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New York (AP) -- No criminal prosecutions are planned for former Justice Department officials accused of allowing politics to influence the hiring of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Tuesday. Mukasey used his sharpest words yet to criticize the senior leaders who took part in or failed to stop illegal hiring practices during the tenure of his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales. But, he told delegates to the American Bar Association annual meeting, "Not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime. In this instance, the two joint reports found only...

Former Justice Department counselor Monica M. Goodling and former chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson routinely broke the law by conducting political litmus tests on candidates for jobs as immigration judges and line prosecutors, according to an inspector general's report released today. Goodling passed over hundreds of qualified applicants and squashed the promotions of others after deeming candidates insufficiently loyal to the Republican party, said investigators, who interviewed 85 people and received information from 300 other job seekers at Justice. Sampson developed a system to screen immigration judge candidates based on improper political considerations and routinely took recommendations from the...

WASHINGTON — Alberto R. Gonzales, like many others recently unemployed, has discovered how difficult it can be to find a new job. Mr. Gonzales, the former attorney general, who was forced to resign last year, has been unable to interest law firms in adding his name to their roster, Washington lawyers and his associates said in recent interviews. He has, through friends, put out inquiries, they said, and has not found any takers. What makes Mr. Gonzales’s case extraordinary is that former attorneys general, the government’s chief lawyer, are typically highly sought. A longtime loyalist to George W. Bush dating...

What is an auditorium half-full of moonbats like? Well first of all it doesn't smell very good, second, it's very loud, third, it has a back-up supply of policemen at the ready for the inevitable task of evicting the hecklers, and fourth, it really makes you wish you had a taser with you. Alberto Gonzales spoke at Ohio State this evening. I went to his lecture, forgetting that this is not a normal environmnt, it's a college campus, and was reminded of that fact by the shouting loons as Gonzales walked on stage. Most people clapped, but there was a...

Excerpt - WASHINGTON -- The government agency that enforces one of the principal laws aimed at keeping politics out of the civil service has accused the Justice Department of blocking its investigation into alleged politicizing of the department under former Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales. Scott J. Bloch, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, wrote Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey last week that the department had repeatedly "impeded" his investigation by refusing to share documents and provide answers to written questions, according to a copy of Bloch's letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times. The Justice Department wants...

WASHINGTON - Negative news coverage may have cost former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales his job, but it won him a dubious honor Wednesday from a magazine published by the American Bar Association: Lawyer of the Year. Additionally, the ABA Journal named Gonzales' successor, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, as its top lawyer for 2008 — mostly in anticipation of how often he'll be in the media spotlight for trying to repair the beleaguered Justice Department. The monthly magazine gave the awards to lawyers who made the most news, said editor and publisher Edward A. Adams. "Think about Time magazine's Person of...

AG Gonzales "There was not a war declaration, either in connection with Al Qaida or in Iraq. It was an authorization to use military force. I only want to clarify that, because there are implications. Obviously, when you talk about a war declaration, you're possibly talking about affecting treaties, diplomatic relations. And so there is a distinction in law and in practice. And we're not talking about a war declaration. This is an authorization only to use military force."

Former AG Gonzales Speaks at U. of Fla. By RON WORD – 19 hours ago GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales endured screams of "criminal" and "liar" during a speech at the University of Florida on Monday evening. About 730 students and community members listened to Gonzales defend his career as White House counsel and head of the Justice Department. He also spoke about immigration and terrorism. "No one is perfect. What is important is that we identify our mistakes and correct them," he said. Gonzales' appearance was the first by a high-profile speaker at the university...

The Nation -- George Bush's nominee to replace disgraced former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, retired Federal Judge Michael B. Mukasey, must be rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee for the same reason that Gonzales should have been rejected in 2005. Like Gonzales, Mukasey refuses to accept that the president of the United States must abide by the laws of the land, beginning with the Constitution. In fact, the nominee to replace the worst Attorney General since Calvin Coolidge forced Harry Micajah Daugherty to quit rather than face impeachment is actually takes a more extreme position in defense of an imperial...

The U.S. Inspector General may recommend criminal prosecution of departed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at the conclusion of an investigation, possibly as early as next month, the fired former U.S. attorney for Western Washington told a Spokane audience Friday.... McKay said he was summoned to Washington, D.C., in June and questioned for eight hours about possible reasons for his firing by investigators with the Office of Inspector General, who will forward their final report to Congress. “My best guess is it will be released sometime next month,’’ and likely will include recommendations for criminal prosecutions of Gonzales and maybe others,...

