Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the White House

The Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's office for documents relating to President Bush's controversial eavesdropping program that operated warrant-free for five years. Also named in subpoenas signed by committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., were the Justice Department and the National Security Council. The four parties have until July 18 to comply, according to a statement by Leahy's office. The committee wants documents that might shed light on internal disputes within the administration over the legality of the program, which Bush put under court review earlier this year. In fact, the Judiciary Committee's three most senior Republicans — Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, former chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah and Chuck Grassley of Iowa — sided with Democrats on the 13-3 vote last week to give Leahy the power to issue the subpoenas.