Conyers Wants Rove to Testify About Siegelman

After his release from prison pending appeal earlier this month, former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman (timeline of saga here) told 60 Minutes that the House and Senate Judiciary Committees should get Karl Rove to "put his hand on the Bible and take an oath and give testimony". Despite refusing to testify before a congressional panel about the U.S. Attorney purge, Rove's attorney confidently told MSNBC's Dan Abrams that Rove would testify if subpoenaed.

Democratic Representative John Conyers plans to take Rove up on that. Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, however, now says that Rove won't testify unless the White House says he can. Robert Luskin also said that MSNBC took the comments out of context.From CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A House committee Thursday asked former White House political adviser Karl Rove to testify about allegations that Bush administration officials pushed for federal prosecutions of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and other Democrats.

House Judiciary Committee leaders said it is "imperative" that Rove answer allegations that he pressed the Justice Department to investigate Siegelman, a Democrat who when indicted was preparing a rematch against Alabama's Republican governor in 2006.

"We look forward to scheduling an early date for your voluntary appearance," the committee's Democratic leaders wrote in a letter released Thursday.

Rove's lawyer, Robert Luskin, said Thursday that President Bush's onetime political mastermind "absolutely denies he was in any way involved in the decision to prosecute Don Siegelman." Luskin said he has had no direct communication the the Judiciary Committee's staff or its chairman, Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, and said the White House would have to decide whether Rove will be able to testify.

(more)

The former Alabama governor believes that no matter the outcome of his appeal and public dispute with Rove and Justice Department he is done with politics. "Politics for me, in terms of elected politics, is over. If that's what Karl Rove wanted, he accomplished his goal," Siegelman told 60 Minutes.

Air America's Robert Kennedy, Jr. interviewed Siegelman recently on his radios how (video here).