GOP Blocks Gonzales No-Confidence Vote

June 11, 2007 — -- The Democratic campaign to oust Attorney General Alberto Gonzales from office by pressuring both him and President Bush suffered something of a setback this evening when Republicans blocked a procedural motion requiring 60 votes to bring a "no-confidence" resolution on his tenure to a formal vote. But there was no reason for Gonzales to rejoice, as a bipartisan majority of the Senate voted 53-38 to express displeasure with the job he's doing.

Seven Republicans joined 46 Democrats to proceed to a formal vote on the nonbinding resolution, expressing that "it is the sense of the Senate that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales no longer holds the confidence of the Senate and of the American people."

"Have I lost confidence in Attorney General Gonzales?" asked Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "Absolutely yes. Mr. Gonzales has made representations that are false."

Gonzales has been under fire for not being forthcoming about his role in the controversy surrounding eight U.S. attorneys whom Democrats say were fired for not being partisan enough. Former Justice Department underlings have contradicted Gonzales' testimony about his role, whether he spoke to witnesses in the investigation and about whether the administration had any internal conflicts about its warrantless wiretap surveillance program. Democrats have lodged myriad other accusations that Gonzales' Justice Department has been more allegiant to President Bush than to the rule of law.

"Alberto Gonzales is profoundly unworthy of holding one of the most important offices in the country," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Specter joined fellow Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, John Sununu Jr. of New Hampshire, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Gordon Smith of Oregon, and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska in their vote for the resolution. Every Democrat voting supported it as well. A handful of senators -- including presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and John McCain, R-Ariz., who were both campaigning in California --