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 Greg Lankler, a staff assistant on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, told Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the subpoena sought records that "were not material and relevant" and testimony that "was not consistent with the rights and privileges of the House."Lankler's letter to Pelosi was read on the House floor in accordance with House rules.
His resistance comes amid tension between Congress and the Justice Department over the scope of criminal investigations of lawmakers.
House attorneys are also fighting subpoenas issued to Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., and some of his aides as part of the influence-peddling investigation around jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
In August a federal court ruled that federal investigators violated the Constitution by reviewing legislative documents as part of a different congressional corruption case involving Rep. William Jefferson, D-La.
The subpoena to Lankler was from a federal grand jury in Los Angeles, where prosecutors are investigating ties between Lewis and lobbyist Bill Lowery, a former congressman whose clients included towns and businesses in Lewis' inland Southern California district.
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 Lewis was chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee until Republicans lost control of Congress in last year's elections, and his committee approved valuable federal spending projects, or earmarks, for a number of Lowery's clients. Lowery and his clients were generous campaign donors to Lewis.
Lewis, who is running for a 16th term, has denied wrongdoing.
His spokesman Jim Specht said Lewis wouldn't be commenting on the issue because it is being handled by the House counsel's office. A Justice Department spokesman in Los Angeles also didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
[Associated Press;
By ERICA WERNER]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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