Gonzales faces tough Senate panel

Ray · 04-19-2007, 14:44 PM

Quote:

Gonzales faces tough Senate panel

Alberto Gonzales
Mr Gonzales has come under pressure to resign

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is taking tough questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee over the sacking of US federal prosecutors.

Members of the panel urged Mr Gonzales to stick to "the hard facts" regarding the dismissal of the eight prosecutors.

Critics say their dismissal last year was politically motivated.

Mr Gonzales told the panel that while the process that led to the dismissals was flawed, he firmly believed "that nothing improper occurred".

He said the process by which the prosecutors were sacked was "nowhere near as rigorous or structured as it should have been."

Mr Gonzales, a close ally of President George W Bush, has been facing growing calls to resign.

'Growing scandal'

The BBC's Vanessa Heaney in Washington says Thursday's testimony is being seen as the last chance for Mr Gonzales to save his job.

The panel's Democratic chairman, Sen Patrick Leahy, said the Justice Department was "experiencing a crisis of leadership".

"There's a growing scandal swirling around the dismissal" of the prosecutors, he said.

The panel's senior Republican, Sen Arlen Specter, said the purpose of the hearing was to determine whether Mr Gonzales should remain as Attorney General - the top law enforcement official in the US.

The Democratic Party, which now controls Congress, is pushing to expand an investigation into the firings.

Mr Gonzales has repeatedly said the prosecutors were fired because of their job performance and that politics played no role.

Quote:

US ATTORNEYS
93 nationwide
Serve at the discretion of the president, with the approval of the Senate
Prosecute criminal cases brought by the government
Prosecute or defend civil cases in which the government is a party
Collect debts owed to the government
Source: US Department of Justice

But critics say the dismissals, which happened last year, were meant to halt investigations into Republican officials or punish the attorneys for failing to prosecute Democrats.

Mr Gonzales is appearing before the committee three weeks after his former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, testified that the attorney general was more involved in the firings than he had acknowledged.

Mr Gonzales has previously said that he had nothing to hide, but has admitted that the sackings were mishandled.

Bush support

His statements had "created confusion", Mr Gonzales said, but "nothing improper" happened.

There are 93 federal prosecutors in the US who investigate and prosecute court cases for the government.

They can be dismissed at any time but it is more usual for all 93 to be replaced when a president takes office.

Mr Bush has so far stood behind Mr Gonzales, a long-time confidant from their days in Texas before they came to Washington together, despite calls for the attorney general's resignation.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Gonzales faces tough Senate panel

These overzealous loyal to the King than the King himself chaps are out to make the last days of Bush real miserable.

Notwithstanding, if the Attorneys are there at the discretion of the President, does it matter if they are asked to go? I agree that morally it maybe a bit queer, but in politics there is no morality.

What are the powers of the Senate Panel to force any dismissal of the Attorney General who is after all there at the total discretion of the President?

Can the President overrule the Panel?

FibrillatorD · 04-19-2007, 18:12 PM

From the NYTimes... Arlen Specter is good at getting right to it:

Quote:

“I’d like you to win this debate,” Mr. Specter told Mr. Gonzales. “But you’re going to have to win it.”

Mr. Specter wondered aloud whether Mr. Gonzales “had been candid — more bluntly, truthful” in his earlier assertions that he was not involved in the dismissals, or at least not deeply involved. “Were you prepared for the press conference where you said there weren’t any discussions involving you?” Mr. Specter said, alluding to the attorney general’s March 13 news conference at the Justice Department.

“Senator, I’ve already said that I misspoke,” Mr. Gonzales said. “It was my mistake.”

That did not satisfy Mr. Specter at all. “I don’t think you’re going to win a debate about your preparation, frankly,” he said. “Let’s get to the facts.”

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Specter asked Mr. Gonzales if he thought it was “a fair, honest characterization to say that you had only a ‘limited involvement in the process’?”

“Senator, I don’t want to quarrel with you,” Mr. Gonzales replied.

“I don’t want you to, either,” Mr. Specter said. “I just want you to answer the question.”

When Mr. Gonzales insisted that his involvement in the firings had been limited, Mr. Specter told him that his description of his role was “significantly, if not totally, at variance with the facts.” It was clear that, for at least some members of the committee, there was no longer a debate about whether Mr. Gonzales should stay.

