Gonzales Refuses To Say Whether More U.S. Attorneys Have Been Fired
Gonzales Refuses To Say Whether More U.S. Attorneys Have Been Fired
New reports this week revealed that Todd Graves, the former U.S. Attorney from Missouri, was dismissed in January 2006, contradicting “repeated suggestions” by Alberto Gonzales and other senior Justice officials “that the firings did not extend beyond the eight prosecutors already known to have been forced out.”
During today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, Gonzales refused to say whether any other U.S. Attorneys have been forced out of office but whose names are not yet public.
Under questioning from Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Gonzales claimed he believed that Congress had no interest in any attorneys beyond the eight already identified. “It’s always been my understanding that this focus has been on the eight United States attorneys that were asked to resign last December 7th and June 14th,” he said.
But Gonzales left open the possibility that more U.S. Attorneys have been pushed out. He told Sanchez, “Throughout my tenure as attorney general and throughout the tenure of my predecessors and other attorney generals, U.S. attorneys have left the department for a number of — variety of reasons. So that happens.” Watch it:
Transcript:
SANCHEZ: I thank the chairman.
Good morning, Mr. Gonzales.
Mr. Gonzales, you’ve consistently maintained that only eight U.S. attorneys were forced out of their positions. Yet today’s Washington Post states that there was a ninth, Todd Graves.
Are there any more U.S. attorneys that we should know about that were forced out?
GONZALES: Congresswoman, it’s always been my understanding that this focus has been on the eight United States attorneys that were asked to resign last December 7th and June 14th, including Bud Cummins.
SANCHEZ: Mr. Attorney General, with all due respect, in page two of your testimony that you’ve previously given, you stated that there were only eight that were forced out.
GONZALES: As part of this process — as part of this review process that I asked Mr. Sampson to conduct and which resulted in the culmination in December of ‘06, these were the individuals that this process identified as where changes should be appropriate.
Now, clearly, throughout my tenure as attorney general and throughout the tenure of my predecessors and other attorney generals, U.S. attorneys have left the department for a number of — variety of reasons. So that happens.
SANCHEZ: Let’s stop there.
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Gonzo refuses to say. Period.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:16 pmSee, ya need understand that there are a number of variety of processes that go on in the U.S. Attorney General’s office.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:17 pmYeah, Gonzo, shlt happens.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:17 pmStand by for MORE!
That’s Linda Sanchez, Loretta’s sister. Loretta isn’t on the House Judiciary Committee.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:19 pmI guess my question is, if he won’t resign and he has “the full support of the President” how do we get rid of this character? Can he be impeached, fired by Congress, what are the actual next steps we can take?
May 10th, 2007 at 2:19 pmI hope Gonzo has as good of a showing this time as he did last time. It really helped out his case.
/sarcasm = Gonzo is gonzo
May 10th, 2007 at 2:19 pmThe Sanchez on the Judiciary Committee is Linda not Loretta.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:20 pmthis “refusal to say” is something that’s endemic not only in our criminal, secretive, lying politicians – it runs rampant through the entire government, and even more so, the mainstream media.
Only when all the truth comes out, when the media reports the reality of the atrocities that this government comments, when the media talks about the lies and distortions – only then can we turn this mess around.
Sites like thinkprogress are doing a great service to this country – without them, we’d have no discussion or debate on these issues at all.
Some good reading on this:
“The Death of American Debate”
May 10th, 2007 at 2:21 pmhttp://www.populistamerica.com/the_death_of_american_debate
Look at that lying expression on Gonzales’ face.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:24 pmOh Man, He lies so badly. Just incredible.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:24 pmBinx sez:
Actually, the AG can be impeached…
…of course, that would require that impeachment was back “on the table”…
May 10th, 2007 at 2:28 pmYou mean he can recollect an event?
May 10th, 2007 at 2:29 pmShocking…
Obstruction of Justice!
May 10th, 2007 at 2:31 pmHow many days can you waste asking questions of this lying deadbeat before impeachment is back on the table?
May 10th, 2007 at 2:34 pmHe’ll walk away.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:36 pmPants….on….fire.
Good grief, he’s pathetic. Someone needs to put this waste out of his misery.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:38 pmNo fish in this lake. Let’s pack our rods and nets and go home.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:39 pmThere are three ways his term of office can be ended: Resignation; Impeachment and conviction; or he could die in office.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:40 pmOf course he doesn’t know. Fredo’s an idiot and isn’t in the loop at his own department.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:41 pmHe has NO shame.
Gonzo is a sociopath.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:42 pmWow, Gonza CAN dance!
What a scumbag…
May 10th, 2007 at 2:46 pmThe bush legacy: Corruption, Incompetence and Arrogance.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:47 pmI actually think it’s fine to keep Gonzo around. He’s such as great on-going example of pure incompetence – the hallmark of this administration.
What a buffoon.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:48 pmThe Hispanic Caucus needs to lean on Gonzo. He is making all Latinos look bad.
Sen. Salazar (D-CO) is a personal friend of Gonzo, and he particularly has a duty to act on this.
There is an anti-immigrant backlash going on in the US and this is making it worse.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:51 pm#23 Tom3:
In Spanish it’s “El no tiene verguenza”–he has no shame, no sense of dignity or pride, no character.
May 10th, 2007 at 2:52 pmAlberto es PENDEJO!!
May 10th, 2007 at 2:55 pmCLEAN SWEEP 2008
May 10th, 2007 at 3:06 pmnice that this guy is overseeing the US Justice System over the last few years and Bush wanted to put him on the Supreme Court or the rest of his life. He doesn’t seem qualified to represent someone in traffic court.
