Biden 2008: Promises to pursue Bush Administration crimes: "No AG or President is above the law".

[My Pet Orangutan]

Deerfield Florida, October 2, 2008

QUESTION: I'd like to know if you guys are going to pursue the violations that have been made against our Constitution by the present administration and restore the Constitution to its rightful place in our society?

BIDEN: Yes ...

We will not be estopped from pursuing any criminal offense that's occurred ...

(The Judiciary Committees) .... will go through it with a fine- tooth comb.

(Any criminal violations) ... will be pursued ... out of the need to preserve the notion that no one -- no one -- no attorney general, no president, no one is above the law. (Applause).

Answer in full:

BIDEN: Yes. (Applause.) Now, look, here's the deal. My colleagues can tell you, particularly Henry Waxman, one of the things that happens is -- you know, there's a phrase in the law, those of you who are lawyers. Sometimes you're estopped from being able to present something, meaning your failing to have acted in the past precludes you having the right to act in the future. We will not be estopped from pursuing any criminal offense that's occurred. Now, here's what's happening: Patrick Leahy in the Judiciary Committee and Henry Waxman from California, in his oversight committee, as well as John Conyers in his Judiciary Committee, what they're doing is they're doing the right thing. They're not making false accusations about anything. They're not making unfounded accusations. They're collecting data. They are subpoenaing records. They're building the file, and they're going through it and will go through it with a fine- tooth comb. If there has been a basis upon which you could pursue someone for a criminal violation, they will be pursued -- not out of vengeance, not out of retribution; out of the need to preserve the notion that no one -- no one -- no attorney general, no president, no one is above the law. (Applause).

https://www.c-span.org/video/?280848-1/obama-campaign-event-deerfield-beach-florida

[debsy]

1. And yet...

...they did not hold the Bush admin accountable.Evidence of what's to come should he be elected?

[samnsara]

6. Nancy wouldnt impeach....

[Hoyt]

2. I think pursuing previous admins is a bad idea, in most cases. You either impeach them or vote them

out. Otherwise, we are just a banana republic. Now if a Prez or other office holder criminal matters -- rape, murder, etc. -- that's different. I'm talking political matters.

Would have to think about whether stealing the WH dishes would qualify.

[rockfordfile]

12. No this goes back to not holding Nixon accountable.

Ever since then, Americans think the President is above the law and hate the government.

[Sloumeau]

3. Information in this post was self deleted so that I make a new reply elsewhere. nt

Last edited Fri Jan 24, 2020, 10:37 PM - Edit history (1)

[My Pet Orangutan]

5. AG Holder 'did a Barr' on Wall Street crimes.

[Sloumeau]

7. It sounds like Waxman, Leahy, and Conyers were supposed to investigate,

and then I assume that anything that they might have found would have been passed over to AG Holder's Department of Justice. Why does it look like your first post was trying to blame Biden for this?

[thesquanderer]

9. re: " Biden was talking about...a Congressional Judiciary Committee. "

Okay, then why couldn't that committee pursue this WHILE the Obama administration was working on the economy and then on health care? It's not the same people responsible for all these things.

[Sloumeau]

10. I have no idea. I always think that Congress...

should be working on 100 things at once. However, keep a couple of things in mind. Currently, there are over 100 bills passed in the House that Mitch McConnel refuses to touch, and while the Democrats are working their ass off to present a great impeachment case, the Republican Senators are napping, taking lots of breaks, reading books, and not really paying attention. Democrats like getting things done, and Republicans like sitting on their butts. This is why they are in love with government shutdowns. Republicans are both corrupt and lazy as hell. Scratch any problem not getting solved, and you will usually find a Republican blocking the way.

[karynnj]

14. Nice post, but the Senate was not lost until 2015. nt

[Scurrilous]

4. ...

[PandoraAwakened]

8. Oh, young Padawan...

Have you not yet learned that you're not allowed to present facts about someone "whose name shall not be spoken" except in the most sycophantic terms?

And yes, am fully aware that I just presented a mix of 'Star Wars' and 'Harry Potter' metaphors. Kind of appropriate to the situation, actually! LOL!

[Autumn]

11. Yeah right. That's part of the reason we are where we are. nt

[JudyM]

13. Journalists should be privy to those records/data that Leahy, Waxman and Conyers collected.