When Attorney General Alberto Gonzales first testified to Congress about the U.S. attorney scandal on April 19, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) reacted with indignation, telling Gonzales that “the best way to put this behind us is your resignation.”
But now, despite the variety of reasons for Gonzales to resign, Coburn appears to have backed away from his stern approach to Gonzales. Asked today whether Coburn would support a vote of “no confidence” for Gonzales, Coburn’s spokesman John Hart said no, calling the measure “a silly partisan stunt.” Hart said:
However, some Republican senators who have called on Mr. Gonzales to resign said they would not vote for Mr. Schumer’s no-confidence measure.
“If that were brought to the floor, I think Dr. Coburn would bring a vote to the floor calling for a vote of no confidence in Congress’ ability to balance the budget,” said John Hart, spokesman for Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican.
Mr. Coburn told Mr. Gonzales in a public hearing last month that the attorney general should resign, but Mr. Hart said the senator thinks Mr. Schumer’s no-confidence measure is “a silly partisan stunt.”
If Sen. Coburn really had the courage of his conviction that “the best way to put this behind us” is for Gonzales to resign, then he would support the “no confidence” vote, which is a reasonable move towards creating a Gonzales-free Justice Department.
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