(Updated) Video of Iglesias KRQE Interview and More on Wilson - Domenici Ethics Scandal

UPDATE: Albuquerque's KOB-TV Eyewitness News 4 has video of their interview with David Iglesias.
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Albuquerque's KRQE News 13 aired a live one-on-one interview yesterday with fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias conducted by news anchor Dick Knipfing. Click to watch video. Iglesias states that he got two separate calls on two separate days during the period of mid-to-late October 2006, each by a different member of the NM Congressional delegation, not staffers. Iglesias also said:

"I felt leaned on, I felt pressured to take immediate action."

"It's the only time during my five and a half year tenure as U.S. Attorney that I got a call from any member of Congress discussing any specific case or investigation.

"No recordings, and I'm reviewing possible documents I may be taking to the house for their review."

[Iglesias was asked] "When was the corruption matter going to be made public? When was I gonna go forward on prosecutions?"

A U.S. House Justice subcommittee has issued subpoenas to Iglesias and three other fired U.S. Attorneys and will hear their testimony on Tuesday. In addition, the Senate Judiciary Committee is sending letters to the same four asking them to testify voluntarily on Tuesday. If their testimony provides even a hint of possible unethical behavior related to their firings by a U.S. Justice Department headed by Bush toady Alberto Gonzales, Congressional Democrats are expected to launch one or more full-fledged ethics investigations into the matter. If that happens, the headlilnes nationwide and locally will no doubt be extremely damaging to the political futures of both Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) and Sen. Pete Domenici (D-NM). A post on Talking Points Memo has C-SPAN video of Sen. Chuck Schumer talking about the firing of Iglesias in terms of "politics of the worst sort."

The latest dispatch from McClatchy Newspapers, which broke much of the initial information on the firings, quotes two unnamed sources "familiar with the contacts" by members of the NM Congressional delegation about the calls:

Wilson was curt after Iglesias was "non-responsive" to her questions about whether an indictment would be unsealed, said the two individuals, who asked not to be identified because they feared possible political repercussions. Rumors had spread throughout the New Mexico legal community that an indictment of at least one Democrat was sealed.

Domenici, who wasn't up for re-election, called about a week and a half later and was more persistent than Wilson, the people said. When Iglesias said an indictment wouldn't be handed down until at least December, the line went dead.

As for how the growing scandal might affect the expected prosecution of alleged criminal offenses related to the construction of two state courthouses in NM, McClatchy reported:

The alleged involvement of the two Republican lawmakers raises questions about possible violations of House of Representatives and Senate ethics rules and could taint the criminal investigation into the award of an $82 million courthouse contract.

NPR also interviewed Igelsias yesterday. Click to listen. Excerpts:

The first call was in mid-October. The caller was asking –- this was not a staff member, an actual member of Congress -- the person was asking about “I want to know if there are any sealed indictments.” And I said, “Sealed indictments? We only do that for juvenile cases or national security cases. It’s fairly unusual.” Instantly red flags went up. I didn’t want to talk about it. Federal prosecutors can’t talk about indictments in general until they’re made public. So I was evasive, I shucked and jived like Walter Payton used to for the Chicago Bears, and the call was ended rather abruptly....

Approximately a week and a half later I got a second call from another member of Congress wanting to know about when the corruption matters were going to filed. Again, red lights went on. It was a very unpleasant phone call, because I know that members of Congress should not be making phone calls about pending matters, pending investigations, indictment dates, things of that nature.

Asked why he didn't want to name the callers, Iglesias said:

Because frankly, I’m afraid of retaliation. I live in a very small state with a very small legal community. And I’m frankly afraid if I go public right now, that there could be retaliation in terms of me being blacklisted, blackballed… you pick your adjective.