ABC: Snow lied about Rove's role in purge

E-mails suggest that the idea of firing all U.S. attorneys may have originated with Bush's political advisor, not Harriet Miers.

Published March 15, 2007 9:08PM (EDT)

White House press secretary Tony Snow told reporters earlier this week that the idea of firing all 93 sitting U.S. attorneys -- the idea that ultimately led to the firing of eight U.S. attorneys last year -- was Harriet Miers' and "her idea only."

Like so much else the Bush administration has said about the prosecutor purge, it turns out that wasn't true.

According to ABC News, not-yet-released internal e-mails show that Karl Rove raised the idea of firing all the prosecutors -- and that Alberto Gonzales had one or more discussions about the idea -- before the White House has said that Miers was involved.


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

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