March 22, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1428

WASHINGTON, March 21: US President George W. Bush vowed to resist any attempt by Congress to force top aides to testify under oath about a row over fired prosecutors, warning against a “partisan fishing expedition.”

In his boldest language since Democrats won control of Congress in November, Bush accused his opponents on Tuesday of using the escalating showdown to “score political points” and refused to back down.

Faced with a fierce new partisan fight as he tries to breathe life into a second-term administration hobbled by the unpopular Iraq war, Bush warned: “We will not go along with a partisan fishing expedition.”

Earlier, the president personally endorsed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is facing calls for his ouster over the dismissal of eight prosecutors which critics claim was politically motivated.

The White House also branded as “completely false” reports that it was already scouting for a replacement for Gonzales, a trusted member of Bush's Texas inner circle.

Throwing down the gauntlet to his Democratic foes demanding his aides testify, Bush said: “I will oppose any attempts to subpoena White House officials.” The administration earlier agreed to let key figures in the drama, including Bush's top political advisor Karl Rove, meet congressional investigators -- but not to testify under oath.

Democratic lawmakers promptly rejected Bush's offer, setting the stage for a possible confrontation.

“Testimony should be on the record, under oath,” said Patrick Leahy, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Vermont senator said subpoenas for White House officials would “probably” be issued Thursday. “All we want is the truth,” he told CNN.

Bush, whose fellow Republicans have been critical of Gonzales, did however admit the episode had been poorly handled following sometimes contradictory explanations of the prosecutor firings, though he noted it was within his power to dismiss federal prosecutors.

The Senate moved to ensure it would have a say in filling US Attorney vacancies, with members of both parties voting 94-2 for legislation requiring that replacements be subject to confirmation by lawmakers.

“This bill will go a long way toward restoring the independence of federal prosecutors,” said Democratic Senator Ken Salazar.

Bush offered to send Gonzales and his staff to testify before Congress and said the administration had turned over 3,000 pages of documents in a bid to shed light on the reasons the US attorneys were fired.

Bush raised the issue of executive privilege, the convention which is supposed to safeguard a president's capacity to receive candid counsel from advisors, saying aides should not fear being hauled before investigations.

But Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer refused to accept the White House reasoning.

“What is the objection to an oath? If there's nothing to hide and everyone is telling the truth, there should be no objection.

“What is the objection to having this discussion in public?” Schumer said on the Senate floor.

Having been forced to remove defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld after the Republicans were routed in November legislative elections, the White House is desperate not to hand Democrats the scalp of another key administration figure. —AFP