Washington Post: Karl Rove Mischaracterized His Role in Attorney Firings

When the dust settled after the Bush administration's firing of U.S. attorneys in 2006 that resulted eventually in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigning, Karl Rove painted his own role as a middleman who just passed messages along. Now, Rove is delivering testimony on the firings behind closed doors to the House Judiciary Committee, after a protracted legal battle over whether he would need to testify at all. And The Washington Post reports that Rove's role was greater than he previously suggested, according to emails it obtained and interviews with key participants.

Says the Post:

In an hour-long interview with The Post and The New York Times this month, Rove described himself as a 'conduit' of grievances from lawmakers and others about the performance of home-state prosecutors.The interview was conducted on the condition that it not be released until Rove's House testimony concluded. He said he did not recall several events in the timeline because of his busy job and asserted that he had done nothing to influence criminal cases, an allegation by Democrats that has dogged him for years. (Robert) Luskin, Rove's attorney, asserted that "there was never any point where Karl was trying to get a particular prosecution advanced or retarded."

But the Post account says that emails from that period show a more involved role for Rove in the firings, particularly in Arkansas, where Attorney General Bud Cummings was eventually replaced with a former protege of Rove's, Timothy Griffin.

The Post quotes an email from Rove to White House political affairs director Sara Taylor from Feb. 11, 2005: "Give him (Griffin) options. Keep pushing for Justice and let him decide. I want him on the team." The New York Times also reports that another email from Rove to Taylor, sent just two weeks after the first, says again about Griffin, "Hire him."

Information from Rove's private hearings is not set to be released until after the Judiciary Committee wraps up, but, congressional testimony is not the only ongoing effect from the U.S. attorney firings. Special prosecutor Nora Dannehy -- appointed last year to look into the firings -- is still investigating whether any charges should be filed.