WASHINGTON — Congress and the Bush administration headed for a pre-election showdown Wednesday over the issue of executive privilege, with House Democrats scheduling a hearing that would put a key administration figure under oath and the Justice Department mapping a last-ditch court appeal.
Justice lawyers said they would go to court as soon as today to block a ruling by U.S. District Judge John Bates that forces the White House to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the politically charged firing of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006.
The move came as Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he was calling former White House counsel Harriet Miers to appear before the committee on Sept. 11 to answer questions about her role in the firings.
