Explanation over subpoenas sought
Democrats took the first steps in what could be a long march to court in a tug-of-war between the White House and Congress over subpoenas and executive and legislative branch powers.
In a letter to White House Counsel Fred F. Fielding, the heads of the Senate and House Judiciary committees demanded an explanation in 10 days of why the White House claimed executive privilege on subpoenaed documents and vowed to invoke “the full force of law.”
The White House urged the chairmen to accept the administration’s offer to allow off-therecord interviews with current and former aides to President Bush. The fight centers on an investigation that Democrats initially undertook into the firings of several U.S. attorneys but that has since branched out to scrutiny of the administration’s warrantless wiretapping.
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