US:Leading Democrats have called for the resignation of attorney general Alberto Gonzales amid mounting evidence of White House involvement in the sacking of eight federal prosecutors, or US attorneys, last year, writes Denis Stauntonfrom Washington.
The prosecutors were fired after Republican legislators complained they were too slow to investigate allegations of voter fraud against Democrats.
Justice department officials testified under oath last year the sackings were for administrative and managerial reasons and there was no political involvement.
However, documents sent by the White House to Congress yesterday show senior administration officials had been discussing for two years the possibility of firing unsympathetic prosecutors.
"Make no mistake about it, this has become as serious as it gets," said New York Democratic senator Chuck Schumer.
Mr Gonzales has refused to resign but he admitted yesterday that mistakes had been made in the way the prosecutors were fired.
"Obviously, I am concerned about the fact that information - incomplete information - was communicated or may have been communicated to the Congress. I believe very strongly in our obligation to ensure that when we provide information to the Congress, it is accurate and it is complete. And I am very dismayed that that may not have occurred here," he said.
Mr Gonzales's chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, resigned this week after he admitted failing to brief justice department officials about the extent of his discussions with the White House before the sackings.
According to the documents sent to Congress yesterday, former White House counsel Harriet Miers initially wanted to fire all 93 US attorneys at the beginning of President George Bush's second term two years ago. The justice department rejected the idea on the basis that it would be too disruptive, but eventually agreed to fire eight prosecutors last year.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, the president's top political adviser, vaguely recalls telling Ms Miers that he also thought firing all 93 was ill-advised.
Ms Perino acknowledged that complaints about the job performance of prosecutors occasionally came to the White House and were passed on to the justice department, perhaps including some informally from Mr Bush to Mr Gonzales.
"The president recalls hearing complaints about election fraud not being vigorously prosecuted and believes he may have informally mentioned it to the attorney general during a brief discussion on other department of justice matters. At no time did any White House officials, including the president, direct the department of justice to take specific action against any individual US attorney," she said.
Mr Schumer said it was increasingly clear the White House was involved in the firings and called on Mr Rove, Ms Miers and Mr Sampson to testify before Congress about their roles in the matter.
"I renew my call that Attorney General Gonzales should step down. Today's resignation by his chief of staff does not take the heat off the attorney general. It raises the temperature," he said.
As the chief federal law enforcement officials in their various districts, US attorneys are typically appointed to four-year terms by the president on the recommendation of state political leaders, but serve at the pleasure of the president and can be dismissed at any time.
Democrats claim the eight dismissals announced last December were politically motivated, and some of those fired have said they felt pressured by powerful Republicans in their home states to expedite investigations of potential voter fraud involving Democrats.
Senate judiciary committee chairman Patrick Leahy said yesterday that hearings on the matter were imminent and he would call anyone the committee needs to get to the bottom of it.
"I am outraged that the attorney general was less than forthcoming with the Senate while under oath before the judiciary committee," Mr Leahy said.