Congress Probes Dismissals of U.S. Attorneys
"The second she said anything about sealed indictments, a red flag went up," Iglesias said. "It's like calling up a scientist and asking about secret launch codes." He testified that two weeks later Domenici called as well, asking about charges against Democrats in the state. "Domenici said, 'Are these going to be filed before November?' I said I don't think so. Then he said 'sorry to hear that' and then the line went dead. ... I felt sick afterwards. I felt leaned on. I felt pressure to get these matters moving." Domenici in a statement last night said: "I did not pressure him. I asked him a timing question. He responded. I concluded the conversation."
On its face, the congressional hearings and the escalation accusations have all the makings of a Washington scandal. But there are still basic questions about what Congress can actually do and whether there are any legal repercussions.
Key players yet to be heard from: House Democrats expressed keen interest in future testimony by Kyle Sampson, the chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; Mike Elston, chief of staff to the deputy attorney general; and Monica Goodling, the Justice Department's liaison to the White House. Moschella described the three as a small group who began in October to draw up a list of United States attorneys who were eventually terminated.
Upcoming in Congress: The House and Senate ethics committees could also begin formal investigations into the actions of Wilson and Domenici. Wilson was in a tight re-election race this past November in a district with a history of narrow margins of victory. U.S. News chronicled this race over the weeks and months leading up to Election Day.
Domenici, elected in 1972, is the longest-serving senator in New Mexico's history. The watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington has filed a formal complaint against Domenici. The Senate ethics committee has said that anytime there is a complaint, including one from outside the government, a preliminary inquiry is begun. (The last time the Senate ethics committee voted for a formal reprimand came in 2002 against then Sen. Robert Torricelli, a New Jersey Democrat, for accepting inappropriate gifts from a donor.) CREW is also seeking an investigation into Wilson's actions. The House ethics committee has not commented on the situation.
Legislation: Another part of this unraveling investigation concerns a change that was made during the reauthorization of the Patriot Act last year that made it easier for the administration to appoint successors to U.S. attorneys terminated in the middle of their terms. The new language allowed the administration to appoint replacements without significant judicial or congressional oversight, rather than the previous way of requiring the Senate to confirm the replacement within 120 days. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California and Rep. Howard Berman of New York, both Democrats, have sponsored legislation that would reverse the change.
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