Karl Rove and Harriet E. Miers, top former aides to President George W. Bush

Top Bush Aides to Testify in U.S. Attorneys Firings

WASHINGTON (By David Johnston, NYT) March 8, 2009 — Karl Rove and Harriet E. Miers, top former aides to President George W. Bush, will testify under oath to a House committee investigating the firings of nine United States attorneys in 2007, under an agreement announced Wednesday by the panel.

The agreement settled a rancorous dispute that began in mid-2007 when the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Mr. Rove and Ms. Miers, who, according to e-mail messages released by the Justice Department, played a role in the firings.

In a statement after the agreement was announced, Representative John Conyers Jr., a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the judiciary panel, declared victory and said the committee had finally succeeded in breaking through the Bush administration’s absolute immunity claims.

Mr. Conyers called the agreement “a vindication of the search for truth.” He added, “I am determined to have it known whether U.S. attorneys in the Department of Justice were fired for political reasons, and if so, by whom.”

A key factor in ending the impasse appeared to be the pressure on both sides exerted by President Obama’s legal team, which had urged each side to reach the arrangement. Up until the deal, lawyers for Mr. Bush had stuck by their assertions that Mr. Rove, a senior Bush political adviser, and Ms. Miers, a former White House counsel, could not testify because they were protected by executive privilege. Bush lawyers had continued to invoke that legal claim even after Mr. Bush left office.

Under the agreement, Mr. Rove and Ms. Miers will provide depositions and sworn public testimony about the firings, but the scope of their testimony will be limited to the dismissals and closely related issues.

Moreover, the two former Bush officials will not be asked about their conversations with Mr. Bush on the subject or their discussions with other members of the White House counsel’s office.

The committee will also be able to ask questions about the case of former Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, a Democrat who has said he was victim of a politically motivated prosecution, possibly involving administration officials.

Robert D. Luskin, a lawyer for Mr. Rove, said in a statement that his client was pleased by the agreement: “Mr. Rove has consistently maintained that he would not assert any personal privileges to refuse to appear or testify, but was required to follow the direction of the president on matters of executive privilege.”

In a letter to Mr. Conyers, Gregory B. Craig, the White House counsel, said, “President Obama is pleased that the parties have agreed to resolve this matter amicably.”

A spokesman for Mr. Bush said in a statement that the settlement was reached “at the urging of the Obama administration.” The spokesman, Rob Saliterman, expressed the hope that the agreement “will finally put this matter to rest.”

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