Michael Moore: Bush Is "Going After Me"

This post, written by Amanda Terkel, originally appeared on Think Progress

For the filming of his documentary SiCKO, Michael Moore took sick 9/11 workers to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to help them obtain free medical care. "The (rescue workers) just want medical attention!" Moore shouts into a loudspeaker in the movie, in a futile attempt to win over the security guards. "The same kind Al Qaeda is getting!" In May, Moore announced that the Treasury Department launched an investigation into his trip, examining "whether he had violated restrictions on travel to Cuba."

Last night on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Moore announced that "the Bush administration has now issued a subpoena for me, going after me for helping these 9/11 rescue workers." Moore said that the subpoena was unwarranted, since journalists are allowed to travel to Cuba, and "this was a work of journalism." "I was there to help them and now I'm going to face this further harrassment from the Bush people," said Moore. "Aren't they busy with something else?" Watch it:

In May, Moore received a letter from Dale Thompson in the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, claiming, "OFAC has information indicating that you claimed to qualify under the provision for general license for full-time journalists."

Moore also announced that on Aug. 11, The Weinstein Company, which distributes SiCKO, will donate 11 percent of the box office receipts to help 9/11 rescue workers who need medical care.