Anderson, who left office in January and now heads a group called High Road for Human Rights, will testify at a hearing on "Executive power and its constitutional limitations."
A vocal critic of Bush for years, Anderson says he relishes a chance to comment on a litany of presidential abuses and advocate a commission to investigate.
"I'll be addressing some of the more egregious abuses such as the complete disregard of Congress' statutory laws, the Constitution and treaty obligations by engaging in such outrageous and in many instances unprecedented practices," Anderson said Tuesday.
As part of that, Anderson said he plans to talk about the "warrant-less wiretapping of American citizens' communications" and the torture of detainees held by the U.S. government.
"I'll also be addressing the president's assertion of completely unrestrained power and his theory that during the so-called War on Terror neither Congress nor the courts can restrict what the president does."
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers of Michigan originally said Friday's hearing would be on "the Imperial Presidency of George W. Bush and possible legal responses," though the title was changed on the schedule.
Anderson said the commission he proposes may be modeled after the 1970s Church Committee, which looked at breaches in the intelligence community and brought about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Utah Republican Party Chairman Stan Lockhart says Anderson continues to beat the same drum as when he was mayor.
"Whether it's trying to stop the Legacy Highway from being built, or beating up on a president who has had to deal with some of the most difficult issues facing America, particularly regarding terrorism, it's all Rocky all the time," Lockhart said.
Added Bill Riggs, Republican National Committee spokesman: "This type of political grandstanding is just another example of Democrats putting their own political self inter ests above the best interests of the American people. Instead of using taxpayer time and
money to fund a meaningless political stunt, the Democrat Congress should explain how they plan to reduce gas prices, achieve victory in
Iraq, and keep taxes low for working families."
Conyers said the hearing is slated to look at the "numerous credible allegations of serious misconduct" by the Bush administration and that this hearing is part of a comprehensive review of the constitutional issues.
Anderson holds a law degree from George Washington University and fought several civil rights matters in court before serving as mayor. He made headlines across the nation in 2006 when instead of welcoming Bush during a visit to Utah's capital city, Anderson joined protestors and railed against the Bush administration.
