Fired Maryland prosecutor was investigating state's Republican governor

Thomas M. DiBiagio, the former U. S. attorney for Maryland, told the New York Times Monday that he was in the middle of an investigation into corruption involving associates of Maryland's Republican governor when he was fired by U. S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:

"There was direct pressure not to pursue these investigations," said the former prosecutor, Thomas M. DiBiagio. "The practical impact was to intimidate my office and shut down the investigations."

Some of the eight fired prosecutors, including H. E. Cummins of Arkansas, are scheduled to testify before House and Senate committees beginning today. Cummins was in the middle of an investigation into Governor Matt Blunt's awarding of state license fee offices when he was asked to resign.