Dems Subpoena Ex-Bush Aides

The Democrats just won’t give up on Alberto Gonzales.

On Monday, Senate Democrats couldn’t muster enough votes to debate a “no confidence” measure that would display their displeasure with the attorney general, who is entangled in the Justice Department scandal over the possibly politically motivated firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

Now the Democrats are trying a new strategy to get to the bottom of things: subpoenas.

Two congressional committees are subpoenaing former White House aides--counsel Harriet Miers (whom readers may remember from her Supreme Court nomination debacle) and political director Sara Taylor--and are scheduling them to testify in mid-July.

The Senate Judiciary Committee wants to hear from Taylor and the House Judiciary Committee wants Miers to testify. This move is sure to upset the Bush administration, which previously stated it will allow White House officials to discuss the matter with Congress only in private.

--Nikki Schwab