House panel sues Bush aides
The House Judiciary Committee this week sued White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, seeking to force them to reveal internal deliberations about the controversial firings last year of nine U.S. attorneys. Bolten and Miers had previously refused to comply with subpoenas from the committee. The White House contends its deliberations are exempt from congressional oversight under the doctrine of executive privilege. House Democrats argue that the privilege does not apply to meetings that the president did not attend.
Boeing fires back
Boeing this week formally appealed the awarding of a $40 billion air-refueling tanker contract to a rival firm. The Pentagon awarded the contract to build 179 tankers to a consortium of Northrop Grumman and Europe’s EADS, parent of Airbus Industrie. Boeing said the contracting process had “serious flaws” and that awarding the work to a foreign country carried national-security risks and would cost American jobs.
