Marisa Taylor on McClatchy Newspapers reports on Attorney General Mukasey's reversal of Bush Administration policy:
...The original policy authorized more than 40 Justice Department officials and 400 White House officials to know about ongoing investigations, according to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, a leading Democratic proponent of changing the policy.
During the Clinton administration, seven White House and Justice officials were permitted to receive such information.
Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said Mukasey's new policy mirrors the Clinton administration's, but allows more officials to receive details about national security matters.
Mukasey's predecessor, Alberto Gonzales, resigned after a nine-month long firestorm over the ouster of nine U.S. attorneys and allegations of improper political meddling in Justice Department business.
One of the fired U.S. attorneys, David Iglesias of New Mexico, accused Republican Senator Pete Domenici of trying to pressure him to indict Democrats before the 2006 congressional elections. Domenici admitted calling Iglesias but denied making any inappropriate demands.
White House officials also acknowledged contacting the Justice Department after they received Republican complaints about the department's handling of election fraud investigations.
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