WHAT THIS MEANS: The decision by the HJC to hold Karl Rove in contempt is a recommendation to the full House, who can now vote to adopt the recommendation with a contempt resolution by a simple majority vote. Should they pass a contempt resolution, the Sergeant-at-Arms for the chamber would be ordered to arrest Karl Rove and bring him to the floor of the House to answer to the charges and to be issued punishment. The case would then be referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, who would in turn refer it to a grand jury. If convicted, Rove could face between one month and one year in jail.

BACKGROUND: Karl Rove has made a career out of distorting facts to destroy political rivals. In the case of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, he went even further: he deliberately put a political opponent in prison based on trumped up charges. The GOP couldn’t beat the most successful Democratic politician in recent Alabama history at the ballot box. So instead, at Karl Rove’s direction, the Bush Justice Department used U.S. attorneys to cook up a false criminal case against Siegelman in order to hand the Governor’s Mansion over to the Republican Party.

It’s no surprise that Karl Rove puts politics before due process, democracy and civil rights. That’s why even when faced with a subpoena from Congress, Rove has refused to testify. Unlike Don Siegelman, Karl Rove is breaking the law.

Rove believes that he is not only above the law, but that he controls it. He’s wrong.

Sign our petition. Send Karl Rove to jail.

UPDATE 7/23 8PM ET: 100k signatures!

UPDATE 7/21 8PM ET: 77k signatures! Watch Bill O'Reilly tell Rove "Who in their right mind would want to go into a House committee, which is just a dog and pony show?"

UPDATE 7/18 2:40PM ET: 20k+ signatures, and Don Siegelman just challenged McCain to compel Rove to testify.

• DOJ apparently doesn't know whether it told Fielding that Rove's "Official Duties" include witch hunts
  
• The significance of the "Official Duties" claim
  
• Why absolute immunity is so audacious
  
• Bush did NOT invoke executive privilege for Rove