WASHINGTON — Two Democratic congressmen yesterday called for appointment of an outside special counsel to investigate whether lobbyist Jack Abramoff played a role in the demotion of a U.S. attorney in Guam who was investigating him.

Reps. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., and George Miller, D-Calif., cited what they called evidence of "political manipulation" in a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. They also questioned whether Abramoff might have had unauthorized access to classified documents relating to national-security concerns in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, where the once-powerful lobbyist had several clients. Abramoff, through his spokesman Andrew Blum, declined to comment. A Justice Department spokesman said the request would be reviewed.

Abramoff is the subject of investigations by a Senate committee and a federal grand jury on charges related to his multimillion-dollar lobbying efforts for Indian tribes with casino operations. He recently was indicted in Florida on unrelated fraud charges stemming from the purchase of a fleet of floating casinos. He has entered a not-guilty plea in that case.

Frederick Black, the longtime acting U.S. attorney for Guam and the Northern Marianas, was removed from office in late 2002 after starting an investigation of a deal between Abramoff and Guam court officials. The investigation subsequently was dropped.

House votes to end funding for Viagra

Buying your own Viagra will become an act of altruism under a House-passed bill that pays for hurricane relief with federal funds now devoted to Medicare and Medicaid coverage for erectile-dysfunction drugs.

Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., sponsor of the bill, said the government would save $690 million over five years by prohibiting the two government health-care programs from subsidizing prescriptions for sexual-performance drugs. The Senate also has approved legislation to end federal funding for such drugs.

The money will be used to provide $500 million in federal unemployment funds to hurricane-affected states to help pay benefits to out-of-work people. The bill was passed by voice vote yesterday.

Environmentalists sue over new roads

A coalition of 20 environmental groups sued the Bush administration yesterday to block road construction, logging and industrial development on more than 90,000 square miles of the nation's last untouched forests.

In the lawsuit, the Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, Greenpeace and other groups challenge the U.S. Forest Service decision earlier this year to repeal President Clinton's 2001 "roadless rule" that protected 58.5 million acres of undeveloped national forest.

Homeland bill backs private screeners

Lawmakers, many upset with the performance of the Transportation Security Administration, hope to encourage airports to return to privately employed screeners.

A provision in the Homeland Security spending bill, passed by the House last night, shields airports from lawsuits if they switch to private screeners.

Some airport officials haven't made the switch for fear they could be sued if terrorists carried out an attack because of something private screeners did or didn't do.

Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., added the legal protection to the Homeland Security spending bill to give airports the option of using private screeners.

Compiled from The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times