Congress to Hold Vote on Alberto Gonzales

June 11, 2007 — -- President Bush returns to Washington tonight, around the time Senate Democrats have scheduled a "no-confidence" vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

They hope to further pressure Gonzales to resign or the president to fire him.

Democrats said the attorney general had not been forthcoming with Congress about his role in the controversy surrounding the eight fired U.S. attorneys.

"He is incapable of leading the department," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "He has misled the American public, and he puts politics ahead of the rule of law."

Later today the Democrats will push a vote saying Gonzales "no longer holds the confidence of the Senate and of the American people."

Meanwhile, in Bulgaria today Bush said the vote would have no effect.

"They can have their votes of no confidence, but it's not going to make the determination about who serves in my government," Bush said. "This process has been drug out a long time."

Bush added that he believed the vote was politically motivated.

It is likely most Democrats will vote for the resolution, but questions remain about how Republicans will vote.

Six Senate Republicans have said Gonzales should resign, and three others have said life would be better if Gonzales was gone. Some seem to think Gonzales is doing a bad job, but do not want to give Democrats political ammunition.

Some Republicans said that because this vote was purely symbolic, all Democrats were doing was trying to create an election issue to use against vulnerable Republicans in next year's election.

For his part, Gonzales will spend some of today at a conference on terrorism and law enforcement in Miami.