By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer
March 25, 2007
WASHINGTON - Republican support for Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales eroded Sunday as three key senators sharply questioned
his truthfulness and a Democrat joined the list of lawmakers
who want him to resign over the firing of eight federal prosecutors.
"We have to have an attorney general who is candid and
truthful. And if we find out he's not been candid and truthful,
that's a very compelling reason for him not to stay on," said
Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), the top Republican
on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Justice
Department.
Specter, R-Pa., said he would wait until Gonzales' scheduled
April 17 testimony to the committee on the dismissals before
deciding whether he could continue to support the attorney
general. He called it a "make or break" appearance.
To Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record), R-Neb., Gonzales "does
have a credibility problem...We govern with one currency, and
that's trust. And that trust is all important. And when you
lose or debase that currency, then you can't govern. And I
think he's going to have some difficulties."
Hagel cited changing stories from the Justice Department about
the circumstances for firing the eight U.S. attorneys. "I
don't know if he got bad advice or if he was not involved in
the day-to-day management. I don't know what the problem is,
but he's got a problem. You cannot have the nation's chief
law enforcement officer with a cloud hanging over his credibility," Hagel
said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., said
Gonzales has been "wounded" by the firings. `He has
said some things that just don't add up," said Graham,
who is on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Additionally, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record),
D-Calif., called for Gonzales to step down over his conflicting
statements on how involved he was in the dismissals last fall.
Democrats contend the prosecutors' firings were politically
motivated.
Feinstein, whose state lost two U.S. attorneys in the purge — in
San Diego and San Francisco — joined a growing number
of Democrats and Republicans in calling for Gonzales' ouster.
She said she now believes Gonzales has not told the truth about
the firings.
"I believe he should step down," said Feinstein,
also on the committee. "And I don't like saying this.
This is not my natural personality at all. But I think the
nation is not well served by this. I think we need to get at
the bottom of why these resignations were made, who ordered
them, and what the strategy was."
Gonzales has said he participated in no discussions and saw
no memos about plans to carry out the firings on Dec. 7 that
Democrats contend were politically motivated.
His schedule, however, shows he attended at least one hourlong
meeting, on Nov. 27, where he approved a detailed plan to execute
the prosecutors' firings.
The White House has stood by Gonzales, saying the documents
do not conflict with Gonzales' earlier statements. "The
president continues to have confidence in the attorney general," a
spokesman said Saturday.
Gonzales maintains the firings were proper, but also has said
he relied heavily on his former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson,
to plan the prosecutors targeted for dismissal. Sampson, who
resigned under fire March 12, is scheduled to appear Thursday
before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is investigating
the dismissals.
The committee chairman, Sen. Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio,
voting record), said he is concerned the Bush administration
is trying to make Sampson "the fall guy."
"And yet we find so many e-mails that contradict what
the attorney general has said, contradict what the deputy attorney
general has said, contradict what the White House has said.
Mr. Sampson's right in the middle of it," said Leahy,
D-Vt. "We're going to ask him under oath. ... I want him
to say exactly what happened."
Leahy's committee also has authorized subpoenas for presidential
political adviser Karl Rove and other top White House staff
linked to the firings in more than 3,000 e-mails, calendar
pages, memos and other documents the Justice Department has
released.
President Bush has offered to grant a limited number of lawmakers
private interviews with the aides with no transcript and without
swearing them in — which senators from both parties have
rejected. A House Judiciary subcommittee also has authorized
subpoenas in the matter.
Specter appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," Feinstein
spoke on "Fox News Sunday," Hagel was on "This
Week" on ABC while Leahy and Graham appeared on "Face
the Nation" on CBS.
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