Officials also insisted that the White House had played a limited role in the decision to fire the eight. Then Snow told reporters Miers had first raised the prospect of firing all 93 US attorneys shortly after Bush's re-election in 2004.

Snow soon had to recant that claim. "I don't want to try to vouch for origination," he said last Friday as e-mails surfaced shedding new light on Rove's role. "At this juncture, people have hazy memories."

In the days since, Gonzales has been buffeted by calls for his resignation by Democrats and even a few Republicans, particularly in light of separate disclosures that FBI practices had resulted in the illegal collection of personal data on Americans and foreigners.

Despite expressions of support from Bush, one member of the House GOP leadership, Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida, said Wednesday that Gonzales "has to evaluate how effectively he can continue to serve as our attorney general. I am stopping short of calling for his resignation."

Concern was evident among Republicans at the House subcommittee hearing, although GOP lawmakers repeatedly pressed Democrats to hold off on approval of the subpoenas.

Rep. Tom Feeney , R-Fla., told Democrats he would support subpoenas in the future "if some evidence of misconduct comes up."

Democrats were unmoved.

"The White House has offered a proposal that allows limited access to witnesses, no access to key documents and no testimony under oath," said Sanchez. "We have worked toward voluntary cooperation on this investigation, but we must prepare for the possibility that the Justice Department and the White House will continue to hide the truth."

1

2