McConnell Threatens Mystery ‘Resolution’ To Match ‘No Confidence’ Vote For Gonzales

On ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos asked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) if he still believes that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales “can effectively run the Justice Department,” considering the explosive revelations in former Deputy Attorney General James Comey’s Senate testimony.

McConnell dodged the question and refused to comment on Gonzales’ hamstrung abilities, instead saying “that’s for the president to decide.”

When Stephanopoulos followed up by asking McConnell if he would “vote against the no-confidence resolution” introduced by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) earlier this week, McConnell suggested that Gonzales backers will introduce a separate, mystery resolution to compete with the “no confidence” vote. Watch it:

While Sen. McConnell may want to avoid a “no-confidence” vote for the attorney general by threatening a mystery resolution, support for the measure appears to be strong. Sen. Schumer, one of the co-sponsors of the resolution, told the Washington Times on Friday that the vote “would draw support from at least 60 senators.” Appearing on CBS’ Face The Nation today, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that he believes support for the no confidence vote is “very substantial.”

Transcript

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me ask you one final question about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. After that testimony this week by the former deputy attorney general, James Comey, at least two more senators have called for his resignation.

I know you believe that is the president’s decision. But you still believe that the attorney general can effectively run the Justice Department?

MCCONNELL: Look, that’s for the president to decide. The attorney general serves at the pleasure of the president. If the president says he’s satisfied with the job the attorney general’s doing, the opinions of senators are interesting and certainly make good fodder for Sunday talk shows.

But as long as he’s satisfied the president, I think he’s going to continue.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So you’ll vote against the no-confidence resolution by Senator Schumer?

MCCONNELL: Well, we won’t have a no-confidence resolution in the Senate unless there are other resolutions. In the Senate, nobody gets a clear shot. If there’s a resolution on Attorney General Gonzales, there will probably be another kind of resolution. So we’ll see what happens.

STEPHANOPOULOS: OK, Senator McConnell, thank you very much for joining us this morning.