More GOP Hypocrisy: Trent Lott Contradicts Himself On Executive Privilege (DNC Release)

Washington, DC - Today on Fox News Sunday, Republican Senator and minority whip
Trent Lott defended President Bush’s decision to stonewall a Congressional
inquiry into the scandal over the politically motivated firings of eight U.S.
Attorneys by invoking executive privilege. Asked why President Bush was
justified in keeping his advisors from testifying when White House advisors in
previous administrations had done so, Lott-the second-ranking Republican in the
Senate-said he thought those administrations were mistaken in doing so. Lott’s
newfound opposition to Congressional testimony directly contradicts his previous
statements during the Clinton Administration where he himself was a leading
voice criticizing President Clinton’s use of executive privilege.

“If Senator Lott were truly interested in getting to the bottom of this scandal
he’d give President Bush the same advice he gave the president in 1998,” said
Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney. “Instead,
Lott is following the rest of the Bush Republicans in Washington who continue to
distort the record and stonewall legitimate efforts find out the truth. It is
time for Republicans like Senator Lott and the President to stop putting
partisanship and cronyism ahead of the American people.”

Lott’s Executive Privilege Hypocrisy

Trent Lott 2007: Letting White House Advisors Testify Under Oath Would Be
a “Huge Mistake.” “Lott: In my mind, I think if the President would agree for
his close advisors in the White House to testify before Congress under oath he’d
be making a huge mistake. There is a thing called executive privilege. I do
think presidents*

“Wallace: A lot of these Clinton aides testified under oath.

“Lott: Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean it was a smart thing to do or that it
should have been done. I mean, I do think that presidents should pay attention
to the precedents they set for their successors.”

Trent Lott 1998: Clinton Should Give Up Executive Privilege; Fight “Give Us More
Information, Not Less.” “Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.)
said Clinton should stop the fight over executive privilege. ‘I think he should
give up that contest,’ Lott told reporters Monday. ‘And I think he should be
forthcoming. He should give us more information, not less.’”

Trent Lott 1998: Clinton Decision to Invoke Executive Privilege “Improper,”
Echoes Watergate. “Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said yesterday
that President Clinton's decision to invoke executive privilege in connection
with independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr's investigation was ‘improper’ and
will damage the president's credibility because of parallels with the Watergate
scandal that led to President Richard M. Nixon's downfall. ‘It looks like they
are hiding something,’ Lott said on NBC's ‘Meet the Press,’ one of several
Sunday television interview programs dominated by discussions of the sexual
misconduct allegations that are swirling around Clinton.” 3/23/98]

Trent Lott 1998: Called for “The Whole Truth.” “ome forward. Tell the
American people what has happened in these cases...What does he know? What is
the truth? What is the whole truth?”

Trent Lott 1998: Sen. Lott Said Actions “Smack of Watergate;” Looks Like There’s
Something to Hide. hey've taken a step that really smacks of Watergate. It
certainly looks bad -- like there's something there that they're trying to
hide."

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Good for the DNC.

and your even more wrong now. Go figure. You must be a Republican.