said in a telephone interview Friday that he hadn't spoken with the four subordinates about their decisions. But he said all four were "very stable, hardworking, competent. So whatever is going on inside is serious."

Heffelfinger left in February 2006 for the private sector, and has said he wasn't forced to resign. However, the congressional investigation into the eight firings has found that the administration had a broader plan dating to 2005 for replacing U.S. attorneys with younger Bush administration loyalists.

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