Rove Refuses to Testify, Gonzales Refuses to Make Sense

White House senior adviser Karl Rove has rebuked a Senate Judiciary Committee subpoena and will not appear Thursday to testify about his role in the firing of nine US Attorneys, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said late Wednesday.

...The House Judiciary Committee initiated criminal contempt of Congress charges against former White House counsel Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolton last month after they refused to comply with subpoenas demanding their testimony.

It remains unclear whether Rove will face similar charges. A Judiciary Committee spokeswoman told RAW STORY Wednesday night that if Rove followed through in refusing to testify, the committee could decide to issue criminal charges later. The aide said no decisions had been made yet.

With potential perjury accusations hanging over him, embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sent a letter to Senate leaders Wednesday acknowledging he "may have created confusion" in his previous testimony.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales writes of his concern with "suggestions that my testimony was misleading." But he said he did not mean to mislead senators and was "determined to address any such impression."

"The attorney general's legalistic explanation of his misleading testimony under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week is not what one should expect from the top law enforcement officer of the United States," Leahy said.

"It is time for full candor to enforce the law and promote justice, rather than word parsing."