Alberto Gonzales hires defense attorney By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer 29 minutes ago Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hired a high-powered Washington lawyer to represent him in investigations of mismanagement of the Justice Department. George Terwilliger, a white-collar crime defense attorney and the Justice Department's No. 2 in the early 1990s, last month was on the White House's short list to replace Gonzales. Now he'll be Gonzales' defender as federal investigators look into allegations that the former attorney general lied to lawmakers and illegally allowed politics to influence hiring and firing at the Justice Department. In an...

From the armada of trial balloons floating from the White House the last two days, it appears that the Bush administration has shifted its favor from Ted Olson to Michael Mukasey for its choice to replace Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General. Mukasey had been rumored as a potential Supreme Court pick earlier, and has a solid record as a conservative jurist -- which he'll need after getting Chuck Schumer's blessing: One source close to the White House, describing Mukasey as the clear "front-runner," said Bush advisers appear to have decided that "they didn't want a big fight over attorney general"...

Following last night’s address to the nation, President Bush and Vice President Cheney each met with troops and Marines today, thanking them for their service and for their continued efforts in the War on Terror. President Bush had lunch with Marines at Quantico, Virginia, and made a brief statement afterwards, in which he reminded Congress to “support our men and women in uniform, and their families, and those who have worn the uniform. “ (Transcript) Vice President Cheney traveled to the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he spoke about the war in Iraq (Transcript). He then...

On Sunday, July 29, Chris Wallace interviewed Senator Russ Feingold on Fox News. Wallace observed that Democrats had received thousands of documents related to the firing of the U.S. attorneys. He asked if the Senator could point to one smoking gun that had been discovered in those documents indicating that a crime had been committed. The Senator stammered that he could not name specifics but that he was sure that a crime had been committed. What crime this might be is never explained. The Democrats are angry because U.S. attorneys were apparently fired for failing to prosecute vote fraud. Democrats...

Alberto Gonzales, the U. S. attorney general who carved a dubious career in public office, largely as a shameless sycophant to the president who appointed him, is finally leaving. My reaction: What a nightmarish circus this man provided us. Gonzales likely will be known as the worst attorney general in the history of our nation, remembered even beyond the rabid excesses of bullheaded Janet Reno. He was embroiled in scandals ranging from warrantless wiretaps to potential perjury, the latest centering around the firing of eight U. S. attorneys who refused to follow the administration’s agenda. He apparently was a public...

Preview and Analysis for Weekend of September 1st and 2nd, 2007 Guest lineup for the Sunday TV news shows: NBC's "Meet the Press" James CarvilleBob ShrumMary MatalinMike Murphy CBS's "Face the Nation" Senator Joe Biden, D-Del.Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Fox News Sunday Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.Senator Arlen Specter, R-Pa.Ed Gillespie   CNN "Late Edition" Senator Richard Shelby, R-Ala.Representative Kendrick Meek, D-Fla.Laith Kubba, former Iraqi government spokesmanLanny DavisBen Ginsberg. ABC's "This Week" Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.Senator John Ensign, R-Nev.Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee So, I'm (way) late again... get over it, I have... the twenty first century has a nasty habit of...

An author and investigative journalist says he isn't shedding any tears over the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who in the end had come under fire from both the left and the right. Democrats and the mainstream media had been hounding Gonzales for months over his firing of eight U.S. attorneys. He was also criticized over the legality of the National Security Agency's surveillance programs. However, criticism was not limited to the political left. As conservative activist and best-selling author Jerome Corsi points out, the outgoing AG was criticized for his part in the unwarranted prosecutions of several Border...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department said Thursday it is investigating whether resigning Attorney General Alberto Gonzales lied or otherwise mislead Congress last month in sworn testimony about the Bush administration's domestic terrorist spying program. The inquiry, confirmed by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine, comes three days after Gonzales abruptly announced he was stepping down despite months of vowing he would remain on the job. In a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, who two weeks ago asked for the inquiry, Fine said his investigators believe they "will be able to assess most of the issues that...

