The nation's attorney general had to admit this week that he did not tell all there was to tell about his firings of eight U.S. attorneys – including Carol Lam of San Diego. Newly released e-mails show the dismissals had been discussed for nearly two years. Those revelations further suggest political motives at play.
In January, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez testified to Congress that he would never dismiss a sitting U.S. Attorney for political reasons. And he said the Justice Department had no intention of avoiding Senate input on new U.S. attorneys. But the newly released e-mails strongly undercut his testimony and show the White House was closely involved in replacing the attorneys.
Senate Judiciary Committee members say this isn't going away until they find out why they were misled. They want to subpoena former White House lawyer Harriet Meiers and President Bush's political strategist Karl Rove. But Republicans on the committee have blocked a supboena for Rove.
KPBS Reporter Amita Sharma has the story.
