Mercer says he is willing to testify

[maddezmom]

Source: Associated Press

Mercer says he is willing to testify
By MARY CLARE JALONICK - Associated Press Writer - 03/30/07
WASHINGTON — Montana’s U.S. attorney, also the acting No. 3 official at the Justice Department, said Thursday he will testify before Congress if he is called to the Capitol for questioning about the firings of several of his colleagues.

Bill Mercer’s name frequently pops up among more than 3,000 pages of e-mail exchanges among Justice Department and White House officials discussing the dismissals of several federal prosecutors late last year. Mercer is not currently scheduled to testify, but the Senate Judiciary Committee has authorized a subpoena for Mercer as part of its investigation into the matter.

Mercer did testify on behalf of the Justice Department at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on Indian trust issues Thursday. At the hearing, Montana Sen. Jon Tester asked if he was willing to testify about the U.S. attorney firings without invoking the Fifth Amendment.

‘‘Yes,’’ Mercer replied.

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Read more: http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/03/30/montana/c01033007_01.txt