U.S. attorney probes might resurface before election

Posted 1/22/2008 10:02:00 AM

Though there hasn’t been much public activity in recent months, probes into the 2006 firings of nine U.S. attorneys could re-enter the spotlight in the heat of the 2008 election cycle.

That has the potential to threaten the legacy of the retiring U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici and the political future of U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson.

The Hill is reporting today that there has been recent behind-the-scenes activity in several investigations related to the firings of David Iglesias of New Mexico and others. That includes investigation into the October 2006 phone calls Domenici and Wilson placed to Iglesias to discuss an ongoing investigation weeks before the November 2006 election.

Iglesias alleges Domenici and Wilson pressured him to speed indictments to sway voters, a charge both deny.

The Hill is reporting that investigators with the Senate Ethics Committee returned to Albuquerque last month to interview Iglesias’ former staff members about the situation, indicating that the inquiry is alive and well. And, according to The Hill, a House inquiry into actions by Wilson and several other Congressional Republicans is continuing.

In addition, a “sprawling inquiry” by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General and the Office of Professional Responsibility is ongoing, The Hill reported. That probe is examining whether Justice officials lied to Congress, violated the Hatch Act, tampered with witnesses or took other inappropriate action, including whether they took improper political considerations into account when deciding who to fire.

At the center of it all is Iglesias, the most outspoken of the fired U.S. attorneys. And that means Domenici and Wilson also remain in the spotlight.

A report on the OIG/OPR investigation’s findings could be released in the next three months. There’s no timeline on when or even if the congressional inquiries will lead to public hearings or reports. But, The Hill is reporting, the Senate committee also sent staffers to New Mexico twice last year to interview Iglesias’ wife, who overheard her husband’s end of the phone call with Domenici, and Allen Weh, the head of the state GOP, who met with Karl Rove to complain about Iglesias in 2005.

The Senate inquiry is apparently serious.

Wilson has a tough primary battle against U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce in the race to replace Domenici, and the OIG/OPR report could, if The Hill’s report is accurate, come out before June, so it could have the potential to affect that race. However, that probe is less focused on Domenici and Wilson than the two congressional probes, which could go nowhere.

Iglesias’ allegations against Wilson are already out there and could be used against her this year. Time will tell whether any of the outstanding investigations will add fuel to the fire.