A US congressional committee threatened to widen the rift between Congress and the White House as it took steps Wednesday to subpoena US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over illegitimate claims concerning Iraq's prewar nuclear intentions, but her spokesman said she would resist.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 21-10 to subpoena Rice as it investigates the veracity of the Bush administration's claim that Iraq was getting ready to purchase uranium from Africa-a reason given as a casus belli.

In his opening statement, Committee Chairman Harry Waxman, a Californian Democrat, stated that subpoenas were a "last resort," but that he had "hit a brick wall" with Rice.

"For four years, I have sought information from Rice on a range of issues, notably the reference to uranium and Niger in the president's 2003 State of the Union speech," Waxman said. "My request is simple: I would like Secretary Rice to suggest a date that would be convenient for her to testify before our committee."

But Rice's spokesman Sean McCormack said that her discussions with the President fell under executive privileged and thus off-limit to Congress before pledging to continue to work wit h Waxman's committee. 

House Minority Leader John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, quickly slammed the committee's actions, calling them a Democratic ploy to embarrass the president.

"Subpoenaing Secretary Rice is an act of political theater not a pursuit of legitimate oversight goals," he said. "This inquiry is designed more to obfuscate than to address the threats facing this country today and for the foreseeable future."

The committee not only sought Rice's testimony, but also issued subpoenas to Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Mike Duncan and for the e-mails on RNC e-mail accounts vis-a-vis firing of eight US Attorneys.

(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily via agencies, April 26, 2007)