GOP calls U.S. attorney probe a 'hoax'

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. House of Representatives Republicans called the Democrats' probe of the firings of several U.S. attorneys a "hoax" intended to affect the 2008 elections.

Congressmen speaking on the record to The Washington Times said the investigation has yielded no results, while Republican aides familiar with the inquiry are privately complaining it is driven by partisan politics.

"It is this big investigation of Republican manipulation of the executive branch's prosecutorial ability for partisan gain," one senior House Republican staffer told the Times. "What it has turned into is the Democratic manipulation of the legislative branch for partisan gain. It's a hoax and a very expensive one."

But Democrats argue they haven't found evidence of wrongdoing because the White House has declined to allow administration officials to partake in public hearings.

"It's easy for some Republicans to complain about the process when they know full well that the White House has blocked Congress' efforts to get the full truth about the firing of independently minded U.S. attorneys," Nadeam Elshami, spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said to the Times.