– October 8, 2005

Urge Senate Judiciary Committee to Subpoena James Dobson; White House Must Release All Rove, Other Documents on “Dobsongate” Leaks

“We can’t take James Dobson’s denials on faith…”
– Ellen Johnson, President
American Atheists

Update: Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Televangelist James Dobson today denied that he received any improper “insider” information from White House political operative Karl Rove during discussions over the nomination of Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Speaking on his “Focus on the Family” daily radio program, Dobson claims that during what was then an unpublicized, secret conversation with Rove, he was told only that the nominee was “from a very conservative church, which is almost universally pro-life,” and that he did not inquire about how Miers would rule on specific cases.

Dobson said that his discussions with Rove centered only on Ms. Miers’ “judicial philosophy” and personal faith.

Incredibly, after boasting that he had been made “privy” to “confidential” information Dobson then became a vociferous cheerleader for Bush’s latest Supreme Court pick.

Can we believe this tale?

Already, key U.S. Senators – some of them members of the Senate Judiciary Committee which will be holding hearings on the Miers nomination – are calling for Dobson to be subpoened and testify under oath.

This story must not be buried! Urge SJC members to press Bush White House to release documents!

Some members of the Senate Judiciary Committee may be considering a subpoena for Dobson when the confirmation hearings begin on Capitol Hill. A key Democrat (who is unfortunately not on the SJC) Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado has stated: “It seems to me, all of the (information) the White House knows about Harriet Miers should be made available to the Senate and the American people.

“If they’re making information available to Dr. Dobson – whom I respect and disagree with from time to time – I believe that information should be shared equally with a U.S. senator.”

Salazar revealed that his sources indicated that Dobson met with Karl Rove, key strategist and political advisor for President Bush. According to the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper (October 7, 2005), the White House waived executive privilege if it did indeed share confidential background information with Dobson and other religious right leaders such as Rev. Haggard.

Karl Rove is already in political hot water in a case involving the leak of a former CIA agent’s identity to reporters.

There may be other people who received “confidential” information from the White House to shore-up support for the Miers nomination. A piece in the Washington Post to appear on Sunday, October 9, 2005 identifies members of a so-called “Loyalist Army” who support the nomination, including radio show host and blogger Hugh Hewitt; faith-based planner Marvin Olasky; Dobson; and Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice. Did they, too, receive “confidential” information that the White House wants to keep secret from the media, the Senate Judiciary Committee and the American people?

We need to know!

Contact Key Senators, Especially Members of The Senate Judiciary Committee

• Thank Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado for raising the important issue of “Dobsongate” and the possible misuse of information by the White House! Encourage his efforts to have this “confidential” background material provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• Urge members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to thoroughly investigate the leak by Karl Rove and other possible White House operatives to Dobson, Haggard, and any other religious right leaders! Check out our Tips on Contacting Congress. Be sure to ask for a written response to your concerns! We will share it on the web site
• Keep this story alive! Write letters to the editor of local papers, and “spread the word” on blogs, discussion forums and web sites! Let’s make sure the Dobsongate scandal doesn’t become a victim of America’s Issue Attention Deficit Disorder, and move off the media radar replaced by stories about Paris Hilton or some other “non-issue”!
• Contact Sens. Arlen Specter, Patrick Leahy and Charles Schumer Thank them for their efforts in ascertaining the truth behind the “Dobsongate” scandal. Request that they support calling James Dobson and Karl Rove – under oath – to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about what information the White House may have provided.
• Spread this action alert!

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