Justice Department won't block ex-official’s testimony

The Justice Department on Monday said it would not stand in the way of a move by the House Judiciary Committee to grant immunity to former Justice official Monica Goodling in order to obtain her testimony about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year.

In a letter to Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., Justice officials reluctantly agreed not to object, suggesting information that emerges might interfere with the department's own investigation.

"As in any investigation that potentially could involve evidence of criminal conduct, we would prefer that any potential subject not be granted immunity at this stage of the investigation," states the letter from Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine and Office of Professional Responsibility Counsel H. Marshall Jarrett.

"However," the letter continues, "we understand the committee's interest in obtaining Ms. Goodling's testimony. Therefore, after balancing the significant congressional and public interest against the impact of the committee's action on our ongoing investigation, we will not raise an objection or seek a deferral," the officials wrote.

The committee is interested in calling Goodling to testify because of her former work as a liaison to the White House and her role in preparing other senior Justice officials for testimony that turned out to contain errors. She resigned last month.

"I believe obtaining her testimony will be a critical step in our efforts to get to the truth about the circumstances surrounding the U.S. Attorney firings and possible politicization in the Department's prosecutorial function," Conyers said in a statement. "The Committee will be moving expeditiously to apply for the court order so that we can schedule a hearing promptly."

The Justice Department announced last week that it is also investigating whether Goodling considered party affiliation in hiring U.S. attorneys. The House Judiciary Committee plans to hear testimony from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Thursday.