Senate Ethics Confirms Domenici Probe Over US Attorney Firing
"The Senate, thanks to a resolution it just adopted, has confirmed that Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) is the subject of "preliminary inquiry" over his involvement in the firing of former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. The Senate just adopted a resolution (S. Res. 153) stating that "for matters before the Select Committee on Ethics involving the preliminary inquiry arising in connection with alleged communications by persons within the committee's jurisdiction with and concerning David C. Iglesias, then United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and the subsequent action by the committee with respect to that matter, if any, the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Salazar) shall be replaced by the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Brown)." (The Politico)

Ex-AG Aide Says Buchanan Consulted on Firing
"The Justice Department consulted with U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan in Pittsburgh when it was drawing up a list of prosecutors to be fired, a former top aide to the attorney general told investigators, and now a House committee wants to interview her. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, told Senate investigators Sunday that Buchanan was one of the senior officials he consulted about which U.S. attorneys should be asked to resign, according to a Senate Judiciary Committee aide who read a transcript of the interview." (The Pittsburgh Channel)

White House Seeks to Review GOP Emails
"President Bush's lawyers told the Republican National Committee on Tuesday not to turn over to Congress any e-mails related to the firings last year of eight U.S. attorneys before showing them to the White House. Democrats and Republican critics of the administration said the move suggests that the White House is seeking to develop a strategy to block the release of the non-government e-mails to congressional investigators by arguing that they're covered by executive privilege and not subject to review." (McClatchy Newspapers)

Did Agency Play Politics with Voter ID Study?
"While Missouri and other states wrangled over controversial voter identification laws last year, a study sponsored by a federal elections agency concluded that such measures dampened voter turnout among minorities. But that report didn't see the light of day until two weeks ago, long after the November elections and not until Congress forced its release." (St Louis Post Dispatch)

Politicization of Career Hiring at Justice Department?
"Have top political appointees at the Justice Department politicized the hiring of new career employees there? That's what a number of longtime Justice Department employees want to know as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday to testify about the sacking of eight U.S. attorneys." (The Politico)

Prosecutors Owe Loyalty to the Public
"When Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain his role in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, it is important to keep in mind that what is really at stake goes far beyond Gonzales' own fate as the country's top law official. At root, this inquiry poses a fundamental question, one that every attorney general in every presidential administration must squarely confront: To whom, or to what interests, does a U.S. attorney -- or, for that matter, any prosecutor -- owe professional loyalty?" (Chicago Tribune)

Government Worker's Private Emails Need Some Safeguards
"Like many information technologies before it, e-mail has found its way to the center of a Washington controversy. TV made Kennedy look better and the Vietnam War look worse. Tape recording helped do in Richard Nixon. An Internet video brought down Senator George Allen." (Boston Globe)

Mystery as Disclosure Bill is Held
"Just days after Congressional campaigns had to file financial reports with the Federal Election Commission, the Senate put the brakes on a bill that would make its financial records more accessible. Senate Rules and Administration Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) moved Tuesday to approve legislation by unanimous consent that would require Senate candidates to file their reports electronically, but a Republican Senator anonymously objected, stalling the bill indefinitely." (Roll Call)

Meet Gregory Nickerson
"Remember that huge $140 billion corporate tax break Congress passed in 2004 that John McCain called, 'the worst example of the influence of special interests that I have ever seen'? A key architect of that bill was Gregory Nickerson, who later became a lobbyist who placed firms with contracts from the Act." (Harper's)

Byrd Pledges to Enforce Earmarks Rule
"Facing growing pressure from conservatives, Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) unexpectedly announced Tuesday that he would enforce new disclosure and conflict of interest rules for earmarks. But while Byrd pledged to follow those guidelines for projects included in fiscal 2008 appropriations bills during the initial committee drafting and markup process, Democrats continued to resist efforts by a small group of conservative Republicans to have the disclosure package apply to the entire Senate and to every step of the appropriations process." (Roll Call)

European Lawmakers Rail CIA Tactics
"Members of the European Parliament told U.S. lawmakers Tuesday that
CIA tactics for spiriting away terrorism suspects are illegal. The parliamentarians' briefing for House members concerned CIA renditions, the practice of grabbing terror suspects in one country and delivering them to another country for questioning." (Associated Press)