Bush Chief of Staff May Face Contempt Charge

(NEWSER) - The House Judiciary Committee released documents today that Democrats say put Karl Rove and former Bush counsel Harriet Miers at the center of the US attorney firing scandal, Politico reports. “Karl Rove and his cohorts at the Bush White House were the driving force behind several of these firings,” says panel chief John Conyers. In particular, Rove and his staffers sought to oust the US attorney in New Mexico because he failed to prosecute corruption cases against Democrats—and thus help a Republican congresswoman in a tight race, reports the Washington Post. More»

Former Bush aide will testify on attorney firings, governor's prosecution

(NEWSER) - Karl Rove is looking forward to testifying before the House Judiciary Committee concerning his alleged role in the sacking of several federal prosecutors, Fox News reports. But beware the “show trial,” Rove said, as “some Democrats would love to have me barbecued.” Rove will also be questioned about the prosecution of Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, which Democrats claim was politically motivated. More»

(NEWSER) - Karl Rove and Harriet Miers have agreed to testify before Congress about the controversial firing of US attorneys, CBS reports. The former Bush aides' testimony will not be public, though that could happen in the future, notes the Public Record. Congress is investigating whether the Bush administration fired the attorneys for political reasons, and Rove and Miers have cited executive privilege to avoid testifying. More»

Judge rejects administration's interpretation of executive privilege

(NEWSER) - Turning aside White House arguments that top aides are protected from subpoenas by executive privilege, a judge ruled today that Harriet Miers must testify before a congressional committee on the firings of nine federal prosecutors, the Washington Post reports. Miers and fellow aide Joshua Bolten can, however, invoke executive privilege in declining to respond to specific questions. More»

VP battling House subpoena for key aide on interrogation policy

(NEWSER) - Whether a key Dick Cheney aide can be forced to testify is at the heart of a pending blow-up between Congress and the White House over a probe into interrogation techniques, Reuters reports. The House Judiciary Committee plans to subpoena Cheney's chief of staff, David Addington—but the vice president insists Addington, a key interrogation-policy player, can't be forced to testify. More»