[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 21, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H2751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         U.S. ATTORNEY SCANDAL

  (Mr. ARCURI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, Democrats made a promise last November to 
bring accountability back to Congress and the Federal Government. In 
just a few short months, we have conducted thorough and meaningful 
oversight on a series of issues that would have been swept under the 
rug by the previous Republican leadership, which sadly was often more 
concerned with protecting the administration than doing the right 
thing.
  Earlier this week, the Justice Department, at the request of 
congressional Democrats, released thousands of pages of e-mails and 
internal documents related to the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys by the 
administration. The documents indicate that the administration's 
contention that the attorneys were dismissed for performance-related 
reasons simply is not true.
  This Congress is seeking to attain the rest of the story by asking 
senior White House officials involved in the U.S. Attorney scandal to 
testify under oath. Unfortunately, the administration does not want to 
comply and provide the American people with the facts.
  As a former elected district attorney, I know how critically 
important it is for prosecutors to be independent and to perform their 
job without fear of retaliatory firings.
  It is time for this administration to do the right thing and hold 
those responsible for the scandal accountable.

                          ____________________