March 07, 2007

Domenici Lawyers Up

Sen. Pete Domenici has hired top defense attorney Lee Blalack to represent him in a coming investigation into the firings of several U.S. attorneys last December, the Washington Post reports. The New Mexico Republican was one of two lawmakers from that state -- Rep. Heather Wilson was the other -- to phone in complaints about former prosecutor David Iglesias.

Iglesias, a Republican, told lawmakers yesterday that his one-time mentor asked about a corruption probe involving Democrats shortly before last November's midterm elections.

"Are those going to be filed before November?'" Domenici asked of pending indictments, according to Iglesias. "I said I didn't think so," Iglesias told the Senate Judiciary Committee. Domenici replied that he was "very sorry to hear that" and hung up.

Following yesterday's hearing, Domenici issued a statement in which he said, "While I recall, as I stated previously, that I asked Mr. Iglesias about the timing of the investigation, neither I nor those who overheard my side of the brief conversation recall my mentioning the November election to him."

While Iglesias' account of events does sound damning, one legal expert told U.S. News & World Report that it would be difficult to discipline the senator, who is up for re-election next year. Said Leonard Gross of the Southern Illinois University Law School, "I would strongly doubt that any disciplinary authority would touch this with a 10-foot pole unless you had clear evidence that he crossed the line."

Posted at 4:34 PM
Posted to: Attorney Scandal
Share via