House panel to subpoena Rice, others

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats authorized five subpoenas Wednesday in their drive to step up oversight of the Bush administration, a move likely to heighten tensions between the majority party on Capitol Hill and the White House.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved a subpoena to compel Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to testify about the administration's incorrect prewar claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium.

The panel also authorized subpoenas directing the Republican National Committee (RNC) to turn over information in an investigation of whether administration officials used the political organization's e-mail to conduct government business.

Meanwhile, another House committee moved to force the testimony of Monica Goodling, a former Justice Department liaison to the White House and a pivotal figure in an investigation into the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

The subpoenas drew criticism from Republicans.

"This is just politics," said Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, top Republican on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

He accused committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., of using subpoenas to get high-profile administration figures under oath "for the sake of political theatrics."

Waxman said he repeatedly has tried to learn from Rice what she knew about the assertion Bush made in his 2003 State of the Union speech that Iraq had tried to obtain uranium from Niger.

"My goal is to conduct investigations without subpoenas. But if we are stonewalled, we can't hesitate to use the power we have," he said.

Davis also said questions about faulty prewar intelligence have been repeatedly "asked and answered," holding up several thick reports. "So what's left to investigate?" Davis said.

The subpoena to the RNC directed the committee to produce information about the use of its e-mail accounts by White House officials. A separate subpoena was authorized to call RNC Chairman Mike Duncan to appear May 8.

Waxman is investigating whether administration officials — including the president's chief political strategist, Karl Rove — attempted to circumvent the Presidential Records Act, a post-Watergate law designed to preserve White House records, by using RNC e-mail accounts to conduct government business.

The RNC accused Democrats of trying to get the party's political playbook.

"You don't see the New York Yankees giving the Boston Red Sox their signs before a crucial series, and I won't be giving our equivalent to Howard Dean," Duncan said in a statement. Dean heads the Democratic National Committee.

The House Judiciary Committee, meanwhile, agreed to seek immunity from prosecution for Goodling, a former top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. It authorized Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., to subpoena her testimony.

Goodling has vowed to assert her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if called to testify before congressional committees. Her lawyer, John Dowd, had no comment on the panel's action.

House lawyers must still get a court order granting her immunity from prosecution, which could take several weeks. Under that procedure, the Justice Department is given a chance to say whether the grant of immunity would interfere with any pending criminal investigation.

Across Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved, but did not issue, a subpoena in the attorney firings matter for Sara Taylor, a deputy to Rove.

The controversy over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, which Democrats believe were politically motivated, showed little signs of abating despite Bush's pledge of support for Gonzales on Monday. Among the eight was Seattle's John McKay.

Gonzales was asked Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee to supplement his testimony of last week, in which he was unable to answer dozens of questions about the dismissals.

In an effort to mend fences on Capitol Hill, Gonzales met privately with Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark, who has contended Gonzales wasn't truthful with him about the dismissal of the U.S. attorney in Little Rock. The outreach didn't work.

"I reiterated with the attorney general, face-to-face, that I think he should resign," Pryor told reporters afterward.

"I think it's the best thing for the Department of Justice, and it's probably the best thing for him personally and the administration," Pryor said.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., also joined those calling for Gonzales' departure.

"Alberto Gonzales must resign his position as attorney general of the United States," Cantwell said in a statement.

She lauded McKay's tenure, saying he was well-respected by the legal and law-enforcement community. "I believe it is clear that Gonzales cannot defend his firing of McKay," she said.

The Associated Press and Alicia Mundy of The Seattle Times Washington, D.C., bureau contributed to this report