# They know where he is. Send the Sargeant at Arms to frogmarch his ass to jail. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 10, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003 "2008-07-10T17:04:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/1 "2008-07-10T17:04:06Z")
Just like any other criminal his lawyer says he ain’t guilty and, even better,[Rove isn’t accountable.](http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/10/rove.subpoena/index.html) Our justice system is a big joke to this administration. A joke to be manipulated or ignored as they see fit. And Congress? They’re approval rating is at 9% because they are a bunch of pussy babies ineffectually stamping their feet. Send the police to FOX or McCain’s campaign headquarters or whereever that shitheel is not hiding out at and put his ugly, fat ass in jail. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/2 "2008-07-10T17:14:56Z")
He’s probably with the weapons of mass destruction or perhaps the secret, undisclosed location. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/3 "2008-07-10T18:03:25Z")
We have all known for a long time that this administration considers itself completely immune to legal consequence. And now Rove has finally just shrugged and said, “Fuck America. Fuck law. Fuck Congress. I’m better than the rest of you plebes.” And you know what? I fear nothing at all will happen. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/4 "2008-07-10T18:12:20Z")
Why _aren’t_ they frogmarching him? That’s what I don’t get! Throw his ass in jail if he refuses to testify. He holds no current position in government. And he was a political advisor, fercrissakes. Why should he have been in on state secrets? (of course he was - nothing that happened in the White House didn’t go through Cheney and Rove, but I’d like them to admit it.) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/5 "2008-07-10T18:20:25Z")
[QUOTE=Oy!] Why _aren’t_ they frogmarching him? [/QUOTE] The treehugger\* branch of the Dems is too dominant. * * * \*Not that there’s anything wrong with hugging trees. I’ve hugged trees, but for the love of peaches, there comes a time when you have to do something _besides_ hug trees. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/6 "2008-07-10T18:20:49Z")
They would simply use whatever means is available to drag this into court, where in can be delayed and obscured as long as neccessary. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/7 "2008-07-10T18:24:53Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] We have all known for a long time that this administration considers itself completely immune to legal consequence. And now Rove has finally just shrugged and said, “Fuck America. Fuck law. Fuck Congress. I’m better than the rest of you plebes.” And you know what? I fear nothing at all will happen. [/QUOTE] I’m afraid that I agree with you. The Congress is showing itself to be all blather and no action, letting the Imperial Presidency do as it will. At this point, if Bush declared himself President-for-Life, I’d imagine they’d shine his throne for him. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/8 "2008-07-10T18:32:53Z")
Unfortunately, someone forgot to give the Democrats a private army and police force. Until that gets rectified, they have to depend on the Justice Department to enforce any violations. Yeah, that’ll happen. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/9 "2008-07-10T18:34:23Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] They would simply use whatever means is available to drag this into court, where in can be delayed and obscured as long as neccessary. [/QUOTE] Can’t they put him in jail for contempt the same way they do reporters for contempt? No bail, no court? ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/10 "2008-07-10T18:36:59Z")
Hey, I’m 5’4". Give me a gun and _I’ll_ do it! Take him right down to the local jail, show them a writ from Congress, and tell them to hold him until he agrees to testify or Congress releases him. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/11 "2008-07-10T18:38:41Z")
[QUOTE=Oy!] Can’t they put him in jail for contempt the same way they do reporters for contempt? No bail, no court? [/QUOTE] [Inherent contempt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_Congress#Inherent_contempt) > [@](#): > > Under this process, the procedure for holding a person in contempt involves only the chamber concerned. Following a contempt citation, the person cited is arrested by the Sergeant-at-Arms for the House or Senate, brought to the floor of the chamber, held to answer charges by the presiding officer, and then subjected to punishment as the chamber may dictate (usually imprisonment for punishment reasons, imprisonment for coercive effect, or release from the contempt citation.) > > Concerned with the time-consuming nature of a contempt proceeding and the inability to extend punishment further than the session of the Congress concerned (under Supreme Court rulings), Congress created a statutory process in 1857. While Congress retains its “inherent contempt” authority and may exercise it at any time, this inherent contempt process was last used by the Senate in 1934, in a Senate investigation of airlines and the U.S. Postmaster. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/12 "2008-07-10T18:45:51Z")
They’re actually arguing that a former Deputy Chief of Staff, now a private citizen, has executive privilege to ignore Congressional subpoenas? I’m not a lawyer, but that sounds ridiculous on the face of it. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/13 "2008-07-10T18:47:53Z")
After yesterday’s FISA cave, he knows no one is going to hold him accountable for any of his crimes. War’s over. Bush won. By default. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/14 "2008-07-10T18:58:45Z")
[QUOTE=vibrotronica] After yesterday’s FISA cave, he knows no one is going to hold him accountable for any of his crimes. War’s over. Bush won. By default. [/QUOTE] He knew that before yesterday’s cave. Just call it the Quisling Party. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/15 "2008-07-10T19:04:23Z")
[QUOTE=Death of Rats] Unfortunately, someone forgot to give the Democrats a private army and police force. Until that gets rectified, they have to depend on the Justice Department to enforce any violations. Yeah, that’ll happen. [/QUOTE] Bologna, they don’t need a private army. Nancy Pelosi needs to grow some balls. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/16 "2008-07-10T19:14:39Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] Just like any other criminal his lawyer says he ain’t guilty and, even better,[Rove isn’t accountable.](http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/10/rove.subpoena/index.html) Our justice system is a big joke to this administration. A joke to be manipulated or ignored as they see fit. And Congress? They’re approval rating is at 9% because they are a bunch of pussy babies ineffectually stamping their feet. Send the police to FOX or McCain’s campaign headquarters or whereever that shitheel is not hiding out at and put his ugly, fat ass in jail. [/QUOTE] So are you saying that there’s legally no such thing as executive privilege? Or are you saying that it exists, but it doesn’t apply to Rove? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/17 "2008-07-10T19:15:23Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] They’re approval rating is at 9% because they are a bunch of pussy babies ineffectually stamping their feet. [/QUOTE] Or because they spend their time on stuff likes this. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/18 "2008-07-10T19:21:17Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] They’re actually arguing that a former Deputy Chief of Staff, now a private citizen, has executive privilege to ignore Congressional subpoenas? I’m not a lawyer, but that sounds ridiculous on the face of it. [/QUOTE] No. The privilege belongs to the President. If the President calls you up, and wishes you to assist him in decision-making by discussing a private matter with you, wanting your candid, objective, and even blunt or harsh opinions, then your discussion with him is protected by privilege and you may refuse to testify about it if he wishes. This is not an absolute privilege, but it exists and it’s legal. See [U.S. v. Nixon](http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=418&invol=683). ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/19 "2008-07-10T19:24:47Z")
Not one person in this thread who is frothing with indignation over Rove’s claims has explained why he or she believes them to be not legally valid. There’s nothing about being a private citizen that makes executive privilege inapplicable. The privilege exists because a President and those who assist him must be free to explore alternatives in the process of shaping policies and making decisions and to do so in a way many advisers, public or private, would be unwilling to express except privately. That’s what the law says. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003/20 "2008-07-10T19:43:23Z")
[QUOTE=Death of Rats] Unfortunately, someone forgot to give the Democrats a private army and police force. Until that gets rectified, they have to depend on the Justice Department to enforce any violations. Yeah, that’ll happen. [/QUOTE] I believe that Congress does actually have some odd police powers, and does have a sergeant at arms that can make arrests. Ur… where’s that darn article about this? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-know-where-he-is-send-the-sargeant-at-arms-to-frogmarch-his-ass-to-jail/456003.md?page=2)