McClatchy's Margaret Talev:

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to turn over all e-mails to or from White House political adviser Karl Rove in connection with the controversy over the firings last year of eight U.S. attorneys.

The subpoena suggests that the congressional inquiry is focusing on Rove and whether he shaped the firings and hirings of U.S. attorneys and whether the purge was influenced by GOP concerns about corruption probes and investigations of voter fraud in battleground states during the last election.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said he took the step only after Gonzales twice declined to turn over such e-mails voluntarily. The subpoena gives Gonzales a May 15 deadline. If he does not comply, Leahy said, he will be asked to appear before the panel to answer questions.

Neither the Justice Department nor the White House issued an immediate response.

The development could be significant on two fronts: Any e-mails turned over could shed light on the White House’s role in the firings, which Democrats say they believe may have been improperly motivated by politics.

Moreover, the action suggests Leahy is running out of patience with the White House and may be gearing up to issue additional subpoenas. ...

Lawmakers believe the Justice Department has custody of many Rove e-mails through an unrelated investigation into whether anyone in the Bush administration leaked a CIA agent’s identity after her husband disputed pre-war intelligence claims.

Posted by Laura at May 2, 2007 06:56 PM