News Flash: Karl Rove Not Above the Law After All

Posted by ZP Heller, Brave New Films at 8:10 PM on March 5, 2009.

Karl Rove testifying before the House Judiciary Committee under penalty of perjury is one of those things you always wish for and work toward, but never quite imagine actually happening until you see the headline.  A pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming moment along the lines of Barack Obama becoming President or the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series.  Well, Obama is firmly in the White House and the Phils are reigning champs, so why the hell shouldn't Rove be under the spotlight of congressional scrutiny?

After all, we've been pushing for months to Send Karl Rove to Jail.  Last summer, I went down to DC and delivered a petition with over 127,000 signatures to Rep. Linda Sanchez, a House Judiciary Committee (HJC) member who has led the charge against Rove.  That petition helped persuade the HJC to hold Rove in contempt for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena.  Now, that push has finally resulted in Rove testifying before the HJC about his involvement in the US attorneys scandal and the wrongful prosecution of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman.

Imagine being about to interrogate someone as diabolically deceitful as Rove for the role he played in the politicization of the Justice Department.  Imagine being able to pore over the five boxes of internal White House memos and e-mails that the HJC will finally get to examine.   Keep in mind this is the same scandal that already was a huge black eye for the Bush administration when it ruined Alberto Gonzales' career.  Who knows what justice Congress now has in store for Rove!

As Christy Hardin Smith wonders over at FireDogLake, what would you ask Rove if given the opportunity the HJC now has?  To be honest, it's going to take me a little while to wrap my brain around the fact that Rove will actually testify at all after months and months of hiding behind executive privilege.  I need to get used to the reality (no longer just a conviction) that Rove is not above the law in our country, which, I imagine, is something Karl needs time to adjust to as well.

But the larger point here is that this is a major grassroots victory, which over 127,000 of you helped make possible by signing the petition to Send Rove to Jail.  It's the kind of news that makes you think, Yes, I'll sign that petition and pass that video to my friends and family, because clearly it can have an impact.

Tagged as: congress, karl rove, testify, house judiciary committee

ZP Heller is the editorial director of Brave New Films. He has written for The American Prospect, AlterNet, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Huffington Post, covering everything from politics to pop culture.