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Rove Pushed for Firing of US Attorney in NM

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 11, 2009 4:47 PM CDT

(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.

Republicans disagree. “The interviews reveal no evidence of wrongdoing in the firings,” says ranking Republican Lamar Smith, a sentiment echoed by Rove’s attorney. The disclosures come at the end of the panel's 2-year investigation, which focused mainly on the ouster of New Mexico's David C. Iglesias in 2006. Miers told investigators that Rove called to complain about Iglesias and said he wanted "something done." She then called a deputy attorney general to relay Rove's concerns. The panel may hold a public hearing in the fall.

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Former White House aide Karl Rove. (AP Photo)

Former White House Counsel Harriet Miers. (AP Photo)

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Rove had no role whatsoever in compiling this list and in deciding who was going to stay and who was going to go. - Robert Luskin, Rove attorney

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