Iglesias' tell-all book is out

Former New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias will make special appearances in Albuquerque on Sunday and Monday to sign his tell-all book about the 2006 firings of several U.S. attorneys, an issue that fueled a political firestorm, helped bring down a U.S. attorney general, and caused lasting reverberations in New Mexico politics.

"In Justice: Inside the Scandal That Rocked the Bush Administration," hit Albuquerque bookstores Thursday. Page One Bookstore sums up the book simply:

First, he was devastated. Then, he was angry. Now, he is speaking out.

Unless you've been in cold storage the last few years, you probably know the basic outline of the story. A month after the 2006 elections, underlings of then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales ask Iglesias and half a dozen other federal prosecutors to resign. When pressed, the Justice Department says the attorneys were fired for incompetence. Iglesias is among the first to protest, saying things that spur some top-notch political reporting, leading to congressional hearings, and eventually contributing to the resignations of Gonzales, White House adviser Karl Rove and a host of others.

Of course there were reverberations in New Mexico. It came out that Sen. Pete Domenici had complained to Rove earlier about Iglesias, and that Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson both made what Iglesias considered inappropriate phone calls to him before the elections. Both asked about the status of his office's investigation of a public corruption scandal involving prominent Democrat and former state Senate President Manny Aragon.

Domenici's call eventually led to a Senate ethics committee investigation, which ended recently with a slap on the wrist. The House looked into Wilson's call, but chose not to pursue an ethics complaint, though Iglesias recently told the Huffington Post he is still "hoping for a public, written rebuke or reprimand...."

As usual, good details make the book, and for those, you'll have to read "In Justice" yourself (256 pages, John Wiley & Sons, $25.95).

For those who want to hear it straight from the man in the cross hairs, Page One hosts Iglesias at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Albuquerque Academy. Tickets are required but are free and were still available at the store this morning, 11018 Montgomery Blvd. N.E. Call 294-2026.

Iglesias will autograph his book and speak at Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. N.W., at 7 p.m. Monday. The event is open to all, but space is limited. Call 344-8139.

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