Domenici Says He Contacted Prosecutor

Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) said he called U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias but did not pressure or threaten him "in any way." (By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

At that time, Wilson, a close Domenici ally, was locked in a tight reelection battle with state Attorney General Patricia Madrid (D). Their race included widespread discussion of alleged corruption among New Mexico Democrats.

Domenici said his unhappiness with Iglesias began before he inquired about the probe of Democrats. He said he was concerned about resource problems in the U.S. attorney's office and "an inability within the office to move more quickly on cases."

"This ongoing dialogue and experience led me, several months before my call with Mr. Iglesias, to conclude and recommend to the Department of Justice that New Mexico needed a new United States attorney," Domenici said.

Justice officials have said they were never notified that lawmakers had called Iglesias and have said the issue did not play a role in his firing. Iglesias has acknowledged he erred by not informing Washington officials about the calls, as Justice rules require.

The House Judiciary subcommittee has issued subpoenas for Iglesias, Bud Cummins of Little Rock, Carol Lam of San Diego and John McKay of Seattle. The Senate Judiciary Committee has also asked Daniel Bogden of Las Vegas and Paul K. Charlton of Phoenix to testify, in addition to the four others.

"No one believes anymore these U.S. attorneys were fired for any good reason," said Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, "and we will start to uncover the real truth at our hearing on Tuesday."

In a related matter, administration officials said they were mistaken in saying that McNulty consulted his predecessor, James B. Comey, about some of the U.S. attorneys before they were fired. Comey was not consulted, the officials said.

Staff writer John Solomon and washingtonpost.com staff writer Paul Kane contributed to this report.