Iglesias was once considered a top-tier prosecutor

E-mails released Monday night by the Bush Administration and other sources continue to confirm that, until sometime mid-2006, former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias was considered one of the brightest federal prosecutors in the nation by higher-ups in the Department of Justice.

In April 2004, Kyle Sampson, former chief of staff for Attorney Alberto Gonzales, wrote that Iglesias was one of several who “might be enticed to leave their districts and come to Washington to run the (Executive Office of United States Attorneys), according to an e-mail found among thousands of pages by TPMMcukraker.com. In the e-mail, he described Iglesias as a “diverse up-and-comer; solid.”

Despite that, Iglesias didn’t get the job.

The Washington Post reported Monday that Iglesias was considered an expert in voter fraud issues by the Justice Department, which twice selected him to train colleagues in pursuing such allegations.

The last time was in October, 2005, when he was invited to teach a seminar on voting integrity.

But as allegations of voter fraud stemming from the 2004 election went unprosecuted, Republicans in New Mexico became increasingly frustrated, and that high opinion of Iglesias went sour, as I’ve already reported.

Controversy continues to spread

On a national level, this keeps getting worse for the Bush Administration. The Senate today passed, on a vote of 94-2, a bill revising the Patriot Act to remove a provision that allows the attorney general to appoint interim U.S. attorneys to serve indefinitely, effectively bypassing the Senate confirmation process. The current controversy began several long weeks ago with the complaints by a few members of Congress that, under the provision, the mass firings could lead to a number of political hacks being appointed to serve out Bush’s term.

The House must still vote to approve the measure, but should do so, and President Bush has indicated he’ll sign it. Under the previous system, which the bill would restore, the White House and Senate have 120 days to name a replacement U.S. attorney. If that isn’t done, a federal judge names a replacement.

U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. and an integral figure in the controversy because of his October 2006 phone call to Iglesias about an ongoing investigation, voted for the measure, but not before supporting two failed motions that would have removed the provision allowing a judge to make the appointment.

“I have concerns about allowing one branch of government, the judicial branch in this instance, to have the final say over an executive branch vacancy,” Domenici said in a news release. “While both these amendments failed, I still voted for final passage of the bill because I believe the Senate should retain the advice and consent powers it is granted under the Constitution to confirm presidential nominees.”

And calls for Gonzales’ resignation continue to mount, but Bush continues to defend him. The president has called a news conference for 3:45 p.m. Mountain Standard Time to make a statement many expect will be in support of Gonzales.

In addition, as Congress has increased its demands that Karl Rove and others voluntarily testify, the White House offered today to allow them to be interviewed in private, without transcripts and not under oath. (You can read the White House’s letter here, courtesy of The Politico.) The offer will likely be rejected as Democrats seek public testimony on how the firings of the U.S. attorneys came about.

Update, 4:10 p.m.

Bush proposed today a deal with Congressional Democrats who are investigating: He will allow Gonzales and other Justice Department staffers to testify under oath. In addition to the more than 3,000 pages of Justice Department documents released Monday night, Bush said the White House will release all its documents. And he referenced the offer of allowing Rove and other White House staffers to be interviewed, but not under oath.

It’s common for agency heads and staffers to testify when subpoenaed, because their budgets are dependent on Congress. Whether White House staffers should testify has always been a controversial topic, and Bush said he would not allow Rove and others to testify under oath because he does not want to allow a precedent that will make staffers afraid of advising the president.

Bush said what he’s offering allows “extraordinary disclosure” and almost “unprecedented” access to information. He said if Congressional Democrats truly want answers, his offer should satisfy them. If their goal is partisan attack, he said, they won’t be satisfied, but he pledged to fight if subpoenas are issued for White House staffers.

“We will not go on a public fishing expedition aimed at honorable public servants,” he said. “I have proposed a reasonable way to avoid an impasse. I hope they don’t choose confrontation. … It’s not too late for Democrats to drop the partisanship and work together.”

He also pledged continuing support for Gonzales.

“He’s got support with me,” Bush said. “I support the attorney general.”