Admin. aides want delay in subpoena ruling

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- A White House official and a former aide asked a U.S. judge to put off enforcement of an order that they comply with congressional subpoena, court records show.

Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers filed papers Thursday in federal court indicating they do not plan to comply with subpoenas from the House Judiciary Committee, The Washington Post reported Friday. Rather, they plan to appeal last week's ruling by Judge John Bates that aides to President George W. Bush can be subpoenaed to testify before a congressional committee.

In his ruling, Bates rejected White House arguments that Bolten and Miers have absolute immunity from testifying before Congress. The House Judiciary Committee filed suit after the two, citing executive privilege, refused to testify in the committee's investigation into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006.

Following Bates' ruling, congressional Democrats said they would hold hearings on the matter in September, the Post said. Those hearings could be delayed until after the November election if Bolten and Miers succeed in getting a delay in enforcement of the judicial order and the subpoenas, which are set to expire at the end of December.