--by Joshua Lanzet, Congresspedia Intern

Along with the Iraq War [3], the broadening investigation into the Bush administration U.S. attorney firings controversy [4] continues to dominate the headlines coming out of Congress. Congresspedia [5]'s citizen and staff editors are following the scandal closely, documenting the congressional investigations as well as the details of the actual firings as they emerge. Here are the latest developments, but make sure to see the full article [4] for complete details:

Senior Justice Department official refuses to testify before Congress: Monica Goodling [6], a senior counselor to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the Justice Department [7]'s liaison to the White House who is currently on an "indefinite leave of absence," announced last week (March 26) that she would invoke her Fifth Amendment [8] rights if subpoenaed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee [9]. Goodling explained in a letter that any testimony given could place her in a legally precarious situation given the political climate surrounding the investigations into the attorney firings [4]. She specifically cited that Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy [10] (D-Vt.) had already "drawn conclusions" about the firings. She sent a near-identical letter to the House Judiciary Committee [11] after her name was added to a list of DOJ employees to be interviewed by the committee on March 30.

Former Deputy Attorney General refutes claims made by Alberto Gonzales and White House: Last Thursday (March 29), Kyle Sampson, formerly Alberto Gonzales' chief of staff at the Justice Department, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sampson told the panel that the discussions and ultimate decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys in late 2006 were done in coordination with and the full awareness of both White House officials (such as former counsel Harriet Miers) and Gonzales. This contradicted previous statements by both the White House and Gonzales in which each denied any involvement. Sampson also said that he was merely a recommendation-maker, rather than the decision-maker that Gonzales had accused him of being. Sampson further testified that the level of adherence to the administration's political agenda was the basis for evaluating the performance of the fired attorneys.

House Judiciary Committee and DOJ reach agreement on employee interviews: Last Friday (March 30), the House Judiciary Committee and the DOJ agreed on the terms of interviews with eight DOJ employees. The committee would be allowed to conduct transcribed interviews, though behind closed doors and without oaths. Despite the lack of oaths, false statements made to the committee in the interviews would still be prosecutable. The committee also agreed to "keep the content of the interviews confidential pending consultation with Department officials." Monica Goodling, who has promised not to speak to Congress, was included on the list.

We at Congresspedia [5] have been closely following the action on the U.S. attorney firings controversy, and will continue to do so as events transpire. We've created several comprehensive pages on the topic [4], and urge you to both check them out and improve them with your own edits!