Congress subpoenas former White House counsel Miers in US Attorney firing probe News
Congress subpoenas former White House counsel Miers in US Attorney firing probe

[JURIST] Congressional investigators Wednesday issued subpoenas [Leahy press release] for former White House counsel Harriet Miers [official profile] and former White House Political Director Sara Taylor [SourceWatch profile] in their ongoing probe of the US Attorney firing scandal [JURIST news archive]. US House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) [official website] issued the subpoena [PDF text] for Miers, while Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) [official website] issued the subpoena [text] for Taylor. Two additional subpoenas were also issued requesting White House documents relevant to the building investigation. Taylor, who left her White House job on May 30, is requested to give testimony on July 11; Miers, who resigned January 4 [JURIST report], will appear the following day.

The investigation centers around the firing of eight federal prosecutors across the country, with allegations that White House officials ordered the firings for political reasons. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [official profile] has been at the center of the accusations, as have presidential adviser Karl Rove [official profile] and former Gonzales chief of staff Kyle Sampson [official press release], who resigned in March. Following his resignation, Sampson testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee [JURIST report] that Gonzales and Miers were deeply involved in discussions about the firings of the federal prosecutors. He said that staff made recommendations but Miers and Gonzales ultimately made the decisions about the firings. Taylor was implicated in the firings more recently; on Tuesday, the Department of Justice released documents [document archive] indicating she was closely involved with the firing of US Attorney Bud Cummins. AP has more.

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