More Subpoenas In Fired Prosecutors Probe

(CBS/AP)  Two congressional committees are issuing subpoenas for testimony from former White House counsel Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor on their roles in the firings of eight federal prosecutors, according to two officials familiar with the investigation.

Democrats probing whether the White House improperly dictated which prosecutors the Justice Department should fire also are subpoenaing the White House for all relevant documents, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been formally made public.

The Senate Judiciary Committee's subpoena for Taylor compels her to testify on July 11, while the House Judiciary Committee's subpoena for Miers compels her testimony the next day.

"We'll review them and respond appropriately," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

The White House has repeatedly refused to make current and former officials involved in the firings available except in private interviews, without transcripts. Congressional investigators have refused that offer.

"The committees can easily obtain the facts they want without confrontation by simply accepting our offer for documents and interviews." Perino said. "It's clear Senator Leahy and Representative Conyers are more interested in drama than facts."

Asked if the White House will invoke executive privilege, Perino said, "There are many different ways to assert privilege and executive privilege is only one of them."

The subpoenas come a day after newly-released Justice Department documents revealed that Taylor was closely involved in the firings. In a Feb. 16 e-mail, Taylor described a U.S. attorney in Arkansas who was fired last year as "lazy" — "which is why we got rid of him in the first place," according to the documents.

Former prosecutor Bud Cummins, reached Tuesday night for comment, responded: "I'm sure I have some faults, but my work ethic hasn't been one them." Taylor also complained that Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty told senators that Cummins was replaced at the urging of Miers, who was White House counsel at the time.

It's the first time during the five-month investigation that Congress is compelling testimony from White House insiders over the firings. Not yet on the subpoena list is President Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, but only because Democrats have not yet finished interviewing those below him, the officials said.

Democrats say the firings are evidence that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales allowed his traditionally independent federal law enforcement agency to be run, in effect, by the White House.

Republicans point out that U.S. attorneys serve at the president's pleasure and can be fired for any reason, or none at all. Former and current top Justice Department officials have said the list of the eight fired was drawn up on the advice of several senior officials. E-mails made public have shown that Miers, Taylor and Rove were looped into the decision-making process and attended meetings on the firings.

[homespunlady]

Here's a way to Give the Republican Party controllers fits:

Register Republican and vote for Ron Paul in the primary.

The lobbyists can't buy or blackmail him. He's consistently received favorable reviews from polls that quickly disappear or are misread and he actually believes in the CONSTITUTION - unlike the current White-house occupier that stated that it was "just a ********ed PIECE OF PAPER. Shows how much HIS OATH OF OFFICE means to him.

[homespunlady]

So, how long before Meirs and Taylor leave for Bahrain and join the rest of the rats that have already deserted the country with MASSIVE piles of cash (for services rendered). Proves prostitution doesn't have to be just oral.

POLITICAL PROSTITUTION has paid extremely well these past 6 years.

Heard a rumor that George prefers his hideaway in Paraguay Rather than Bahrain. Probably wants to get away from the Chaney/Halliburton Mob bosses.

[p-syrus]

I am so disappointed in this congress and their lack of any meaningful progress...

I could care less that 8 republican U.S. attorneys were fired by a republican Attorney General.
Posted by ozilot at 10:09 PM : Jun 13, 2007


Which only shows your own personal faults of impatience & ignorance.

What is important in this case is the apparent misuse of the attorney general's authority for partisan political . That is ILLEGAL under the law. Even more interestingly this illegal activity quite possibly occurred as a result of direction from the Whitehouse if not the Office of the President himself.

It is therefore paramount to establish EXACTLY what happened and EXACTLY who is responsible for it. Hence the time being taken by congress in systematically examining the evidence.

It never ceases to amaze me how utterly NAIVE most american citizens are about the processes of government. Although, they continually display AMPLE evidence of both naivete & ignorance. Remember how popular the Iraq war was in this country just a short time back?

The Bush administration has managed to completely destabilize Iraq and threatens to do the same for much more of the mideast.

So far the only winners from Bush Foreign Policy have been Iran & China. How's that for the "Heir to Reagan"?

[imprisonbush]

To Jedi08:

I am unsure which Bush operative is providing your faulty information, but Hillary has been a US senator for a bit more than two years. In fact, she was elected in 2000 and sworn in in 2001, so -- this being June of 2007 -- she has been a U.S. Senator for more than 6 years. That's the problem with relying upon Rove for your talking points -- they usually lack any kind of basis in fact.

[david1737]

Funny thing about Rudy is that he was so hated, especially by Repubs, on 9-10-2001.

[david1737]

Also, I know anyone can run, but I can't beleive the lack of experience in the dems field, but yet they are so fired up about their choices. Obama who gennerally new the the political scene, and Hillary who has two years of senate experience.
Posted by jedi08 at 05:38 PM : Jun 13, 2007

How quickly you forget. Bush's entire 2000 campaign was based on his lack of political experiance. He ran as an "outsider" remember?

[david1737]

To offer "private interviews, without transcripts"
is an obvious attempt to thwart justice, and implies guilt. The time to invoke impeachment hearings is long overdue.

[nyckate]

perception5 - Rudy qualified - for president?? Are you out of your mind?? Rudy isn't qualified or mature enough or sane enough to be President of US - have you learned nothing from electing George W., America's worst president? Now you want to elect someone even more disturbed than George??? Man -hon - sign in to a ward somewhere - your electric shock treatments are way overdue!!

[formrusmcsgt]

AM A VET AND AM READY TO TAKE CHARGE OF THIS AMERICAN BOYCOT/COOP...

DAVID A BELANGER,VET US ARMY,[e-mail]

No thanks. I think, at a very minimum, we would insist on a leader who at least knows how to punctuate

[nyckate]

jedi08 - hopefully ALL the so-called front-runners Hillary, Obama and Rudy will burn-out - not one of them is qualified to be President - and Lord only knows that Rudy is probably even more immature than George is -- and probably also much more of an eglomaniac - though they would be even on that one.

Not one of them has offered a plan - lot of soundbites - adn from Rudy of course given that Rove's people are running his campaign a lot of snide remarks and lies and threats - if you don't vote for me Bin Laden will get you - you know - the same threats Bush used in 2004 -- and can you believe it's working for Rudy? Goes to prove that 26% that still supports Geroge and now support Rudy are pretty much braindead and useless to society!