Gonzales Defends U.S. Attorney Firings, Resists Resignation

April 19, 2007 — -- In a packed hearing room on Capitol Hill, embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales started the uphill climb to save his job as he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday.

Gonzales, facing tough criticism for his department's handling of the firing of eight U.S. attorneys last year, prepared to take on a barrage of questions in what the committee's top Republican called Gonzales' "reconfirmation hearing."

"As I see it, you come to this hearing with a heavy burden of proof to do three things," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. "First, to re-establish your credibility; second, to justify the replacement of these United States attorneys; and third, to demonstrate that you can provide the leadership to the United States Department of Justice which has such a vital role in protecting our national interests and so many lives."

But after hours of questions from the panel, an exasperated Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Gonzales didn't meet that burden.

"You've answered 'I don't know' or 'I can't recall' to close to a hundred questions. You're not familiar with much of the workings of your own department. And we still don't have convincing explanations of the who, when and why, in regard to the firing of the majority of the eight U.S. attorneys," said Schumer.

"Thus, you haven't met any of these three tests," Schumer continued. "I don't see any point in another round of questions. And I urge you to re-examine your performance and, for the good of the department and the good of the country, step down."

Two former Iraq War veterans at the hearing, Adam Kokesh and Geoff Millard, kept a chart which showed that Gonzales said "I don't recall" or "I don't remember" 74 times. The men are affiliated with the group Iraq Veterans Against the War.

After committee chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., swore Gonzales in, and among the loud clicks of a plethora of cameras, the grilling of the attorney general began.

Straight out of the gate, senators hit Gonzales with tough questions about the controversial firings of the eight U.S. attorneys, which critics charge were politically motivated.

Loyal Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn took the charges a step farther, saying the same personnel standards applied to the fired attorneys, and the same personnel decision should also apply to Gonzales.

"The communication was atrocious. It was inconsistent. It's generous to say that there were misstatements. That's a generous statement. And I believe you ought to suffer the consequences that these others have suffered," said Coburn.

"And I believe that the best way to put this behind us is your resignation."

During earlier questioning by Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., about partisan politics playing a role in the Justice Department's decision-making, the usually reserved Gonzales railed fiercely against the charges.

"When you attack the department for being partisan, you're really attacking the career professionals. They're the ones -- the investigators, the prosecutors, the assistant U.S. attorneys -- they're the ones doing the work," Gonzales challenged. "And so, when someone says that we politicized a case, what you're doing is criticizing the career folks. And that's not right."