Joe Lieberman: “I think the Attorney General yesterday was asked two different questions, quite different, and didn't give inconsistent…”

“I think the Attorney General yesterday was asked two different questions, quite different, and didn't give inconsistent answers, but I think my interpretation was, she said that an amendment of this kind would be unwise. She did say that if it was agreed to, the Department, as the Senator from New Jersey has indicated, would be capable of picking up these cases. Secondly, I want to indicate that I am not reaching a constitutional judgment that this is a violation of separation of powers. I have tried to be careful in my comments to state that. I do think it evokes separation of powers concerns and values. Taking the example that the Senator from New Jersey gives of reauthorization of State Department or Energy Department Offices, to me this would be a little bit like abolishing an assistant secretaryship in one of those Departments because we didn't like the work that the particular Assistant Secretary was doing and saying, turn it over to the Secretary of State or Secretary of Energy and let them do it the way they want to do it. While we have the power to do that and we have the power of the purse, it would set a precedent that could come back to haunt us.”