Sen. Salazar Won't Be Part of Panel Putting Domenici Under Microscope

The Senate ethics committee sent a strong signal yesterday that it is digging in for a long and serious examination of Republican Sen. Pete Domenici's role in the firing of New Mexico's U.S. attorney.

In a rare move, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) recused himself from the investigation into the dismissal of David Iglesias as New Mexico's federal prosecutor. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) will stand in for Salazar for this matter on the evenly divided six-senator panel.

Committee spokesman Cody Wertz told washingtonpost.com's Paul Kane that Salazar recused himself Tuesday night because he had worked on projects with Patricia Madrid, the former New Mexico attorney general who narrowly lost her challenge to Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.). Wilson, like Domenici, is accused of calling Iglesias in the weeks before the election to pressure him to indict state Democrats.

Salazar's term as Colorado attorney general overlapped for six years with Madrid's term as New Mexico's. They worked together on numerous issues. As attorney general, Salazar also faced accusations from Colorado conservatives that he did not aggressively pursue alleged voter fraud by liberal get-out-the-vote groups before the 2004 presidential election and his own Senate race.

Wertz added that the content of the investigation also prompted Salazar's recusal: "He may have knowledge of matters that may be investigated by the committee."

The Senate ethics committee is conducting a preliminary inquiry into Domenici, the earliest stage of an investigation. The House ethics panel has not disclosed whether it has begun a probe of Wilson.

In the past decade, there has been only one other recusal in a Senate ethics case, when Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) withdrew in the 2002 investigation into improper gifts to then-Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.). That investigation lasted six months and ended with Torricelli being severely admonished.

Never Too Early for Negative Ads

It's 19 months until the next congressional elections, but the antiwar folks are getting an early jump on the opposition. Americans United for Change-- a Democratic-leaning umbrella group -- is airing television ads this week targeting six House Republicans whom the group sees as vulnerable because they are not voting with Democrats on the Iraq war.

Those under siege are Mary Bono (Calif.), Dean Heller (Nev.), Timothy Johnson (Ill.), Randy Kuhl (N.Y.), Jim Walsh (N.Y.) and Heather Wilson (N.M.). Walsh and Wilson won by very narrow margins.

"These guys have a choice whether to break with the GOP or face political extinction," said Tom Matzzie, Washington director for MoveOn.org, which is helping fund the ads.

But some of those targeted aren't worried. Walsh opposes mandating a deadline for withdrawing forces but voted against the recent troop increase that President Bush ordered. His spokesman Brian Baluta said that the last time an antiwar group attacked the congressman in an ad, the office was deluged with calls -- and most were supportive of Walsh.

These new ads come on the heels of similar efforts by the group targeting GOP Sens. John Sununu (N.H.), Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Susan Collins (Maine) to pressure them to support Democrats' version of the war appropriations bill.