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House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and other panel members are calling on Karl Rove to testify before Congress on the alleged White House-led investigation of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D). Siegelman was convicted of bribery, but has since been released on appeal. The former governor has accused Rove of orchestrating a Justice Department investigation on supposed bribery charges for political advantage. Siegelman was the leading Democrat in Mississippi. “There continue to be numerous complaints of selective or politically motivated prosecution since our investigation began last year,” Conyers said in a statement corresponding to a report released Thursday on alleged selective prosecutions. “The actions we are taking today, including calling Karl Rove to testify, are an effort to get to the bottom of this matter,” he added. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the ranking member on the committee, said the report “provides no evidence to support partisan claims that the Bush administration has actively engaged in the selective prosecution of Democratic elected officials.” In September the committee heard testimony from Alabama Republican attorney Jill Simpson, who said in sworn testimony that the son of the state’s current Republican governor told her that Rove pressed the Department of Justice to bring charges against Siegelman. In a "60 Minutes" interview, Simpson also said Rove asked her to take a picture of Siegelman cheating on his wife. In an interview with GQ, Rove called Simpson a “complete lunatic” and claimed he has never met the attorney. Rove’s lawyer has said the former senior White House aide will appear if subpoenaed. |
