Ousted U.s. Attorneys Say They Were Pressured Not To Speak;

UNITED STATES - MARCH 06: William E. Moschella, a deputy attorney general, is sworn in during the House Judiciary Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee hearing on the dismissal of Carol Lam, David C. Iglesias, Daniel G. Bogden, Paul K. Charlton, H.E. Cummins III, and John McKay, former U.S. attorneys who were asked to resign last year by the Bush administration. Moschella told the panel that the Justice Department preferred not to release any information about why the prosecutors were dismissed "out of respect for the U.S. attorneys at issue ... "In hindsight, perhaps this situation could have been handled better," Moschella said. "Unfortunately, our failure to provide reasons to these individual U.S. attorneys has only served to fuel wild and inaccurate speculation about our motives." Both the House and Senate Judiciary panels are investigating the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys and their replacement by interim appointees who can serve indefinitely and do not require Senate confirmation. Democrats want to repeal that authority, created by a provision in the reauthorization (PL 109-177) last year of the 2001 anti-terrorism law known as the Patriot Act. Aside from seeking to gain support for repeal legislation (HR 580, S 214), the panels are probing allegations of misconduct by members of Congress. Rep. Heather A. Wilson and Sen. Pete V. Domenici, who are New Mexico Republicans, have both admitted contacting one of the eight prosecutors about public corruption investigations. Earlier on Tuesday the attorneys told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the Justice Department pressured them not to speak publicly about their dismissals. Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said that assertion was "ridiculous and not based on fact." (Photo by Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)