Gonzales testimony eyed in Justice Department probes

By Randall Mikkelsen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Justice Department investigators are examining the truthfulness of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' testimony to Congress on the firings of federal prosecutors and domestic wiretapping.

The effort, disclosed in a letter released on Thursday, is a sign that political controversy over Gonzales' conduct will continue well beyond his resignation announced this week.

"The current attorney general is leaving, but these questions remain," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat who sought the examination.

Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine said in a letter released by Leahy that concerns over the truthfulness of Gonzales' testimony to the committee on July 24 and other times would be covered as part of probes already under way.

"We believe that through those investigations and other ... reviews we will be able to assess most of the issues that you raise," Fine said.

Gonzales announced his resignation on Monday, effective September 17. The move followed fierce battles with the Democratic-led Congress over the prosecutors' firings, which some Democrats charge were politically motivated, and Gonzales' role in the Bush administration's counterterrorism policies.

Democrats have vowed to press on with investigations into these issues. U.S. President George W. Bush has said Gonzales' did nothing wrong.

Bush is expected to nominate a successor to Gonzales sometime shortly after he returns from a trip to Australia on September 9, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.