White House admits Rove relayed complaints about prosecutors

2007-03-12

Richard Moore

Original source URL:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031207J.shtml
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/16878479.htm

Posted on Sun, Mar. 11, 2007

White House says Rove relayed complaints about prosecutors

By Ron Hutcheson, Marisa Taylor and Margaret Talev
McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON - The White House acknowledged on Sunday that presidential adviser 
Karl Rove served as a conduit for complaints about federal prosecutors as House 
investigators declared their intention to question him about any role he may 
have played in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Rove relayed complaints from Republican
officials and others to the Justice Department and the White House counsel's 
office. She said Rove, the chief White House political operative, specifically 
recalled passing along complaints about former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias and 
may have mentioned the grumblings about Iglesias to Attorney General Alberto 
Gonzales.

Iglesias says he lost his job as the top federal prosecutor in New Mexico after 
rebuffing Republican pressure to speed his investigation of Democratic officials
in the state.

Rove said he did not suggest that any of the U.S. attorneys be forced to resign,
Perino said.

The new details about Rove's involvement in the firings emerged as the top 
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee declared their interest in talking to
him. The committee is trying to determine whether the firings were part of an 
effort to exert political influence over federal prosecutions.

Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., and Linda Sanchez, D-Calif.,
confirmed their plans after McClatchy Newspapers reported that New Mexico's 
Republican Party chairman, Allen Weh, had complained to Rove and one of Rove's 
deputies about Iglesias. Iglesias was fired Dec. 7.

"Mr. Conyers and Ms. Sanchez intend to talk with Karl Rove about any role he may
have had in the firing of the U.S. attorneys," said Sanchez spokesman James Dau.

"From what we've been hearing for weeks it seems he might have relevant 
information," he said. "He's clearly one of the White House officials we've been
intending to question. The revelations from Mr. Weh certainly give us something 
else relevant and salient to talk about."

© 2007 McClatchy Washington Bureau and wire service sources. All Rights 
Reserved.

http://www.realcities.com
-- 

--------------------------------------------------------
Escaping the Matrix website        http://escapingthematrix.org/
cyberjournal website               http://cyberjournal.org
Community Democracy Framework: http://cyberjournal.org/DemocracyFramework.html
subscribe cyberjournal list        mailto:•••@••.•••
Posting archives                   http://cyberjournal.org/show_archives/