Charlton, who said he believes he was fired last year for refusing to pursue the death penalty against a drug supplier, said Congress should continue its probe even in the absence of a smoking gun. He said the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General and the DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility recently interviewed him. Charlton said questions he was asked during that interview provided him with new information into the circumstances behind the firings. However, he was unwilling to share the details of what he has learned thus far because the probe is ongoing.
"I came out [of the interview with the inspector general] with new information, and that information only further solidified my belief that [Congress] needs to continue this investigation," Charlton said earlier this month. "I can say that at some point in time the inspector general is going to need to analyze the evidence he has at a certain date and determine whether a special prosecutor needs to be appointed to assist him."
Gonzales retains the full support of President Bush even as the attorney general faces renewed calls by lawmakers to resign - if for no other reason than to allow the DOJ to regain its integrity. Gonzales made it clear on Tuesday he has no intention of stepping down, forcing lawmakers to rethink how they intend to hold him responsible for the scandals that have taken place in his department, under his watch.
Bud Cummins, the former US attorney in Little Rock, Arkansas, who was forced out of his position and replaced by a protege of Karl Rove, said he believes the fallout from the scandal will continue to affect the integrity and credibility of the DOJ unless the White House replaces Gonzales - a move Bush has said he is unwilling to make.
"I think a new attorney general would be helpful," Cummins said in an [3] interview [3] with Truthout in June.
Cummins said he has a difficult time believing Gonzales's sworn testimony before Congress earlier this year. In that testimony, the attorney general stated he could not recall the events that led to the firings of Cummins and the other US attorneys last year.
"It's disappointing to see someone with that much authority and responsibility be so unwilling to take responsibility," Cummins said. "I don't think I'm alone in having difficulty believing all [of Gonzales's] claims that he doesn't really remember meetings that he was in. It's been maddening to me to see an attorney general of the United States claim that he was responsible for a decision and he owns it, but he doesn't know why it was made and he doesn't know who made it. That's kind of crazy."
John McKay, the former US attorney for western Washington State, [1] told Truthout [1] he believes Gonzales knows the identity of the officials who selected the US attorneys for termination, but Gonzales has lied to Congress in order to protect the Bush administration. McKay believes his ouster was due in part to the fact that Republicans were angry that McKay did not convene a federal grand jury to pursue allegations of voter fraud related to the 2004 governor's election in Washington State. In that election, Democrat Christine Gregoire defeated Republican Dino Rossi by a margin of 129 votes.
David Iglesias, the former US attorney for New Mexico, [2] said [2] Gonzales's continuous efforts at stonewalling Congress have led to low morale of US attorneys around the country. Iglesias said "getting a new attorney general" is the only way the DOJ will ever be able to repair its shattered image and restore its credibility with the American public. Iglesias said he believes he was fired because he refused to bring criminal charges against individuals pertaining to allegations of voter fraud.
Tuesday's contentious hearing came on the heels of Congressional contempt charges the House Judiciary Committee approved on Wednesday against former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and President Bush's chief of staff, Joshua Bolten. Miers and Bolten cited Bush's assertion of executive privilege in both refusing to turn over internal executive branch documents and in failing to testify before the panel earlier this month about the US attorney dismissals. Last week, White House officials said if Miers and Bolten are held in contempt, President Bush would instruct the DOJ not to permit the US attorney for the District of Columbia to impanel a grand jury, on grounds it would interfere with Bush's assertion of executive privilege.
Gonzales refused to answer a question posed by Leahy as to whether Gonzales, as head of the Justice Department, would allow the White House to take such extraordinary action and impede Congress's ability to investigate the matter.
"Your question relates to an ongoing controversy which I am recused from," Gonzales told Leahy. "I'm not going to answer that question."
Lawmakers hammered away at Gonzales time and again, declaring his ability to lead the nation's 93 US attorneys was marred by his underhanded tactics.
In an audacious move, Gonzales asked the senators on the Judiciary Committee to begin revamping the very law he and Bush administration officials stand accused of circumventing since 9/11 so they could spy on American citizens without a warrant. In response, the senators picked apart Gonzales, with Specter telling the attorney general he had absolutely zero credibility left.
for New Mexico David Iglesias
[3] Please see Truthout's interview with Bud Cummins, the former US attorney for Little Rock
[4] Please see Truthout's interview with former US attorney for Arizona Paul Charlton
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