Escalating a political showdown with the White House, Senate Democrats on Thursday called for a perjury investigation into the top US law enforcement officer, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, according to dpa. Democrats allege that Gonzales offered contradictory statements in testimony before congressional panels investigating the alleged politically motivated firing of federal prosecutors. "We're here at a sad moment," Senator Charles Schumer told reporters. Gonzales has refused to resign over the affair and US President George W Bush has stood by his longtime aide and head of the Justice Department. But Democrats believe other witnesses have refuted Gonzales' claim he was not involved in the decision to sack the prosecutors and that the case has taken a toll on the department. "This Department of Justice is one that puts emphasis on political loyalty rather than upholding the rule of law," Schumer said. "This department is one that fires, by all accounts, some of its most talented employees and then is unable to give an explanation as to why." The Democratic-controlled Congress is also in a fight with the White House over its effort to determine if Bush's aides were behind the firings. Bush has refused to allow his staff to testify before Congress by invoking executive privilege. The White House accuses the Democrats of playing politics at the cost of addressing crucial legislation, such as completing the defence budget for next year to continue funding the war in Iraq. A US House of Representatives panel voted Wednesday to issue criminal contempt charges against Bush's chief of staff, Josh Bolton, and his former legal counsel, Harriet Miers for refusing to appear before the Judiciary Committee.
