DOJ Investigating Gonzales Testimony

Aug. 30, 2007 — -- Though Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced his resignation Monday, he is still is in the crosshairs of investigations by Congress and his own department.

A letter sent to Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., from Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine Thursday indicates that Gonzales is the subject of at least three separate ongoing internal investigations.

In an Aug. 16 letter to Fine, Leahy asked that his office "investigate and evaluate potential misleading, evasive, or dishonest testimony" by Gonzales. Gonzales had come under strident criticism from members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees for his testimony on the firings of nine U.S. attorneys and the administration's legal basis for the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program.

Fine responded to Leahy Thursday, writing, "You identified five issues and asked that we investigate whether the statements made by the attorney general were intentionally false, misleading, or inappropriate. The OIG has ongoing investigations that relate to most of the subjects addressed by the attorney general's testimony that you identified."

"The OIG is conducting a joint investigation with the Department's Office of Professional Responsibility into allegations regarding the removal of certain United States attorneys and improper hiring practices. We believe that through those investigations and other OIG reviews we will be able to assess most of the issues that you raise in your letter," Fine wrote.

It has previously been disclosed that the DOJ inspector general has been conducting a review of the NSA's Terrorist Surveillance Program, along with a review of the use of national security letters. Controversy swirled in recent weeks over comments and testimony relating to the NSA's intelligence program.

Gonzales' past testimony differed from accounts of former Deputy Attorney General James Comey and FBI director Robert Mueller, who both stated that in March 2004, Gonzales, then serving as White House counsel, visited Attorney General John Ashcroft while he was hospitalized, seeking reauthorization of a controversial National Security Agency surveillance program. Then-White House Chief of Staff Andy Card accompanied Gonzales on the trip.