Vermont U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy is turning up the heat on the White House in trying to get it to comply with subpoenas in the probe of the firings of federal prosecutors.
Leahy says he’ll call for votes on contempt citations against the White House, which would put the question of whether the White House must comply with the subpoenas into the federal courts.
The White House maintains that it needs secrecy in order for the president to get candid advice from his assistants.
Leahy, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is investigating the firings late last year of eight federal prosecutors.
He says he fears political interference in the federal law enforcement system.