March 23 (Bloomberg) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he doesn't expect Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to survive the uproar over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys and predicted he will be gone in a month, ``one way or the other.''

Reid, a Nevada Democrat, also said he envisions the outlines of a compromise with the Bush administration about testimony of White House officials in a probe of the firings that would allow some administration officials to testify in private without sworn testimony, as long as the deal doesn't involve Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove.

``Certainly, Karl Rove, with his resume, would have to be under oath,'' Reid, 67, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV's ``Political Capital with Al Hunt,'' scheduled to air this weekend. ``He simply in my opinion, and I think the majority of the American people, is not trustworthy.''

The House and Senate judiciary panels voted this week to authorize subpoenas to compel testimony by Rove and other White House officials. The administration is insisting that the officials be permitted to talk in private with lawmakers and not under oath.

Reid stressed that he thinks a compromise is possible, and that not all officials need to give sworn statements. ``Well, I think that there could be some testimony taken in private'' and ``would be recorded,'' Reid said. ``We could do that.''

The battle over the removal of the U.S. attorneys has been brewing for weeks. The Justice Department said it dismissed the eight prosecutors for poor performance and over their policy differences with administration officials in Washington. Those assertions were contradicted by high performance ratings given many of the prosecutors' offices.

White House Role

Internal e-mails later revealed that White House aides had played a role in firing the prosecutors, and Democrats said Congress must determine whether the dismissals were for improper political motives.

Yesterday, White House spokesman Tony Snow rejected a compromise proposed by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. Specter suggested that White House aides testify in private without taking an oath and that the session be transcribed. The Bush administration opposes an official transcript.

``Our offer is our offer,'' Snow said when asked about Specter's idea. ``It's a no.''

`Scandals'

Reid in the interview said he didn't know if the White House is engaged in obstructing justice, though he said the matter is emerging as one of the Bush administration's most troubling ``scandals.''

``This is a scandal and the American people are interested in the truth, and that's always a little hard to come by, especially when you have Karl Rove involved in the scenario,'' Reid said.

Reid has repeatedly questioned Rove's integrity because he was embroiled in the recent federal investigation of the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity. Former vice presidential aide I. Lewis Libby was convicted March 6 of lying to investigators in the only criminal case sparked by the leak, and Rove made five grand jury appearances in the case.

Yesterday, Rove's lawyer issued a statement after Reid continued to insist on Rove's testimony under oath.

``Due process is not about pursuing the results you want,'' said attorney Robert Luskin. ``Senator Reid should show a healthier respect for our system of justice than his unwarranted remarks reflect.''

Budget

In the interview, Reid also hailed Senate passage today of a fiscal 2008 budget plan that will boost spending for domestic programs beyond what Bush requested. He said Republicans repeatedly failed to agree on an annual budget plan when they controlled Congress.

``They couldn't pass the budget,'' Reid said. ``We passed it because in our budget, we recognized that America has failed in many different respects.''

Reid said he believed Congress would pass legislation requiring the administration to get authorization for military action against Iran.

``We've had it with this president and having these wars that he thinks he's the only one who decides what should be done,'' Reid said. ``We don't need another war like'' the conflict in Iraq, based on ``manipulated'' intelligence.

He also said he believed the Senate would pass legislation similar to a measure approved by the House today that sets a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

``We're going to do the same thing in the Senate,' he said.

Reid predicted that the Senate will pass immigration legislation that includes a guest-worker program, which Bush supports over the opposition of many Republican lawmakers.

``There is going to be bipartisan support,'' he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Laura Litvan in Washington at llitvan@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 23, 2007 18:25 EDT