Investigative reporter Murray Waas has an exhaustive piece on TPM Muckraker today on nine Bush administration officials who refused to cooperative with Department of Justice investigations into the U.S. attorney firings during the last days of Bush's presidency. "In addition," Waas writes, "two U.S. senators, a congresswoman, and the chief of staff to one of them, also refused to cooperate with the same investigations."

In large part because of that noncooperation, Justice Department officials sought criminal prosecutors in at least two cases so far to take over their investigations so that they can compel the testimony of many of those officials to testify through the use of a federal grand jury.

With the stakes now escalating for both sides -- the possibility of grand jury subpoenas for recalcitrant witnesses and the specter of senior government officials invoking their Fifth Amendment right to self-incrimination -- it remains unclear whether and how many of them will continue to defy investigators.

Go here to read the full article.

The U.S. attorneys scandal may seem like ancient history, but the questions of accountability and Bush-era stonewalling are especially relevant right now, given the growing number of Americans who favor investigating the myriad crimes of the Bush administration. Visit AlterNet's Rights & Liberties section for more on the debate over accountability.

Thanks for reading,

Liliana Segura

Rights & Liberties Special Coverage

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