The House Judiciary Committee has struck a deal with Karl Rove and Harriet Miers for testimony about the U.S. Attorney firings. The former Bush White House officials will give depositions to the panel, and may be called for public testimony at a later date. The committee may also be allowed to question former deputy White House counsel William Kelley. Keith Perrine at Congressional Quarterly writes:
The deal appears to defuse a major clash between Congress and Bush over the scope of executive privilege that has also enmeshed President Obama. On balance, it is a win for the committee, which will get a lot of what it has sought throughout a nearly two-year battle.
Rove will also answer questions about the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, a Democrat whose prosecution may have been politically motivated. And the panel will gain access to Bush White House documents it had been denied relating to the firings.
