U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey today named career prosecutor Nora Dannehy to pursue possible criminal charges against Republicans who were involved in the controversial firings of U.S. attorneys, including that of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in New Mexico, The Associated Press reported.

The announcement followed release of a Justice Department investigation's findings that harshly criticized Bush administration officials and members of Congress and their aides for the ousters, the AP reported.

The report released today singled out the removal of Iglesias, who was among nine U.S. attorneys who were fired in 2006, as the most troubling, according to the AP.

New Mexico Republicans, including Sen. Pete Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson, had complained about Iglesias' handling of voter fraud and public corruption cases and that led to his firing, the report said.

Investigators said they do not have the complete story on why Iglesias was fired because Domenici, former White House adviser Karl Rove, former White House counsel Harriet Miers, former Justice Department official Monica Goodling and other key witnesses have still not been interviewed, the AP reported.

Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine and Marshall Jarrett, director of the Office of Professional Responsibility, said in their report that a prosecutor was needed because "serious allegations involving potential criminal conduct have not been fully investigated or resolved," according to the AP.

Possible crimes spelled out in the report include lying to investigators, obstruction of justice and wire fraud, the AP said.