A House subcommittee has authorized subpoenas for Karl Rove and others in its investigation into the firing of eight former
Testimony would likely shed light on the decision late in the process to add former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of
The House Judiciary Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee voted today to authorize the issuance of subpoenas for Rove, Harriet Miers and other White House and Justice Department staffers. The move follows what has been a continually shifting set of explanations for the dismissals provided by the White House and Justice Department, which has led to rampant speculation that the firings were politically motivated.
President Bush has promised to fight the subpoenas, saying he doesn’t want his aides to be afraid to give him advice because they might be called to testify about it. The move sets up a showdown that could end in court over the use of the controversial and legally gray “executive privilege.”
It came the day after Bush offered off-the-record conversations instead of sworn testimony. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to authorize subpoenas on Thursday.
“The White House’s offer provides nothing more than conversations. It does not allow this committee to get the information we need without transcripts or oaths,” said Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. and the committee’s chair. “… We are continuing our talks with the White House, along with the Senate, but we must protect the interest of the Congress and American people by maintaining the option to move forward with our investigation with or without continued cooperation from the administration.”
Subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., agreed.
“We have worked toward voluntary cooperation, but we have to prepare for the possibility that the White House will continue to hide the truth,” she said.
The committee didn’t actually issue subpoenas. It gave Conyers the authority to issue them if the officials won’t voluntarily testify under oath. Bush says he is not willing to budge on that point.
Topics Rove would be asked to discuss would likely include a conversation he had last year with Allen Weh, chair of the Republican Party of New Mexico, in which Weh claims Rove told him Iglesias was being fired. Other staffers might be asked about communications they had with Domenici and others about Iglesias. Domenici had several meetings with Department of Justice staffers to complain about Iglesias and spoke personally with Bush about the situation.
No one has alleged that