House Judiciary suing Bolten and Miers

The House Judiciary Committee is suing former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten to force them to provide information about the firing of U.S. attorneys and to find out how deeply President Bush was involved.

The suit was filed after the Bush administration announced it would not pursue criminal contempt charges against the two in the legal battle over their refusal to testify.

In a 36-page filing in U.S. District Court in Washington, lawyers for the House said the White House officials' refused to appear before the House Judiciary Committee and to provide documents "critical to the investigation" of the controversial firings of nine U.S. attorneys.

"The House is taking action today to uphold the rule of law and to protect our constitutional system of checks and balances," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "The Bush administration cannot conceal information and prevent Congress from carrying out its oversight and lawmaking responsibilities."

"By ordering the U.S. attorney to take no action in response to congressional subpoenas, the Bush administration is continuing to politicize law enforcement, which undermines public confidence in our criminal justice system," Pelosi said in a statement.

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