Fired prosecutor's testimony raises broader concerns
WASHINGTON — It was just three weeks before election day 2006, and Rep. Heather A. Wilson was on the ropes. Opinion polls showed the New Mexico Republican trailing her Democratic opponent in a tough campaign.
Even with the support of Wilson's influential mentor, Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.), many Republicans feared she would lose her seat and cost the party control of the House.
One person in a good position to help Wilson was U.S. Atty. David C. Iglesias, who was investigating Democratic corruption in her home state. A late-breaking indictment of Democratic officials could help Wilson distance herself from sex and lobbying scandals plaguing the GOP in Washington.
That's why eyebrows raised when it was recently disclosed that, in the heat of her fight for political survival, Wilson called Iglesias to ask about possible indictments. So did Domenici.
Both lawmakers have denied that they called Iglesias for political purposes or pressured him. But questions about their actions have turned what might have been a narrow investigation of the Justice Department's late-2006 decision to fire Iglesias and seven other U.S. attorneys into a broader controversy about the ethical limits of lawmakers' influence on prosecutors.
Those broader questions may be addressed if the matter is brought under formal investigation. The FBI has not opened an inquiry, but the Senate Ethics Committee has announced a preliminary investigation. Congressional sources say that fellow lawmakers may file a complaint with the House Ethics Committee. And one government watchdog group -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington -- has filed complaints with both ethics panels.
Democrats see the New Mexico episode as indicative of the lengths Republicans were willing to go to gain political advantage in the crucial midterm elections that ended up changing the balance of power in Congress.
Wilson's Democratic opponent in November, Patricia Madrid, accused Wilson and Domenici of crossing an ethical line with hardball tactics encouraged by Karl Rove, President Bush's political advisor. Rove attended a fundraiser for Wilson during the campaign and kept close tabs on the race.
"I think it was very contrived and manipulated, and they absolutely used the justice system to benefit Heather Wilson," said Madrid, who was in Washington this week as hearings were held on the firings.
