President Bush

President Bush said late Tuesday that he will oppose any congressional efforts to subpoena White House staff in the investigation of the firing of eight federal prosecutors, a scandal that has put his administration and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales under scrutiny in the last week.

"We will not go along with a partisan fishing expedition," Bush said. "I have proposed a reasonable way to avoid an impasse. I hope they (members of Congress) don't choose confrontation."

Bush said he has given Gonzales, White House political strategist Karl Rove and former counsel Harriet Miers the go-ahead to talk to congressional committees Ð'-- but not under oath Ð'-- in the investigation of the firing of the eight U.S. attorneys.

Bush said they are free to speak with lawmakers and their aides to explain how the decisions to oust the prosecutors were made.

"In this case, I recognize the importance of Congress understanding how and why this decision was made," Bush said in an evening press conference. "So I'll allow members of Congress to interview key members of my staff."

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is helping lead the Senate-side investigation, was quick to fire back Tuesday.

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"When we learned what he has proposed, it can only be called very disappointing," Schumer told the Senate floor. "When you look at it closely, the cooperation is minimal ... The offer made by the president is not going to get the truth."

Without a public hearing, record of testimony in the form of a transcript or a statement made under oath, Schumer argued, nothing will be accomplished and nothing can be done to "restore the integrity of the Justice Department."

"Bottom line is, if the president wants the truth to come out, then he would have testimony given in a far more full and open way," Schumer said.

Earlier in the day, White House Counsel Fred Fielding met with House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy to offer up Rove and Miers, but in a formal letter placed conditions on their appearances.

Fielding said the interviews would be limited to questions on communications between White House and Justice Department officials who may have discussed the request for resignations and communications between the White House and members of Congress about those requests.

"Those interviews should be conducted by both committees jointly," Fielding wrote.

"Questioning of White House officials would be conducted by a member or limited number of members, who would be accompanied by committee staff," the letter continues.

"Such interviews would be private and conducted without the need for an oath, transcript, subsequent testimony, or the subsequent issuance of subpoenas. A representative of the Office of the Counsel to the President would attend these interviews and personal counsel to the invited officials may be present at their election."

Click here to read Fielding's letter to lawmakers.

Fielding's offer "is sort of giving us the opportunity to talk to them but not giving us the opportunity to figure out what really happened here," Schumer told reporters earlier Tuesday, before his statements on the Senate floor.

He told the press that he and Conyers had been considering writing up subpoenas for Rove and Miers, even though they may not be served.

The proposed deal from Fielding came as Senate aides combed through thousands of e-mails and other documents dumped by the Justice Department to show eight former U.S. attorneys weren't fired for political reasons.

Gonzales has been battered by Democrats and some Republicans over his handling of the issue when faced with questions from Congress about the fired federal prosecutors. But Democratic lawmakers said they need to see the role the White House played in the firings.

In his letter Fielding said the 3,000 pages of documents and availability of White House aides should be enough to satisfy the lawmakers while still "respecting the constitutional prerogatives of the presidency."

"In the midst of this current debate, the president must remain faithful to the fundamental interests of the presidency and the requirements of the constitutional separation of powers. We wish to reach a reasonable accommodation so as to provide your committees the information they are seeking in a way that will allow this president, and future presidents, to continue to discharge their constitutional responsibilities effectively," Fielding wrote.

Bush called the type of cooperation he is offering in the investigation "unprecedented."

"In the past 24 hours, the Justice Department has provided more than 3,000 pages ... including those reflecting direct communication with White House staff," Bush said.

Picking Through the Details

Earlier in the day, the Senate voted 94-2 to shut down the ability of the president or attorney general to place a U.S. attorney in a position indefinitely, circumventing the Senate confirmation process.

According to the bill, the White House has 120 days in which to nominate an individual, and if no appointment is made, a federal judge in the district in which a vacancy exists makes