Watch the newest Iglesias interview

David Iglesias, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico who has been at the center of the national controversy surrounding the firings of a number of federal prosecutors, spoke this weekend with Julia Goldberg, the editor of the Santa Fe Reporter, in Portland at the annual Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Convention.

Iglesias, in the interview, talked about loyalty and politics and about the differences between Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his predecessor, John Ashcroft. He said Ashcroft led an administration that was “working for the people,” while Gonzales leads one that is “working for the White House.”

“I can’t imagine Ashcroft putting up with some of the nonsense that Gonzales did,” Iglesias said. “… I actually always found Ashcroft to be a straight shooter.”

Iglesias also discussed the phone calls he received in October from Rep. Heather Wilson and Sen. Pete Domenici and his assertion that the two pressured him to speed indictments in a public corruption probe to sway voters in the November 2006 election.

Iglesias acknowledged, as he’s done before, not reporting the calls even though not doing so violated department policy. He said he didn’t report them because he was close to Wilson and Domenici.

“I was willing to give it some room, let it slide, not thinking it would lead to what it did,” he said.

Iglesias said the situation has changed him, and caused him to question his allegiance.

“The loyal Bushie thing – I think I’d rather be known as loyal to the Constitution and royal to the rule of law,” he said.

Here’s video of the interview.

Part one