House panel OKs subpoenas on firings

WASHINGTON, March 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. House subcommittee Thursday voted to subpoena four former U.S. attorneys who were among at least eight prosecutors fired by the Justice Department.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law authorized subpoenas for former prosecutors in Arkansas, New Mexico, Seattle and San Diego. All four will be compelled to testify at a hearing next Tuesday, officials told the Washington Post.

"Are these people being removed for doing their job and for it doing it too well?" said Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., who heads the subcommittee.

David C. Iglesias, who resigned Wednesday as U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, said two members of Congress tried to pressure him to speed up an investigation of Democrats before the November 2006 elections. Iglesias told the Post he suspects complaints from the lawmakers, whom he would not name, may have led the Justice Department to fire him late last year.

"I didn't give (the lawmakers) what they wanted," he said. "That was probably a political problem that caused them to go to the White House or whomever and complain that I wasn't a team player."

Justice Department officials said Iglesias had performance and attendance shortcomings, but Iglesias said he consistently had positive job reviews, and noted he is required to serve 40 days a year in the Navy Reserve.