Clinton Library Says Kagan Docs Might Not Be Ready

Meredith Jessup | May 20, 2010 11:51 PM

What a surprise. Sen. Patrick Leahy announced that Elena Kagan's Supreme Court confirmation hearings will start next month, and now, the Clinton Library is saying they

might not be able to have her records ready in time for the Senate to review.

Terri Garner, director of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, said in an interview Wednesday that it would be "very difficult" for her facility to meet the deadline. She said the records request is overly broad and "too general in scope" and that, under the Presidential Records Act, attorneys for both Clinton and President Obama have the right to read and review each document before it is released to the committee.

"There are just too many things here," she said. "These are legal documents and they are presidential records, and they have to be read by an archivist and vetted for any legal restrictions. And they have to be read line by line."

Kagan, currently U.S. solicitor general, served in the Clinton White House as an associate counsel to the president in 1995 and 1996 and as deputy assistant for domestic policy from 1997 to 1999.

If the records can't be released in time, the Senate should hold off confirmation until they can be.