Senators to Bush: No Pardons Over Attorney Firings

By Laurie Kellman, Associated Press Writer | Newsweek Web Exclusive

Sep 29, 2008 | Updated: 2:07 p.m. ET Sep 29, 2008

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(WASHINGTON) Senators are praising Attorney General Michael Mukasey's appointment of a special counsel to investigate the firings of nine U.S. prosecutors, and they're warning President Bush against pardoning anyone who is found to have broken the law.

Any such pardon, said Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, would be seen by the nation as an admission of wrongdoing.

The top Republican on the panel, Arlen Specter, noted that there's no indication of that happening. But if it does, he said, he'll be quick to push back.

Mukasey appointed a special counsel Monday after an internal Justice probe found the firings to have been improper.