Following the E-Mails in the U.S. Attorney Dismissals

March 15, 2007 — -- The list of White House and Justice Department officials involved in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys is long, and includes Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, former White House counsel Harriet Miers and numerous other officials, according to e-mails released on Tuesday.

Although Kyle Sampson, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' former chief of staff, is the only Justice Department official to have resigned amid the controversy, scrutiny may be moving to other officials as more e-mails and memos between the White House and Justice Department are expected to be released as early as Friday.

Although e-mails released on Tuesday show Sampson working hand in hand with the White House counsel's office, several pages of e-mails show Justice Department officials dealing with White House political staff on the U.S. attorneys issue.

These include communications between Monica Goodling, the Justice Department-White House liaison and senior counselor to Gonzales, and Scott Jennings, the deputy political director at the White House.

The e-mails show that Jennings apparently used his Republican National Committee e-mail account to communicate with Justice Department officials.

Regarding the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, a series of e-mails between Goodling and Jennings reveal that two New Mexico residents were granted a meeting at the Justice Department to voice their concerns about Iglesias.

In a June 20, 2006 e-mail, Jennings wrote to Goodling, "I have a person from New Mexico coming to town this week -- he is the President's nominee for the U.S. Postal Board of Governors. He was heavily involved in the President's campaign's legal team. His name is Mickey Barnett, and he has requested a meeting with someone at DOJ to discuss the USATTY situation there."

Responding less than two hours later, Goodling wrote, "Sure- I'm happy to do it if it involves sensitive issues. … If it's more generic resources type of conversation our [Executive Office of US Attorney] director is here this week and available."

Jennings did not use his White House e-mail account for the exchanges but rather an e-mail account from the RNC that noted his e-mail as sjennings@gwb43.com.