Opponents to San Diego cross subpoena congressmen
By: Associated Press -
WASHINGTON -- Opponents of a 29-foot-tall cross that stands on public parkland in San Diego have subpoenaed three local members of Congress who supported federal legislation designed to shield the monument from legal challenges.
The subpoenas were served on GOP Reps. Darrell Issa, Brian Bilbray and Duncan Hunter last month in connection with a lawsuit over the cross filed by the Jewish War Veterans and individual Jewish plaintiffs. Issa and Hunter were subpoenaed for documents. Bilbray was subpoenaed for testimony.
The lawsuit against the Defense Department and the city of San Diego contends that the cross, dedicated in 1954 in honor of Korean War soldiers, excludes veterans who are not Christian.
The plaintiffs, sued last August shortly after President Bush signed the legislation transferring the cross and a war memorial of which it is a part to the federal government.
The subpoenas were made public this week in the Congressional Record. They seek the lawmakers' communications with the executive branch and public interest groups about the cross, and other documents.
The House counsel's office is reviewing the subpoenas and negotiating with the plaintiffs' attorneys, officials said.
Issa's spokesman, Frederick Hill, called the subpoena a "nuisance subpoena" and said that Issa "has no intention of voluntarily assisting this attack on freedom of religion."
"The big point I'd want to make is this lawsuit is part of a meritless assault on a religious symbol," said Hill.
"The cross is on federal property, it violates the church-state separation issue, and therefore it's unconstitutional," Bob Zweiman, an official with the Jewish War Veterans group, said through a spokeswoman.