Roll Call: Dems to Press AG on DismissalsThe Senate Judiciary Committee’s oversight hearing is set to begin in a few moments, featuring testimony from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
His surprise announcement that the administration’s domestic wiretapping program would now receive some form of FISA court approval will surely be a topic of discussion. But Roll Call today reports (sub. req.) that key Democrats aren’t dropping the issue of why so many U.S. Attorneys are being fired and replaced with administration appointees:
… [I]n what promises to be one of many showdowns between Congressional Democrats and the Bush administration, [Sens. Patrick] Leahy ([D-VT)] and [Dianne] Feinstein [(D-CA)] intend to grill Gonzales on the issue at a Judiciary Committee hearing today. Several Judiciary Democrats, who met Wednesday to plot strategy and discuss scheduling, said they were concerned about the appearance of undue political influence on the legal process.“As a former prosecutor, I can’t believe they would give more power to the administration to interfere with prosecutions,” Leahy stated.
Added Maryland Democratic Sen. Benjamin Cardin: “I think the independence of the U.S. attorney’s office is something of major concern” to committee Democrats.
Update: You can watch the hearing live via webcast here (RealAudio).