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WORLD> America
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Former top Bush aids to testify in prosecutor firings
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-05 16:08 "Within these constraints, we have worked hard to find a constructive way to address the committee's concerns and are pleased that the committee and President Bush were able to resolve their differences," Luskin said. At issue is the firing of nine US attorneys, who Bush administration officials claimed at first were let go because of poor performance. US attorneys are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president, but cannot be fired for improper reasons. An internal Justice Department investigation concluded that, despite the administration's denials, political considerations played a part in the firings of as many as four of the federal prosecutors. The report singled out the removal of US Attorney David Iglesias in New Mexico as the most troubling. Iglesias's firing followed complaints from leading Republican political figures in New Mexico about his handling of voter fraud and public corruption cases. The report also found that Bud Cummins, the US attorney in Arkansas, was forced out to make way for Timothy Griffin, who had previously been Rove's deputy in the White House political office. Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey named a special prosecutor in September to investigate whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, other Bush administration officials or Republicans in Congress should face criminal charges in the firings. The Bush White House had argued that the hiring and firing of presidential appointees is strictly the business of the executive branch. The administration had offered to let aides discuss the matter privately with Congress but objected to formal testimony under a subpoena. Conyers said the committee also has the right to take a deposition from William Kelley, a former White House lawyer who played a role in the firings, and that Bush administration documents relevant to the dismissals will be turned over to the committee. "This is a victory for the separation of powers and congressional oversight," Conyers said in a statement. "It is also a vindication of the search for truth. I am determined to have it known whether US attorneys in the Department of Justice were fired for political reasons, and if so, by whom." The committee will probably make the transcripts public, said a committee aide, who wasn't authorized to immediately disclose committee plans. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the agreement "is a great victory for the Constitution, the rule of law and the separation of powers." "Congress now has the opportunity to uncover the truth and determine whether improper criteria were used by the Bush administration to dismiss and retain US attorneys," she said.
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