Group claims 100,000 signatures in 'Send Rove to Jail' campaign John Byrne

Published: Thursday July 24, 2008





Print This Email This SendRoveToJail.com. That's the name of the website now claiming to have over 101,000 signatures in their campaign to urge the House Judiciary Committee to cite former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove for contempt. Rove failed to testify after being subpoenaed by the Judiciary Committee to provide information regarding the selective prosecution of former Alabama Democratic Governor Don Siegelman. RAW STORY 's reporting on Siegelman's case, along with that of CBS' 60 Minutes, sparked a national outcry that resulted in Siegelman being let out of jail pending appeal. "We call on the the House Judiciary Committee to cite Rove with contempt for failing to comply with a Congressional subpoena," the petition at the website reads. "Since Rove regards the law with such contempt, it's high time the law and Congress hold him in contempt as well. We demand the [Committee] let Rove know he can't decide which subpoenas he obeys and which he ignores." Both the Committee and House Democrats have subpoenaed numerous Bush Administration officials. Some have failed to show up, while others, like former Attorney General John Ashcroft, repeatedly declined to answer, citing their own forgetfulness. "I must admit, it's been difficult for me sometimes to distinguish between what I in fact recall as a matter of my own experience, and what I remember from the accounts of others," the former Attorney General said on July 17. Next Tuesday, a coalition of organizations -- including Brave New Films, The Nation magazine, Campaign for America's Future, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Progress Now Action and CREDO Mobile -- will deliver the petition to the House Judiciary Committee. The online petition, created by Brave New Films and housed at SendRoveToJail.com, claims to have amassed over 100,000 names in less than six days. As of Thursday morning, the total was 101,722. "Karl Rove is not above the law," Robert Greenwald, founder and president of Brave New Films, said in a release. "Rove's refusal to comply with a Congressional subpoena makes a mockery of the justice system. Even former high government officials like Rove are accountable to the law. Rove needs to learn that we live in a democracy, not a dictatorship." "Karl Rove has built a career out of bending the law, but now he seems to feel entitled simply to break it," added Michael Kieschnick, President of CREDO Mobile. "We expect the House Judiciary Committee to agree that Karl Rove is in contempt and should be sent to jail if he persists in his flagrant disregard for the laws of this country." The "Send Rove to Jail" campaign follows the liberal film company's "Lieberman Must Go" campaign. It was also a Brave New Films video that exposed Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) relationship with the controversial Reverend Rod Parsley, forcing McCain to denounce the pastor's endorsement.