Mr. Goldsmith, former White House legal counsel, testified about law enforcement practices, warantless wiretapping, Justice Department counterterrorism programs, and civil rights issues. He also testified about secrecy and information sharing by executive branch officials saying that few people in the Justice Department had access to details of the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program when the department deemed portions of it illegal, following a pattern of poor consultation that helped create a “legal mess.” He also talked about how the situation became tense when several officials threatened to resign without changes to the law enforcement policies and practices.