolve all but a very few of them.”

Bush invoked blanket executive privilege in order to guarantee that presidential advisers could speak with the president without fear of having their opinions and advice brought into the public arena later.

Negotiations with Democrats in Congress over the testimony of Miers and other top aides broke down more than a year ago when Democrats refused a White House offer to allow testimony only in private with no oath and no transcript.

Conyers and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) rejected that offer and issued subpoenas.