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WASHINGTON — A top White House political aide refused to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee on Aug. 1 about his role in setting up a meeting at the Justice Department for two Albuquerque Republican lawyers who wanted to complain about the pace of corruption investigations in New Mexico under then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias.

On President Bush's orders, Scott Jennings repeatedly cited executive privilege when asked about his role in setting up a June 21, 2006, meeting for Mickey Barnett and Pat Rogers with Monica Goodling, the Justice Department's White House liaison.

Rogers told The Tribune that they didn't intend to specifically ask the Justice Department that Iglesias be replaced. Rather, they intended to find out why more resources weren't being devoted to public corruption cases in the state.

The meeting occurred after the first trial of former state Treasurer Robert Vigil had ended in a mistrial and during a widely reported investigation of courthouse corruption that led to the indictment this year of former Democratic State Sen. Manny Aragon.

Iglesias was one of seven U.S. attorneys fired last year.

Jennings ran the president's re-election campaign in New Mexico in 2004 and went on to become the deputy White House political director under Karl Rove.

Bush has refused to have Rove testify about the matter at all. The dispute could result in a legal confrontation over the power of Congress to oversee how taxpayers' dollars are spent and the president's right to executive privilege for his communications with aides.

Under instructions from the White House counsel's office, Jennings claimed executive privilege not only for his conversations with the president and his aides but with those outside the White House, specifically Rogers and Barnett.

"I have no standing to challenge the president's assertion of executive privilege in this case," Jennings said.

"Well, it's clearly just stonewalling," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat.

Schumer questioned Jennings about a breakfast he had with Rogers and Barnett at the White House in June 2006. It was after that breakfast, Schumer said, that Jennings e-mailed Monica Goodling, the White House liaison at the Justice Department, and asked her to meet with Barnett and Rogers about a "sensitive" issue.

But Jennings said he didn't recall any discussions during the breakfast meeting at the Justice Department.

"As I recall, it was a social breakfast. In fact, I think it was the first time I had had the chance to take my friends to the White House mess for breakfast. And it was more social in nature," Jennings said.

Rogers told The Tribune that was his recollection as well, but said the breakfast was the day after his meeting with Goodling, not the day before.

"Why would a purely — after a purely social meeting — would there then be a memo sent to Monica Goodling on a sensitive matter asking her to see Mr. Barnett?" Schumer asked rhetorically.

"Did you know that Mr. Barnett wanted to get rid of Mr. Iglesias?" Schumer continued.

"Senator, I think, pursuant to the president's assertion of privilege, I must decline to answer your question at this time," Jennings said.

Rogers told The Tribune the meeting was set up by Barnett, who could not be reached for comment.

Rogers said he has not been asked to testify about his version of events by either the House or Senate Judiciary Committees.

Under questioning by Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, Jennings said he did not meet with Iglesias when Jennings was running the president's re-election campaign in New Mexico and was not aware of any conversations by other Republicans with Iglesias.