President, Citing Executive Privilege, Indicates He'll Reject Requests for Counsel's Documents - New York Times

President, Citing Executive Privilege, Indicates He'll Reject Requests for Counsel's Documents - New York Times:

"WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 - President Bush signaled on Tuesday that he would most likely reject any requests from the Senate for documents written by Harriet E. Miers during the nearly six years she worked in the White House before he chose her to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

Asked at a news conference whether he would release some or all of her legal work as White House counsel, Mr. Bush said that the principle of executive privilege was important and that any Senate request for documents would be a distraction from considering Ms. Miers's qualifications
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The Democratic National Committee circulated a list of topics that Ms. Miers might have been involved with at the White House that could raise questions about her independence and ability to decide issues important to the administration.

They include, the committee said, the investigation into the leak of a C.I.A. operative's name, the development of the administration position for using torture on detainees from the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the decision to suspend a prevailing wage requirement for contractors working on post-hurricane recovery and the White House efforts last year to respond to new questions about Mr. Bush's service in the National Guard.

Democratic Congressional aides raised questions about what role Ms. Miers might have had in a brief that the administration filed in a case centering on a New Hampshire law that requires parental notifications for women younger than 18 who seek to have abortions. The case is scheduled for argument before the Supreme Court this fall.
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