Citing “hazy memories” at the White House, President Bush’s spokesman said Friday he did not know who came up with the now-controversial idea of firing U.S. attorneys.
The White House also appeared to soften its opposition to Democratic demands that Karl Rove, the president’s top aide, testify before Congress about the firings, which have become a public-relations headache for the administration.
“There has been no decision at this juncture about whether there will or will not be such participation,” White House Press Secretary Tony Snow saidabout a possible Rove appearance on Capitol Hill.
Snow suggested such an appearance is the subject of negotiations between the White House and the Democratic majority in Congress.
“These are conversations that I think are generally being conducted in a sense of goodwill, and we’ll just have to see,” he said. “We want to get the information that the members need.”
Snow’s tone was more conciliatory than that of White House Counselor Dan Bartlett, who was asked Tuesday whether Rove or former White House Counsel Harriet Miers would testify.
“I find it highly unlikely that a member of the White House staff would testify publicly to these matters,” Bartlett told reporters.
Bartlett also said Miers was the one who “floated” the idea of firing all 93 U.S. Attorneys after Bush won re-election in 2004. But on Friday, Snow backpedaled from Bartlett’s assertion.
“Well, I mean, it has been described as her idea, but whether it is, I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t want to try to vouch for origination.”
Although the firings were scaled down from 93 to eight, the shifting explanations emboldened Democrats, who have been attacking the administration for failing to fully disclose the involvement of White House officials in deliberations about the firings. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales conceded this week that “mistakes were made” in explaining the firings to Congress.
“As the scandal continues to widen, it’s clear that while Alberto Gonzales must go, he is just the tip of the iceberg, as other senior Bush aides including Karl Rove have also been implicated,” said a statement by the Democratic National Committee.
