House alleges administration crimes

Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee released a report alleging that WH and DoJ officials engaged in illegal activity in its firings of the Gonzales 8 US attorneys.

From the Washington Post:

The report says that Congress's seven-month investigation into the firings raises "serious concerns" that senior White House and Justice Department aides involved in the removal of nine U.S. attorneys last year may have obstructed justice and violated federal statutes that protect civil service employees, prohibit political retaliation against government officials and cover presidential records.

The key importance of this report, which the article fails to point out I might add, is that a presidential "executive privilege" claim is much weaker in the face of an actual criminal investigation.

Should this go to the courts the administration will now be much harder pressed to show why their blanket claim of that privilege is valid.