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House Passes Bill To Limit U.S. Attorney Appointments

By NationalJournal.com and CongressDailyAM staff
© National Journal Group Inc.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The House voted 329-78 Monday to limit the attorney general's power to name U.S. attorneys. The bill would impose a 120-day term limit on U.S. attorneys appointed on an interim basis. The Senate passed its version of the bill, 94-2, last week.

Meanwhile, Monica Goodling, a Justice Department official involved in the firings of federal prosecutors, will refuse to answer questions at upcoming Senate hearings, citing Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, her lawyer said Monday.

"The potential for legal jeopardy for Ms. Goodling from even her most truthful and accurate testimony under these circumstances is very real," said the lawyer, John Dowd.

Goodling was Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' senior counsel and White House liaison until she took a leave of absence this month. She was subpoenaed last week by the Senate Judiciary Committee along with several of Gonzales' other top aides.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Goodling's refusal to testify could mark the beginning of a new phase of the inquiry, as some legal experts saw her move as "the opening of negotiations by Dowd to obtain immunity for Goodling in exchange for her testimony."

Goodling's actions contradict statements from Gonzales on Monday, when he told NBC News that Justice Department officials would comply with congressional requests to testify. Trying to reconcile his previous public statements that he wasn't involved in the decision with recent revelations of internal e-mails suggesting the contrary, Gonzales told NBC that the attorney firings were not "improper."

The drumbeat for Gonzales' resignation continued over the weekend, when three Republican senators joined the chorus of Democrats calling for him to step down. President Bush has maintained his firm support for the attorney general.


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