'Playing Politics': Rove Responds to Dems, Justice Department Releases More E-Mails
March 15, 2007 — -- White House adviser Karl Rove lashed out today at Democrats' vocal criticism of the administration's firing of eight U.S. attorneys last year.
Democrats are calling on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign over the Justice Department's handling of the firings, but Rove accused them of trying to create a scandal where there isn't one.
"Now we are at a point where people want to play politics with it," said Rove, "and that's fine."
Newly released e-mails show Karl Rove was involved in the plan from the very beginning. But the White House says the messages were only a general request for information about plans regarding the U.S. attorneys' futures. One e-mail said "the matter was not urgent" to Rove.
The Department of Justice released a statement on the e-mail, which was sent while Gonzales was still serving as White House counsel, saying he has "no recollection" of a plan or talks about replacing any U.S. attorneys. During the time frame in which the message was sent, he was preparing for his confirmation hearing.
"Of course, discussions of changes in presidential appointees would have been appropriate and normal White House exchanges in the days and months after the election as the White House was considering different personnel changes administration wide," the statement said.
Rove said U.S. attorneys, who serve at the pleasure of the president, can be fired at any time. Period.
"I would simply ask that everybody who is playing politics with this be asked to comment about what they think about the removal of about 123 U.S. attorneys during the previous [Clinton] administration," he said, "and see if they have the same superheated political rhetoric then that they are having now."
Former President Bill Clinton removed all 93 U.S. attorneys at the start of his presidency.
Rove signaled what might be a new administration strategy, offering specifics about why some of the eight U.S. attorneys were fired. One was booted, Rove said, because the prosecutor was against implementing the death penalty. He claimed another was fired because she would not beef up enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border.
