A House panel is probing the Election Day 2002 phone-jamming plot by GOP operatives against New Hampshire Democrats.
Democratic Congressman Paul Hodes wants the panel to focus on key “unanswered questions” about whether the White House played a role in the plot — and whether the Justice Department dragged its feet on the case for political reasons.
Hodes plans to testify today before a joint panel of two Judiciary Committee subcommittees.
Hodes said the public deserves to know whether political interference delayed prosecution of the case until after the 2004 elections and President Bush’s re-election. He said the controversy over the alleged political firings of eight federal prosecutors underscores the need to hold the Justice Department accountable.
The phone-jamming scandal has led to four criminal prosecutions and a lawsuit that was settled with Republicans paying the Democrats $135,000.