WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- President Bush refused Monday to allow senators to review documents on Harriet Miers' work as White House counsel.
"They may ask for paperwork about the decision-making process, what her recommendations were, and that would breach very important confidentiality," he told reporters. "And it's a red line I'm not willing to cross."
The president dodged a question about whether he has a contingency plan for withdrawing the Miers nomination.
"Harriet Miers is -- is an extraordinary woman," he responded. "She was a legal pioneer in Texas. She was ranked one of the top 50 women lawyers in the United States on a consistent basis."
The nomination has come under heavy fire, especially from many of Bush's conservative allies who say he should have picked a conservative known for legal scholarship, not a lawyer known for corporate work and as a loyal ally. Recently, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the moderate chairman of the Judiciary Committee, took the extraordinary step of returning Miers' questionnaire, saying her answers were unsatisfactory.
