LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Two key American witnesses in the Olympic figure skating scandal want the U.S. member of the International Skating Union council disqualified from a hearing Monday, claiming she prejudged the case in favor of the French judge and federation chief.

Referee Ron Pfenning and Jon Jackson, a skating judge who testified that he witnessed a confession of vote-fixing by Marie-Reine Le Gougne in Salt Lake City, have asked the ISU council to bar Claire Ferguson from the hearing.

According to Pfenning and Jackson, Ferguson told them last month at the World Figure Skating Championships in Japan that, though she had not yet seen evidence gathered by ISU investigators, she believed French federation chief Didier Gailhaguet acted the same way dozens of other federation chiefs have in the past.

Le Gougne told Pfenning and ISU investigators in Salt Lake City that Gailhaguet pressured her to vote for the Russian pair over the Canadians. She was suspended but later recanted and said she voted her conscience. Gailhaguet also denied influencing her vote.

On the eve of a two-day hearing at which the ISU hopes to resolve the controversy that dominated the Winter Games, Gailhaguet said he was the victim of a plot and he threatened to go to court if he's not cleared.

"We will go to the end to defend our rights and the reputation of our federation," Gailhaguet, an ISU council member, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

According to Pfenning and Jackson, Ferguson felt that Le Gougne and Gailhaguet should not be punished or should receive only light penalties.

A brief sent to the ISU by Pfenning's and Jackson's attorney also cites a recent television interview in which Ferguson said she thought the Russians deserved to win and "it is probably correct that (Le Gougne) judged the way she felt it should be, not the way someone told her it should be."

Ferguson and other ISU council members would not take calls by the AP for comment.

Ferguson recently said she hopes the scandal will provide a catalyst for reform of the judging system.

"It's unfortunate it happened, but it may have opened a lot of doors to move forward," she said. "We'll see. I'm looking forward to participating in something that may clear up these problems."

Le Gougne argued that her admission came under emotional distress and that she voted for the Russians in good conscience. She said she is a "scapegoat" and is threatening to take the case to the Court for Arbitration of Sport.

Gailhaguet said he was the target of a plot within the world federation led by British and North American factions.

"If you want to kill a dog, you say it has rabies," he said. "But watch out, the dog can turn into a wolf. I will not be done in by Anglo-Saxon lobbying."

Le Gougne's lawyers argue that ISU officials used undue influence over the French judge and made false accusations. They want these issues also addressed.

They have asked for a long list of witnesses to be heard but said the ISU has not granted that request, leading to charges that the hearing is already biased even before it starts.

"There are only witnesses for the prosecution and not for the defense," Gailhaguet said. "Objectively, you don't judge on the atmosphere surrounding the case. You judge on the facts.

"Our sport should not be discredited based on hearsay. They need proof. Where can they find proof?"

The ISU asked the International Olympic Committee to award a second gold medal in pairs to Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier on the premise of Le Gougne's alleged misconduct. Pfenning reported that she broke down in a post-event review meeting and said she had voted for the Russian pair of Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze under pressure from Gailhaguet.

Le Gougne has since denied she was pressured. And in an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" televised Sunday, Le Gougne said a male Canadian judge approached her an hour before the pairs event in Salt Lake City and asked for help with Sale and Pelletier.

Asked what that meant, Le Gougne said, "Help him to have the Canadian couple earn the first place."

A former French judge said he understands why Le Gougne would deny being pressured. Gilles Vandenbroeck, a judge for 15 years, said he was expelled by the French federation after going public with accusations of pressure by Gailhaguet.

"Probably Marie-Reine, after her first testimony in Salt Lake City thought of cases like mine, and thought, `If I go on attacking Didier Gailhaguet, what am I facing?"' Vandenbroeck said.

"So it's perfectly understandable that she'd change her mind."

Le Gougne is seeking to be reinstated. If the ISU clears her, it would cast doubt on the decision to award duplicate gold medals.

ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta on Sunday refused to comment on the hearing, which is described as confidential.