This is the White House version of "lawyering up"

In response to formal requests that certain White House staffers appear before congressional committees to testify under oath regarding the U.S. Attorney firing controversy, White House Counsel Fred Fielding has responded with a letter to congressional leaders.

Amid much patronizing civilities and legalese, Mr. Fielding states that certain White House staffers will indeed be made available to congress, but that "[s]uch interviews would be private and conducted without the need for an oath, transcript, subsequent testimony, or the subsequent issuance of subpoenas. A representative of the Office of the Counsel to the President would attend these interviews and personal counsel to the invited officials may be present at their election."

No oath, no transcript, no media coverage. Why? Well, possibly because if you don't testify under oath, and if there's no record of what you've said, you can't be subjected to one of those pesky "perjury trials".