WASHINGTON (AFP) — A US House of Representatives committee has subpoenaed President George W. Bush's former political guru Karl Rove to testify in a fierce political row over the firing of federal prosecutors.
The move was the latest bid by the Democratic-led Congress to probe the furor over claims the prosecutors were dismissed for political reasons, which contributed to the resignation of attorney general Alberto Gonzales last year.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers said he had no option but to issue the subpoena, after exhaustive negotiations with Rove's lawyer.
"It is unfortunate that Mr Rove has failed to cooperate with our requests," Conyers said in a statement.
"Although he does not seem the least bit hesitant to discuss these issues weekly on cable television and in the print news media."
Rove, who steered Bush's career from the days before he was the governor of Texas into the White House, left the president's team last year, and is now a prolific political pundit.
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