President Bush on Tuesday rejected Democratic demands to question key White House aides under oath. The President said he would only authorize private testimony before select lawmakers and warned he would fight any subpoenas in court. We speak with Adam Cohen of the New York Times. [includes rush transcript]

A major showdown is looming on Capitol Hill over the Bush administration's firing of eight US attorneys. On Tuesday, President Bush rejected Democratic demands to question key White House aides under oath. The President said he would only authorize private testimony before select lawmakers and warned he would fight any subpoenas in court.

• President Bush, March 20, 2007.

Bush went on to defend Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying: "He's got support with me." Gonzales will testify before Congress as expected. Democrats immediately rejected the President's refusal to allow key aides appear under oath and vowed subpoenas could come as early as today. Potential witnesses include chief political strategist Karl Rove, former presidential counsel Harriet Miers, and deputy White House counsel William Kelley. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the subpoena warning Sunday on ABC's This Week.

• Sen. Patrick Leahy (D - VT), speaking on ABC's This Week.

Meanwhile the Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure to repeal the PATRIOT Act provision that allowed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to replace federal prosecutors without Senate confirmation. The final vote was 95 to 2.

• Adam Cohen, a lawyer and an editorial writer for the New York Times. He wrote a piece in Monday's New York Times about the attorney firings, titled "It Wasn't Just a Bad Idea. It May Have Been Against the Law."