Domenici admits involvement in prosecutor scandal

March 4, 2007

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici disclosed Sunday that he called New Mexico's former federal prosecutor last year to ask about pending corruption cases, but denied trying to pressure the prosecutor to bring charges before last year's congressional elections.

U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici disclosed Sunday that he called New Mexico's former federal prosecutor last year to ask about pending corruption cases, but denied trying to pressure the prosecutor to bring charges before last year's congressional elections.

The prosecutor, David Iglesias, is scheduled to testify before a House subcommittee Tuesday regarding his recent firing. He told National Public Radio last week that two members of Congress called him last October to ask about when indictments would be coming in a politically charged corruption probe.

"In retrospect, I regret making that call and I apologize," Domenici, a veteran Republican, said in a written statement. "However, at no time in that conversation or any other conversation with Mr. Iglesias did I ever tell him what course of action I thought he should take on any legal matter."

Iglesias has so far not identified the lawmakers who called him, telling NPR he feared he would be "blackballed" in the state's relatively small legal community. But he said he would name them in his upcoming appearance before the House Judiciary subcommittee on administrative law.