Congress Probes Private White House E-Mails

E-mails may have covered attorney firings

(NEWSER) - Four years of emails from Karl Rove that are being sought in a congressional investigation are missing and may have been deleted by Rove himself, the Republican National Committee acknowledged yesterday. The RNC operates the server for non-official e-mail accounts Rove and other White House players use for political business; critics say they are also improperly used to circumvent documentation laws. More»

Attorney general receives first subpoena in firing scandal

(NEWSER) - The Senate demanded all e-mails pertaining to Karl Rove's role in the disputed firing of eight U.S. attorneys from Alberto Gonzales today, setting a May 15 deadline for the attorney general to turn them over. Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which issued the subpoena, disputes the White House's claim that the e-mails have disappeared. More»

(NEWSER) - A photo of Richard Nixon with Rod Blagojevich has surfaced in what Time Out Chicago describes as an ironic twist of fate and a reminder that politicians should rely on better role models. “In 1980, most twenty-something men probably pined to bump into one of the Beatles or maybe Bo Derek," writes Jake Malooley. "Blago wanted the autograph of our nation’s most notorious politician.” More»

Rove snubs Judiciary Committee; 29-year-old staffer pleads for sympathy

(NEWSER) - Karl Rove didn't show up, but the White House sent a 29-year-old aide to field Senate Judiciary Committee questions about the US attorney firings today. Scott Jennings, the first administration figure to testify while still in office, followed the path laid out by ex-boss Sara Taylor in refusing to answer substantive questions, reports the AP. More»

Rove, DeLay, and Gingrich on the future of the conservative movement

(NEWSER) - The Republican Party is fracturing politically and strategically, writes the New Yorker's Jeffrey Goldberg. As Bush's approval ratings continue to sink, current and former GOP bigwigs—like Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay—are looking to redirect the conservative movement as the 2008 election nears. More»