Last week, we reported on the resignation of Scott Bloch's deputy, which included scathing criticism of his boss.  Yesterday, House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers announced that he would be investigating Bloch:

A House panel has announced an investigation into Scott Bloch, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, after an outgoing aide said Bloch's failure to resign is hurting the agency.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., said Friday he hopes to talk in the near future to Bloch's former top deputy, Jim Byrne, whose scathing resignation letter came to light Friday.

"The mission, independence and very existence of the Office of Special Counsel are -- and shall remain -- at risk unless and until this agency is afforded a ... leader who is capable of putting OSC's mission and OSC's people ahead of political agendas and personal vendettas," Byrne wrote.

Citing charges Bloch improperly interfered with OSC work, Conyers said the letter bolsters "long-standing concerns" that "partisanship has influenced the outcome of investigations."

FBI agents in May raided OSC offices and Bloch's home as part of a grand jury probe into whether Bloch destroyed computer files sought in an investigation that Bloch illegally retaliated against agency whistleblowers.

Karl Rove, who refused testify before the House Judiciary Committee today, may be on his way to a contempt of Congress charge: 

Former White House adviser Karl Rove defied a congressional subpoena to testify Thursday about allegations of political pressure at the Justice Department, including whether he tried to influence the prosecution of a former Democratic governor of Alabama.

Rep. Linda Sanchez, chairman of the House subcommittee that called Rove, ruled with backing from fellow Democrats on the panel that Rove's claim of immunity was invalid — perhaps the first step toward holding him in contempt for refusing to cooperate.

Lawmakers subpoenaed Rove in May in an effort to force him to talk about whether he was involved in prosecutors' decisions to pursue cases against Democratic politicians or in the firing of federal prosecutors two years ago.