Gonzales Claims Deputy Attorney General And Chief Of Staff Are Not ‘Top Aides’
Gonzales Claims Deputy Attorney General And Chief Of Staff Are Not ‘Top Aides’
Speaking at National Press Club this morning, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was asked if he should follow the example of his “top aides,” such as Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, and resign “because of the mishandling of the U.S. attorneys situation.”
Gonzales punted on the question, ludicrously claiming that McNulty, former chief of staff Kyle Sampson and former White House liason Monica Goodling were not actually “top aides.” “I wouldn’t characterize those as top aides,” said Gonazles. Watch it:
McNulty was the no. 2 official at the Justice Department. This morning, Gonzales said that McNulty had “a unique position” and occupied “a very central place in the work of the Department.” He also noted that “[m]ost of the operational authority and decisions” were made by McNulty.
Similarly, Sampson and Goodling had the “extraordinary authority over the hiring and firing of most non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department.”
Transcript:
Question: Most of your top aides have resigned, many of them because of the mishandling of the U.S. attorneys situation. You’ve taken responsibility for all of this, but that being the case, shouldn’t you also resign as the person in charge?
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: I wouldn’t — you’ve said this a couple of times, most of my top aides — I mean, obviously, clearly, the loss of a deputy attorney general is a signifigant loss. But you have Kyle Sampson, the chief of staff. We now have an acting chief of staff. We now have a new White House liason. I wouldn’t characterize those as top aides. I guess the other person you may be referring to is Mike Battle, the head of the executive office of the United States attorneys. He was planning on leaving well before any of this became an issue, and we now have a very strong career person in there. So, the department, the work of the department continues and will continue. And as to whether or not my resignation would be appropriate, at the end of the day, that really is a question for the president of the United States.
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What is a top aide then?
May 15th, 2007 at 2:11 pmOh boy can Gonzales please stop lying for just one day?
May 15th, 2007 at 2:11 pmWhy Alberto your nose is gonna end u[ 20 feet long…
and WHAT would your Mother say?
tsk tsk.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:12 pm“Aides” being “those who assist and advise,” of course.
Gonzo’s aides are Bush and Rove.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:14 pmNo, they’re “tip top” aides… Geez, people!
May 15th, 2007 at 2:15 pmMr. President, couldn’t you have instead chosen Monica Lewinsky to replace John Ashcroft?
May 15th, 2007 at 2:15 pmWho is then- his punkah-wallah?
May 15th, 2007 at 2:16 pmWhat an a**hole.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:16 pmlol what a bunch-o-losers…
May 15th, 2007 at 2:17 pmThese people are INSANE!!!!!
May 15th, 2007 at 2:17 pmComment by Crump’s Brother
The Border Patrol, I suppose.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:17 pmGeorge Bush, Cunning Rice, Dead-eye Cheney and Alberto Gonzales all seem to be cut from the same low-quality rug: lying all the time.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:19 pmMy goodness have these people, GOPers in general and the Attorney General in particular, absolutely no shame. In over 35 years of at least being politically aware I have never seen a high ranking official of this country so utterly humiliated as this AG. I cannot understand why he does not resign or GOPers unit to force him to resign. He is an embarrassment to all Americans.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:19 pmThey’re not top aides. They’re bottom aides, apparently. Big difference.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:20 pmWhat a vile, embarrassing, little cockroach. I would rate this as truly one of the lowest points the the history of this nation. Crooks who have been exposed as crooks are runnign our country, and the Congress and people do not have the gall the demand their immediate resignation or enact impeachment proceedings. You know people cannot be pardoned after they are impeached? I think that clause was written in for people just like Gonzales. This is sad, sad, sad. This vile, snivelling, croutching, masturbater makes me want to throw up everytime I hear him talk. I hope I live long enough to see him spending some serious time in jail.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:22 pmI can’t believe this. Guess what peeps. This is how far cinema has come… they can digitally render ANYTHING. This… show…. is NOT reality… is HAS to be fake…..
May 15th, 2007 at 2:22 pmhe is just so f***ing stoooooopid! seriously.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:22 pmGonzo is aide to the Decider Boy King and the rest are either Bushie servants, scape goats or irrelevant. This is Gonzo’s understanding of the LAW.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:27 pmGonzo is a weasel. He cannot speak without lying, and evading the truth.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:27 pmIt is no wonder that he is Bush’s counsel; he is exactly the low life character necessary to represent Bush.
Chill, people. He’s just saying ‘I don’t recall what is a top aide‘
May 15th, 2007 at 2:28 pmPlease, someone apply a defogger to his brain. Reality calling Alberto – Reality calling Alberto —it’s apparent no one is home. Oh, wait – Alberto has the gwb attitude: ignore, ignore, ignore and if it won’t go away: minimize and blame others.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:29 pmNow I get it!
