Four Years of Rove E-mails Go Missing

Nevada prosecutor to get old job back

(NEWSER) - A US attorney fired by the Bush administration is set to get his old job back, the Washington Post reports. Daniel Bolger, whose 2006 firing is among those being probed for partisan motivation, has been nominated by President Obama to again be the federal prosecutor for Nevada. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, when grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee, was unable to recall the reason for Bolger's firing. More»

(NEWSER) - Karl Rove was intimately involved in the firing of at least three of the US Attorneys sacked for purportedly political reasons during the Bush administration, emails obtained by the Washington Post show. One note mentions a senator who “asked that we remove the US Atty” and “couldn’t be more serious about this request.” Though Rove says, “I’m not even sure I was still there”—he was—the attorney was fired. More»

On torture, wiretapping, and more, Bush legacy rests with successor

(NEWSER) - Good government groups spent years suing and lobbying to expose the Bush administration’s secrets. Will President Obama spill the beans on his predecessor? Politico outlines major secrets Obama can choose to air or keep:

• US attorney firings: Claiming executive privilege, Karl Rove refused to testify. But Rove has been re-subpoenaed, and Obama may get to make the final choice.

Had refused to take part in earlier investigation

(NEWSER) - In a reversal, Karl Rove will cooperate with a federal investigation into the firings of nine US attorneys, Talking Points Memo reports. Rove had refused to cooperate in an earlier inquiry on the firings, which Justice Department officials said severely “hindered” the inquiry. A lawyer for Rove says the earlier refusal was mandated by the White House counsel: “It was not up to us decide." More»

Soon-to-be ex-prez has Truman, Nixon precedents for keeping executive privilege

(NEWSER) - President Bush may be able to maintain his executive privilege to block investigations even after he leaves office, the New York Times reports. Harry Truman successfully claimed he had the right not to testify in 1953, nearly a year after he left office, and Richard Nixon later used Truman's case as a precedent. Experts believe Bush will revive the claim if subpoenaed by any of the congressional committees probing alleged misdeeds during his administration. More»