Four Senate Democrats asked the Bush administration Thursday to appoint a special prosecutor to determine whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales lied to Congress about his involvement in the firing of nine U.S. attorneys and about the president’s terrorist surveillance program.
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also issued subpoenas to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and White House Political Affairs Deputy Director J. Scott Jennings to compel them to provide documents and to testify before the panel about the U.S. attorney firings. Leahy said the Bush administration’s blanket claims of executive privilege amounted to “stonewalling.”
In calling for a special prosecutor, Sens. Charles E. Schumer , D-N.Y., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., accused Gonzales of perjuring himself before the House Judiciary Committee by providing “half-truths and misleading statements” about the attorney firings and the administration’s wiretapping program.
Feinstein said an outside investigator is needed “because there is an unusual closeness between this White House and the Department of Justice” that has politicized the law enforcement arm of the administration.
The four senators contend Gonzales lied when he said there had been no disagreement within the administration over the wiretapping program. That statement, the Senators said, was “sharply refuted” by Deputy Attorney General James Comey, who told the Judiciary Committee that he nearly resigned because of the internal dispute over eavesdropping.
They also claim Gonzales lied when he said he had not talked to Justice Department officials who are witnesses in the investigation of the U.S. attorney firings.
They cited conflicting testimony from Gonzales aide Monica Goodling, who told the Judiciary Committee she had an “uncomfortable” conversation in which Gonzales “outlined his recollection of what happened and asked her for her reaction.”
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who is the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said he opposed the request for a special prosecutor and accused Democrats of politicizing the matter.
The investigation into the attorney general firings, Specter said, “has been a great fundraising device for the Democratic Party.”
The White House had no immediate comment, but Bush has repeatedly indicated his support for Gonzales, even as the attorney general’s backing among congressional Republicans has diminished.
