Rove, Miers to Testify in Closed Session

Karl Rove and Harriet Miers have agreed to testify:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former top Bush aides Karl Rove and Harriet Miers agreed Wednesday to testify before Congress under oath about the firings of U.S. attorneys, a controversy involving allegations of political interference that grew into a constitutional standoff between two branches of government.

The Bush White House had fought attempts to force Rove and Miers to testify, and the agreement - steered by aides to President Barack Obama - ended that dispute. Both the White House and lawmakers, especially now that Democrat Obama has replaced Republican George W. Bush - were leery of having a judge settle the question about the limits of executive privilege, for fear of losing.

The agreement calls for Rove and Miers, Bush's top political adviser and White House counsel, to be interviewed by the House Judiciary Committee in closed depositions "under the penalty for perjury," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich. The committee says it also might call the two for public testimony.