House panel OKs White House subpoenas

WASHINGTON — A House panel has authorized subpoenas that could make White House officials and Utah native D. Kyle Sampson, a former Justice Department employee, testify before Congress over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

Rep. Chris Cannon of Utah, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, opposed the authorization. The subcommittee approved it by a voice vote, which was not unanimous.

"The only purpose of subpoenas issued to the White House now is to fan the flames and photo-ops of partisan controversy, for partisan gain — tactics that impede the discovery of the truth and hamper the public's ability to obtain the truth," Cannon said at the subcommittee meeting Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the White House offered to have Karl Rove, the deputy chief of staff, and former White House counsel Harriet Miers participate in private, unrecorded interviews with Senate and House Judiciary Committee members. The administration also made available more e-mails between the White House and Justice Department and the White House and third parties, but no inner-White House e-mail.

President Bush urged Democrats to take the deal Tuesday night, saying he would oppose any subpoenas and was "absolutely willing" to go to court over the matter.

But Democrats say they are disappointed in the administration's proposal. Subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., said "there must be accountability" from White House officials. With no recording or oath taken to swear they are telling the truth, Sanchez said, "we have to prepare for the possibility that the White House will continue to hide the truth."

In addition to the subpoenas for people to testify, the committee also wants unredacted documents from the White House and Justice Department. The department has released more than 3,000 e-mails to the committee already, but some information has been marked out.

Passing the bill gives House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., the power to issue the subpoenas if he chooses to do so. Tuesday's action does not mean subpoenas will actually be issued.

Conyers also took issue with the nature of the interviews offered by the White House.

"We could meet at the local pub to have that kind of a gathering," Conyers said. "We don't do anything without a record. We cannot interview people in some conversational mode."

Cannon, however, said that was an unfair characterization of what the White House has offered. Certain rules are in place for a formal congressional inquiry that would still apply, even though the meetings would not be for sworn, recorded statements.