May 10th, 2007 at 3:11 pmIf I were a movie director casting for the epitome of a sleazy, slimy disreputable lawyer, Gonzo would fit the part to a tee. As a Boy Scout, he must have escorted little old ladies across the street and thrust them into the paths of moving cars so he could sue on their behalf.
May 10th, 2007 at 3:11 pmCan anyone explain why the Congresspeople who actually ask Gonzalez questions (as opposed to the Republicans who just lube him up) are letting him get away with some pretty obvious dodges – when they ask about calls, documents and conversations on a subject, he answers “I haven’t seen any documents that ever mentioned this”. What about the rest of the question – calls? conversations? This dodge is so shallow and transparent and yet the Congresspeople just move on as if it was a legitimate answer. Most people I know don’t take that kindly to being bullshitted, I’m surprised that members of the Judiciary committee don’t seem to be bothered.
Geekmouth
May 10th, 2007 at 3:13 pmBye.
May 10th, 2007 at 3:14 pm“Oh, you mean that big, fat, pink elephant over there. Yeah, I saw it. Why didn’t you ask me about it specifically before?”
Cheers,
May 10th, 2007 at 3:19 pmThe beginnings of a new low in politics (please) don’t ask and (I’ll never) tell.
May 10th, 2007 at 3:21 pmWASHINGTON – President Bush, under growing political pressure, agreed Thursday to negotiate with Congress on a war-spending bill that sets benchmarks for progress in Iraq.
yahoo news home page
Bush’s willingness to put benchmarks in a war-funding bill represented a shift by the president.
“One message I have heard from people of both parties is that benchmarks make sense and I agree,” Bush said.
May 10th, 2007 at 3:29 pmGonzo is looking and sounding more like a gargoyle every appearance.
May 10th, 2007 at 3:45 pmHow dumb does he think these legislators are?
Can you subpoena a lie detector examiner?
WOW!
May 10th, 2007 at 4:04 pmI’m surprised that members of the Judiciary committee don’t seem to be bothered.
Geekmouth
Comment by Geekmouth — May 10, 2007 @ 3:13 pm
I’ve seen several of them pushing hard and really angry, only problem is the limited time they have. It would be nice if some of them had a longer questioning period so something could get accomplished.
May 10th, 2007 at 4:05 pmWhy is it so hard to find out who has been fired…you wouldn’t think it’d be that hard.
May 10th, 2007 at 4:11 pmI actually think it’s fine to keep Gonzo around. He’s such as great on-going example of pure incompetence – the hallmark of this administration.
-Comment by decider liar
The short-term gains that can be made from this ridiculous administration are not worth the long-term damage that it has and is creating. Get rid of them, NOW
May 10th, 2007 at 4:17 pmWhy are they allowing him to refuse to answer questions. They need to tell him “either answer the question I asked or I will find you in contempt of congress”. I don’t believe that the AG is above the law.
May 10th, 2007 at 4:17 pmHow come every single frigging screen capture of this little rodent has him with a smirk on his face?
May 10th, 2007 at 4:46 pmIn the Gonzales situation, one of the White Houses many secrets was exposed to the public. Perhaps more time should be spent “exposing†the secrets of the White House. For instance the members of the government agreed to fund and support the Millennium Development goals that will help bring an end to global poverty. However while the white house spends $300 billion a yea in Iraq, $19 billion is missing from the funding to end starvation and malnutrition worldwide. Groups such as the Borgen Project are working to bring government attention to see that the U.S. government holds up their end of the agreement.
May 10th, 2007 at 4:46 pm* Hater,
He has a smirk on his face because his vibrator is on.
Or he knows that he can lie with impunity, he serves to pleasure the President and as long as he keeps Boy George satisfied, who can touch him?
May 10th, 2007 at 4:53 pmGonzales knows very little about what’s going on in the DoJ. He doesn’t know about corruption investigations of GOP congressmen and high-level members of the CIA. He doesn’t know who decided which U.S. Attorneys to fire, although he has the utmost confidence in those persons, whoever they are, such that he signed off on their decisions without question. He doesn’t know when Monica Goodling became White House liaison. He doesn’t see a problem with a U.S. Attorney leading an investigation of a U.S. congressman and then leaving the DoJ to work for the law firm representing that congressman, collecting a $1.5 million dollar signing bonus.
He knows so little and remembers even less. There’s no reason to keep someone so incompetent, so worthless in that position. Impeach him.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:15 pmtt is unfortunate that these cocksuckers have planned, since Nixon, to pry open every fucking little crack, crevice, nook and cranny of the Constitution. It shows that the corporatists CANNOT be trusted.
May 11th, 2007 at 1:36 amhttp://www.thisinstead.info
To the TP administration,
May 11th, 2007 at 4:21 amAre you sure that was Loretta Sanchez? The photo looks more like Loretta’s sister, Linda Sanchez, also a Congresswoman from California.
The Attorney General has set himself forth as a blatant political hack, utterly unwilling to maintain a shred of political neutrality. Makes Ed Meese look like a chiorboy. Maybe Congress won’t be able to stop the firings. So let’s all of us get to work. The goal is going to be to intimidate the people they don’t want to have voting, and complicate the process for those who do. We can work against this. Let’s get people registered now, get everything done and squared away correctly while the vote is still way off. Work in your communities to increase the awareness of voting laws so that people aren’t scared by some last minute phone call. Tithe, tithe, tithe. Is a Democratic victory more important than a 60″ HD tv?
May 11th, 2007 at 2:08 pm