Stakes rise in firing of lawyers; House panel OKs subpoenas of White House aides in ouster of 8 U.S. attorneys; Bush's role scrutinized.(Main)

Byline: RON HUTCHESON and MARK SEIBEL - McClatchy

WASHINGTON - A House subcommittee authorized subpoenas for top White House aides Wednesday amid new questions about President Bush's involvement in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

Internal administration e-mails show that the Justice Department postponed the firings for nearly three weeks late last year while awaiting White House approval. The final approval came on Dec. 4, four days after President Bush returned from an overseas trip, once several senior White House aides signed off on the plan. It's not known if Bush himself did.

Harriet Miers, then White House counsel, had warned in a Nov. 15 e-mail to the Justice Department that approval of the firings would be delayed if Bush …