Times editorial: Congress must demand answers in probe of firing of federal prosecutors

Congress must keep pressure on the Bush Administration to get to the bottom of the firing of eight federal prosecutors, an editorial in today's New York Times says. The prosecutors who were fired include Bud Cummins of Arkansas, who was in the middle of an investigation into the awarding of lucrative license fee offices when he was dismissed:

(Congress) must find out who decided to fire these prosecutors and why, and who may have authorized putting pressure on Mr. Cummins. And it must look into whether Senator Domenici and Representatives Wilson and Hastings violated ethics rules that forbid this sort of interference. We hope the House committee will not be deterred by the fact that Mr. Hastings is its ranking Republican. The Justice Department also needs to open its own investigation. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s claim that these prosecutors were fired for poor performance was always difficult to believe. Now it’s impossible.