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Skriven 2007-03-20 23:31:10 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0703209) for Tue, 2007 Mar 20
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White House Counsel's Letter Regarding U.S. Attorneys
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 20, 2007

White House Counsel's Letter Regarding U.S. Attorneys

˙˙White House News

˙˙˙˙˙ President Bush Addresses Resignations of U.S. Attorneys

Dear Chairman Leahy, Chairman Conyers, Ranking Member Specter, Ranking
Member Smith, and Congresswoman S nchez:

I write in response to the letter of Chairman Leahy and Senator Specter
dated March 13, 2007, and Chairman Conyers' and Congresswoman S nchez's
letter of March 9, 2007, regarding the Department of Justice's decision to
request the resignations of United States Attorneys in December 2006. As
you know, I have been working over the last week with your Committees to
accommodate your interests, while at the same time respecting the
constitutional prerogatives of the Presidency. I very much appreciate the
time and consideration that you and other Members of Congress have provided
me in the course of these discussions.

In keeping with the President's commitment to ensure that Congress and the
American people understand the resignations of the U.S. Attorneys, the
Department of Justice has produced more than 3,000 pages of documents
relating to this matter. These documents do not reflect that any U.S.
Attorney was replaced to interfere with a pending or future criminal
investigation or for any other improper reason. These documents, together
with the interviews to be provided by Department officials, will provide
extensive background on the decisions in question, including an account of
communications between the Department and senior White House officials.
Congress, in short, is receiving a virtually unprecedented window into
personnel decision-making within the Executive Branch.

In the midst of this current debate, the President must remain faithful to
the fundamental interests of the Presidency and the requirements of the
constitutional separation of powers. We wish to reach a reasonable
accommodation so as to provide your Committees the information they are
seeking in a way that will allow this President, and future Presidents, to
continue to discharge their constitutional responsibilities effectively.

In response to the invitations for interviews extended by the Committees, I
am prepared to agree to make available for interviews the President's
former Counsel; current Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor; Deputy
Counsel; and a Special Assistant in the Office of Political Affairs. We are
prepared to agree to the following terms, which, considering applicable
constitutional principles relating to the Presidency and your Committees'
interests, we believe are fair, reasonable, and respectful. We believe that
such interviews should be a last resort, and should be conducted, if
needed, only after Congress has heard from Department of Justice officials
about the decision to request the resignations of the U.S. Attorneys.

Such interviews may cover, and would be limited to, the subject of (a)
communications between the White House and persons outside the White House
concerning the request for resignations of the U.S. Attorneys in question;
and (b) communications between the White House and Members of Congress
concerning those requests. Those interviews should be conducted by both
Committees jointly. Questioning of White House officials would be conducted
by a Member or limited number of Members, who would be accompanied by
committee staff. Such interviews would be private and conducted without the
need for an oath, transcript, subsequent testimony, or the subsequent
issuance of subpoenas. A representative of the Office of the Counsel to the
President would attend these interviews and personal counsel to the invited
officials may be present at their election.

As an additional accommodation, and as a part of this proposal, we are
prepared to provide to your Committees copies of two categories of
documents: (a) communications between the White House and the Department of
Justice concerning the request for resignations of the U.S. Attorneys in
question; and (b) communications on the same subject between White House
staff and third parties, including Members of Congress or their staffs on
the subject.

We trust and believe that the accommodation we offer here, in addition to
what the Department of Justice has provided, should satisfy the Committees'
interests.

Sincerely,

Fred F. Fielding
Counsel to the President

The Honorable Patrick Leahy
United States Senate
433 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable John Conyers
United States House of Representatives
2426 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Arlen Specter
United States Senate
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Lamar Smith
United States House of Representatives
2409 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Linda S nchez
United States House of Representatives
1007 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
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