March 4, 2009 5:59 PM

Rove, Miers Will Testify Over U.S. Attorney Firings

By
Brian Montopoli
Topics
Domestic Issues
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Former Bush aides Karl Rove and Harriet Miers have agreed to testify before Congress under oath concerning the firings of U.S. attorneys, allegedly for political reasons, during the Bush administration.

The two will testify before the House Judiciary Committee in transcribed depositions. They may or may not be called for public testimony.

The White House Counsel's office played an active role in bringing the parties together towards an accommodation, an official told CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller.

UPDATE: Rove said Thursday morning that some Democrats would like to see him "barbecued." (Read more>.)

(AP)
Knoller reports that the key to the agreement was that the Obama White House stopped short of acknowledging that "executive privilege" still applied to Rove and Miers -- though the House Judiciary statement says "it was agreed that invocations of official privileges would be significantly limited."

Before President Bush left office, his counsel Fred Fielding instructed Rove that he was bound by executive privilege and could not testify.

"Today's agreement between the House Committee and the former Administration is the product of a tremendous amount of hard work, patience, and flexibility on both sides," White House Counsel Greg Craig said. "The agreement will allow the Committee to complete its investigation into the U.S. Attorneys matter and it will do so in the way such disputes have historically been resolved – through negotiation and accommodation between the legislative and executive branches."

Rove's lawyer Robert Luskin called the agreement "good news." He told Knoller that Rove "did not assert any personal privilege" and the agreement supersedes the instructions Rove received before Mr. Bush left office to claim executive privilege in response to the subpoena.

Luskin said a representative of former Mr. Bush, Emmet Flood, took part in the negotiations with House Judiciary Committee and the Obama White House.

"We did not have a dog in this hunt, but we are delighted," Luskin told CBS News.

To make the agreement legal, the Department Of Justice and the committee will be filing a motion tonight to stay litigation over whether the two could be forced to testify, reports CBS News producer Stephanie Lambidakis.

Add a Comment See all 75 Comments
by ianlou May 18, 2009 10:50 AM EDT
Rove said Thursday morning that some Democrats would like to see him "barbecued"

Yeah, with an apple in his mouth and the Rotisserie Spit up his backside.
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 May 14, 2009 6:22 PM EDT
Why as a nation, we have stood by and watched these crooks take control of our future security and finances to the point of disaster, watched them break laws and just accepted it as business as usual. Wake up people. I am ashamed of us as a nation to let these people happen to us.
Posted by Lingo2 at 5:04 AM : Mar 12, 2009

That makes two of us never will I understand this whole process, I made up my mind I will be mute, listen to all the testimony ,check the papers etc, released, and just let see where it goes, and if I still believe as I do after all that, I hope then, I will see some prosecutions. We know in our hearts what the truth is, and we have to trust OUR Justice Dept, will get all the information required together, and finally have a prosecution of the whole durn lot of them. The Media has us in a frenzy every day with their opinions on this, and I say don't let them do it, all that comes out only helps them to fight, and get around it all.
Reply to this comment
by Lingo2 March 12, 2009 8:04 AM EDT
Why as a nation, we have stood by and watched these crooks take control of our future security and finances to the point of disaster, watched them break laws and just accepted it as business as usual. Wake up people. I am ashamed of us as a nation to let these people happen to us.
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 March 5, 2009 1:07 PM EST
Here is what we will here the Gonzales chant"I JUST DO NOT RECALL.I CAN'T RECALL,SORRY I JUST HAVE NO RECOLLECTION.
Reply to this comment
by mjlewis6 March 5, 2009 11:45 AM EST
The previous Bush Administration waged war on the world with its profit bent and ignored the battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan in favor of invading Iraq...which had nothing to do with 9/11 or possession of nuclear weapons per UNCOM head Hans Blick. The 'imminent attack' on the US which George Bush promoted as reason for invading Iraq.....no papers, confession, or other such evidence was ever uncovered.

Do you know what a war criminal looks like...???

Any similarity to Slobidan Milosevic to deny what was being done or to defend torture as a defense against the homeland to prevent further attacks?

What about the Bush memos to suspend/ignore constitutional rights in use of the military to invade homes in the US looking for enemies both foreign and domestic and have no due process? There is a lot to answer for....Let's sign the Hague Convention on the War Crimes Tribunal....and extradite the suspects.
Reply to this comment
by mattcat25 March 5, 2009 10:46 AM EST
This is an outrage! They had to fire the liberal lawyers because they were terrorist sympathizers!
Posted by mrs_concrete at 5:36 AM : Mar 5, 2009


The US Attorneys in question here were all appointed by the Bush Administration and were fired for not acting in earnest as "good-bushies".

Republicans eating their own...
Reply to this comment
by inventagod March 5, 2009 9:24 AM EST
Despite his pudgy dough-boy appearance, Karl Rove is one of the most dangerous liars on the planet.
This may be the first time anyone has had him under oath...
Reply to this comment
by briannorwood March 5, 2009 9:21 AM EST
As Rachael Maddow describes the cleanup effort required for the Bush Administration, "Wash, Rinse, Repeat!"
Reply to this comment
by iam4honesty March 5, 2009 8:55 AM EST
These gangsters will never spend a day in prison. Maybe it's enough that they are exposed and the deeds of the past administration are duly noted in history.

We can again never allow a group of despots take control of our nation.
Reply to this comment
by hungry1968-15 March 5, 2009 8:33 AM EST
I hope Rove looks as stupid in the hearings, as Katrina vanden Heuvel made him look on ABC's "This Week" last Sunday!!!

She had that fat pig stumbling and falling all over himself!!
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