He’s so screwed six ways from Sunday, why doesn’t he have the common sense to resign?
May 15th, 2007 at 2:30 pmAnybody here who supports affirmative action can’t complain about this guy because that’s the only reason he has this position.
He is obviously not qualified for it on merit.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:33 pmWHAT!?!?!?!?!?!
He can’t be serious. I would say does he expect anybody to believe him, but we know the trolls will come and back him up.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:34 pmWell, then I can call him a dumb fu*k all I want then.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:35 pmHarvard Law School Graduate.
Amazing.
One wonders how he was even admitted, much less graduated, from what used to be regarded as one of the highest quality law schools in the country.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:36 pmDamn!
May 15th, 2007 at 2:36 pmWe are the f@#king losers for allowing this farse to continue day and day out. These discusting vermins are destroying our country and we care more about American Idol and the like.
Damn!
Our comments don’t mean crap!
These traitors, apologist and enablers will continue until they are really threatened in a way that will hurt them. Finanacially and jail.
Gonzales, a “Loyal Bushie” to the “end.”
May 15th, 2007 at 2:37 pmPlease let the House impeach him first!!!
May 15th, 2007 at 2:38 pmNow THAT is the kind of agressive response loyal Bushies provide. McNulty? Not so much.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:43 pmGonzales is one of the most stupid people I have ever seen in the Washington. Period.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:57 pmoops! : ever seen in Washington.
May 15th, 2007 at 2:58 pmgonzalez: “I wouldn’t characterize them as top aides.”
War is Peace.
Freedom is Slavery.
Wake up: It’s 1984
May 15th, 2007 at 3:03 pmOne wonders how he was even admitted, much less graduated, from what used to be regarded as one of the highest quality law schools in the country.
Comment by Briseadh na Faire
Affirmative action — that’s how it happened.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:05 pmWhat is this guy smiling about?! Oh, I know … mabye it’s the fact that Gonzo and Bush League can keep kicking the can down the road by referring the press to the other for responsibility on the AG resignation. That is, until the Democrats take the initiative with impeachment proceedings (let the Reps claim this guy with a no vote) or at least a vote of no confidence.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:11 pmOne might ponder the question, “how does this man define the term top aide?
But all that would do is play into his hands. Because all Abu G intends with this ridiculous answer is to avoid responding to the question. An actual answer would be far more damaging to him than this grade-school avoidance tactic, which makes him look stupid. There’s no further harm to be done in making the AG look stupid. That ship has sailed.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:13 pmSo, according to Gone-zo, he takes full responsibility for the politically motivated US Attorney firings, even though it was really that low level aid McNulty who did the evil deed.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:28 pmGone-zo really is a dispicable POS.
I don’t care how well you smile for the cameras, or how nice you treat people when you are stabbing them in the back, when do the things Gone-zo is doing, you are a POS.
They’re not top aides. They’re bottom aides, apparently. Big difference.
LOL!!
I thought Gonzales was the bottom boy. He has the hairdo for it.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:29 pmWill someone grab this bum by the neck and throw him out the door. Name any business that would put up with this kind of lying bullshit. And throw that dumb ass Wolfowitz out at the same time.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:33 pmI’ve posted on this topic at The Law and Politics Blog, http://blog.politicslaw.org
If these aren’t his top aides, does that mean more resignations are yet to come?
May 15th, 2007 at 3:36 pmI’ve posted on this topic at The Law and Politics Blog
If these aren’t his top aides, does that mean there are more resignations to come?
May 15th, 2007 at 3:37 pmabout my resigning…that’s up to the president.
Cant’ even get that right–firing is up to the president, resigning is up the the individual. hence the difference between being fired (involuntary action) and resignation (voluntary action).
Harvard Law? C’mon!
May 15th, 2007 at 3:38 pmLiar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar!
May 15th, 2007 at 3:56 pmHypocrisy… conservative, neocon spin…
Talk in circles and never get to the truth. That’ll confuse the masses.
May 15th, 2007 at 4:17 pmFredo fits this perfectly:
[i]“It’s the reign of the Mayberry Machiavellis”
May 15th, 2007 at 4:54 pm-John DiIulio, former Bush domestic policy adviser[/i]
In a correction today, Gonzales said he thought the reporter had asked if they were the “top paid”. And clearly that would be him so he said no.
May 15th, 2007 at 5:08 pmSEPPUKU! SEPPUKU! SEPPUKU!
May 16th, 2007 at 8:46 amY’all callin’ him stupid. I find it amazing. How many of you could pull this off? Unless I thought I was doing a comedy, but really, can you imagine sitting in these hearings and completely denying the elephant, make that 100 elephants in the living room? Amazing.
PS I clip a STOP BUSH sign on my bag for my walk to work. Do Something!
May 17th, 2007 at 12:16 am