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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (160652)	2/13/2009 8:51:06 PM
From: Wharf Rat	2 Recommendations Respond to of 362001

Former New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici Subpoenaed In Attorney Firings Probe ShareThis February 12, 2009 11:17 a.m. EST Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Prosecutors have subpoenaed the records of Pete Domenici, the longest-serving Senator from New Mexico, as part of its investigation of the Bush administration's controversial dismissals of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006, according to the Washington Post. Under the leadership of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, there were allegations of politically-motivated firings of nine federal prosecutors in 2006. Gonzales resigned in 2007 amid accusations of perjury in connection with a congressional probe of the dismissals, which critics had alleged were part of a process to neutralize opposition in government. One of these attorneys was David Iglesias, the former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico. His removal was preceded by complaints from Republicans, allegedly including Domenici, to the Bush administration about the federal prosecutor's failure to charge Democrats with voter fraud. A report by Justice Department Inspector General last October had said "significant evidence that political partisan considerations were an important factor" in the removal of the nine attorneys. The report cited an e-mail message from former New Mexico state senator Mickey Barnett to former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove. Rove resigned from the White House in August 2007 amid controversy over the firings. He repeatedly refused to comply with subpoenaes from Congress last year, citing executive privilege. The House Judiciary Committee, which had cited him for contempt, issued another subpoena for him in January as part of its investigation of the dismissals. According to the Post, federal prosecutor Nora Dannehy has issued a subpoena to Domenici, a six-term senator. She also plans to interview a top aide of former President George W. Bush, Scott Jennings. The attorney firings was one of several controversies that wracked the Justice Department under Bush, including department legal opinions that were dubbed "torture memos" and politicized hiring practices. Dannehy was appointed in October by former Attorney General Michael Mukasey as special prosecutor "to determine whether any prosecutable offense was committed with regard to the removal of a U.S. Attorney or the testimony of any witness related to the U.S. Attorney removals." The Justice Department Inspector General report on the firings had also said that Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) had inappropriately sought the dismissal of Todd Graves, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. Bond reportedly retaliated because Graves had refused to intervene in a disagreement between the senator's office and the office of his brother, Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO). allheadlinenews.com