“It cannot make anyone happy to have to question the credibility and competence of the nation’s chief law enforcement officer,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer, a New York Democrat and one of Mr. Gonzales’s harshest critics. “This is, however, a predicament strictly of the attorney general’s own making.”

Gonzales' PR bungling as well as the rank smell of the whole thing has brought many to question Gonzales' competency.

Like all cabinet appointments, the president's choices are assumed to be approved by Congress on the basis of the candidate's competency and qualifications, not politics. Some Republicans, though by no means all, are trying to draw the line at politics because they have a solid trump: the clause that, as presidential appointments, they serve at the president's leisure. But the outcry over Gonzales' "limited," ie. negligent, role in the firings of the prosecutors brings up the issue of whether judicial shake-ups like these (which significantly breaks tradition... which dictates that turnovers occur after elections) can potentially threaten the balance of powers between judicial and executive branches, and whether the Attorney General's head is in front of the bench (which is his mandate, as chief enforcer of standing law), or behind the bench (in which case he's breached a core divide between powers - an impeachable offense? If so, after impeachment, Congress can remove the official with a conviction, but historically officials resign before impeachment).

Blademaster · 04-19-2007, 18:36 PM

This is all political posturing on Specter's behalf. He's a man-whore for the Democrats.

The short of it is that Republicans are scared of being labeled as Bush followers or loyalists so they are attempting to show that they are not by attacking Bush's Cabinet. They are afraid of losing big time in the next election. In other words, they are not only jumping the ship but they are setting fire to the ship.

Kassad · 04-20-2007, 08:44 AM

The Gonzales situation is purely a smoke and mirror moment. The President's popularity rating is low, and there is a Presidential election on the horizon.

Ray · 04-20-2007, 13:09 PM

Will the Hearing make any difference?

Kassad · 04-20-2007, 14:49 PM

It won't make the slightest difference. There is no smoking gun.

matchoo · 04-21-2007, 20:09 PM

The first clip really says it all. Shumer says that "the arrow points to the White House" since Alberto won't say who put the names on the list, and everyone is blaming one another. It almost makes you think that he should resign to keep the lid on this thing. Otherwise, subpoenas will go out and the White House will be forced to go further into the abyss.

The clips are here...

Gonzales Should Step Down

enjoy

-Matchoo

PS - nice to be here!

FibrillatorD · 04-21-2007, 23:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matchoo

Gonzales Should Step Down

Thank you.

04-21-2007, 20:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
matchoo New Member Join Date: 04-21-07 Posts: 1	Some great clips of Gonzales flubbing it up... The first clip really says it all. Shumer says that "the arrow points to the White House" since Alberto won't say who put the names on the list, and everyone is blaming one another. It almost makes you think that he should resign to keep the lid on this thing. Otherwise, subpoenas will go out and the White House will be forced to go further into the abyss. The clips are here... Gonzales Should Step Down enjoy -Matchoo PS - nice to be here!

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04-19-2007, 18:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
Blademaster Military Enthusiast *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 08-15-03 Posts: 3,259	This is all political posturing on Specter's behalf. He's a man-whore for the Democrats. The short of it is that Republicans are scared of being labeled as Bush followers or loyalists so they are attempting to show that they are not by attacking Bush's Cabinet. They are afraid of losing big time in the next election. In other words, they are not only jumping the ship but they are setting fire to the ship.

04-20-2007, 08:44 AM	#4 (permalink)
Kassad *Military Professional* Join Date: 12-11-06 Location: (Rural) Central Florida Posts: 69 Country:	The Gonzales situation is purely a smoke and mirror moment. The President's popularity rating is low, and there is a Presidential election on the horizon.

04-20-2007, 13:09 PM	#5 (permalink)
Ray Postmaster General *Military Professional* Join Date: 08-20-03 Posts: 28,269 Country:	Will the Hearing make any difference?

04-20-2007, 14:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
Kassad *Military Professional* Join Date: 12-11-06 Location: (Rural) Central Florida Posts: 69 Country:	It won't make the slightest difference. There is no smoking gun.

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