Senate panel okays subpoenas in US attorney probe; Sen. Leahy says may subpoena Rove

Mike Sheehan, rawstory.com

Justice Department officials are due to receive subpoenas to answer questions about the growing US attorney dismissal scandal, however, a Senate committee postponed a vote until next week to decide whether top White House advisers such as Karl Rove will also be compelled to testify on the matter.”The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday cleared the way for subpoenas compelling five Justice Department officials and six of the U.S. attorneys they fired to tell the story of the purge that has prompted demands for the ouster of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales,” the Associated Press reports. “The voice vote to authorize the panel to issue subpoenas amounts to insurance against the possibility that Gonzales could retract his permission to let the aides testify voluntarily, or impose strict conditions.”

“The committee also postponed for a week a vote on whether to authorize subpoenas of top aides to President Bush who were involved in the eight firings, including political adviser Karl Rove, former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and deputy White House Counsel William K. Kelley,” Laurie Kellman reports for the AP.

Powerful Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said he will issue a subpoena to presidential adviser Karl Rove if he doesn’t agree to appear first, reports CNN. “He can appear voluntarily if he wants,” Leahy told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “If he doesn’t, I will subpoena him.”

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