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US lawmakers sue to force ex-White House aides to testify
2008-03-10
A US congressional panel filed a lawsuit on Monday to force two former White House officials to cooperate in a probe over fired prosecutors, in a mounting legal battle over presidential power. The suit filed by the House Judiciary Committee in federal court argues former White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and counsel Harriet Miers must testify before the panel and hand over information related to the lawmakers' investigation, Democratic lawmakers said. Both Bolten and Miers had refused to comply with subpoenas issued by the committee with the White House arguing that advice received by President George W. Bush from his aides should remain private and confidential. "By filing this lawsuit, House members recognize the need to defend Congress' subpoena power against the efforts of any administration to hide information in order to prevent the exercise of Congress' oversight and lawmaking responsibilities," said Democrat Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, in a statement. The Bush administration has resisted congressional demands for documents and testimony linked to the sacking of nine prosecutors in 2006 with the president's lawyers invoking "executive privilege" to rebuff subpoenas issued by lawmakers. The Democratic majority in Congress says the firings were politically motivated and that it has a constitutional right to investigate if the Bush administration abuses its authority by interfering with the work of federal prosecutors. "We will not allow the administration to steamroll Congress," said Representative John Conyers of Michigan, chairman of the judiciary committee. "Under our system of checks and balances, Congress provides oversight of the executive branch to make sure that government power is not abused." It was the first time either chamber of Congress has filed a lawsuit against the executive branch to enforce a subpoena, a committee spokesman told the Washington Post. The scandal over the fired prosecutors helped force former attorney general Alberto Gonzales, a staunch Bush ally, to step down last year.
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