Dems seek testimony from fired U.S. attorneys

updated 8:33 a.m. ET March 1, 2007

WASHINGTON - Democrats are moving to compel some of the eight U.S. attorneys who have been ousted to tell their stories publicly, under oath, after a federal prosecutor claimed he was fired for political reasons.

A House subcommittee is slated to vote Thursday on subpoenas for four of the eight dismissed U.S. attorneys. The Senate Judiciary Committee, meanwhile, will send letters to those fired before voting next week on compelling their testimony, according to officials with both panels.

The prosecutors have privately told both committees that they would not testify voluntarily but would honor a congressional subpoena, according to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and an official close to the House subcommittee on commercial and administrative law.

U.S. attorney positions 'too important to be politicized'
House subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sanchez said her panel will vote on subpoenas for fired prosecutors Carol Lam of California, David Iglesias of New Mexico, H.E. "Bud" Cummins of Arkansas and John McKay of Washington.

"In order to get the full picture of why these U.S. attorneys were fired, we need to hear from the Justice Department and the U.S. attorneys themselves," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich.

Schumer, in a telephone interview Wednesday with The Associated Press, said: "If they say they won't come voluntarily, Senator Leahy will authorize subpoenas." The Senate panel is expected to vote on whether to issue the subpoenas next week, said Tracy Schmaler, spokeswoman for Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the positions are "too important to be politicized." One of the dismissed U.S. attorneys is from Reid's home state.

Federal prosecutors serve 'at the pleasure of the president'
Spurring the developments was a new report that one of the eight, New Mexico's David Iglesias, claims to have been forced out after refusing a request by two congressmen to rush an indictment that might have helped Republicans in the 2006 election. In the story and a subsequent interview with the AP, Iglesias refused to identify the members of Congress.

The Justice Department staunchly denied the charge that Iglesias or any of the eight federal prosecutors were dismissed for political reasons.

"The suggestion that David Iglesias was asked to resign because he failed to bring an indictment ... is flatly false," Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said in a statement. "This administration has never removed a United States attorney in an effort to retaliate against them or inappropriately interfere with a public integrity investigation."

As to why Iglesias was dismissed, Roehrkasse said: "We made our decision not to further extend his service based on performance-related concerns."

Federal prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the president and can be fired for any reason — or none at all.

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