This week, congressional Democrats vowed to investigate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' firing of himself. Gonzales has said he was not involved in the discussions about his firing and that it was "performance-based," but he couldn't recall the specifics. Right-wingers like me never trusted Gonzales. But watching Hillary Rodham Clinton literally applaud the announcement of Gonzales' resignation on Monday was more than any human being should have to bear. Liberals' hysteria about Gonzales was surpassed only by their hysteria about his predecessor, John Ashcroft. (Also their hysteria about Bush, Rove, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Libby, Rice, Barney and so on. They're very excitable,...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senators urged President Bush on Wednesday to avoid a confirmation battle over the next attorney general by picking a unifying nominee to heal a Justice Department reeling from accusations of playing politics. The White House has dispatched some of its top aides to talk to key lawmakers on Senate and House judiciary committees, seeking names of candidates to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who will step down Sept. 17. Gonzales, who announced his resignation Monday, has been criticized over the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. Republicans and Democrats alike have challenged Gonzales' credibility over the firings and...

Alberto Gonzales and the Bush White House ‘Family’ By Llewellyn King August 27, 2007 When Karl Rove spoke about them as the “Bush Family,” he did not mean the president's blood relatives but the band of intimates who have been with him from the beginning, or at least had advised or campaigned with him. They included, of course, outgoing senior political adviser Rove, Alberto Gonzales, first White House counsel and then attorney general, former White House counsel Harriet Miers, former White House spokesman Scott McClellan, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The...

Senators Plan Ways to Get Answers On Surveillance, Attorney Firings The three men on Capitol Hill who contributed the most to the downfall of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales return from vacation next week with a short list of priorities that will likely keep the Bush administration on the defensive. Instead of dulling the Senate Judiciary Committee's enthusiasm for investigating Bush administration policy, Mr. Gonzales's resignation Monday appears to have stoked it. That is despite Congress's low approval ratings and attempts by the White House to cast lawmakers as abdicating their legislative responsibilities. New potential areas for conflict include the confirmation...

The next attorney general will inherit a demoralized Justice Department that has been cut adrift from its historical values and well-honored traditions. New leadership offers an opportunity for Justice to return to its best traditions under both Democrats and Republicans. Here are 10 priorities that would help the next attorney general guide the department back on course:(snip) "Take care that the laws be faithfully executed." (snip) Depoliticize hiring. Stop considering applicants' political backgrounds in the hiring and promotion of career lawyers. Equally important, political appointees should have experience in the areas they are overseeing, rather than experience as political operatives....

This whole drama is kind of a metaphor for the Bush administration. These guys, starting at the top, have been over their heads from day one. Bush tried so hard to get along with the Democrats. He cared so much about appearances and the way the New York Times, Washington Post and Associated Press covered his actions. He didn't care about his campaign promises to his base. He didn't even seem to care if he lost control of Congress – which he did. Now, amid this shameless feeding frenzy by Democrats and the press, he is reaping his just deserts...

The Law: Congressional Democrats finally have the head on a lance they so craved. But history will judge outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as a public servant for whom the safety of the public was foremost. "It's sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons." That's how President Bush responded after accepting his longtime Texan friend's resignation as the country's chief law enforcement officer. Democrats in Congress have been pounding on Gonzales for months...

Gonzales Quits, Bush Appoints Rove Attorney General by Scott Ott (2007-08-27) — Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales submitted his letter of resignation over the weekend to President George Bush, who today announced he’ll fill the post with departing White House adviser Karl Rove. The president said he selected Mr. Rove because “he meets the major qualification for the job by being one of the few unemployed, longterm Bush cronies available at the moment.” Mr. Rove said he’s honored to accept the appointment to such a prestigious position, and he hopes he can “be effective at the attorney general’s main job...

WASHINGTON - Alberto Gonzales, the nation's first Hispanic attorney general, announced his resignation Monday, driven from office after a wrenching standoff with congressional critics over his honesty and competence. Republicans and Democrats alike had demanded his departure over the botched handling of FBI terror investigations and the firings of U.S. attorneys, but President Bush had defiantly stood by his Texas friend for months until accepting his resignation last Friday. "After months of unfair treatment that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position and I accept his decision," Bush said from Texas,...

Topic for discussion: Would the Bush appointment of Utah Senator Orin Hatch to replace Attorney General Gonzales, help or hurt Mitt Romney's visibility in the Presidential Election? Hatch is listed as a possible candidate for the job. Bush already has a Mormon in his cabinet, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. Hary Reid is also a highly visible LDS political figure. Is the Mormon issue only important in the Presidential race? ________________________________________________________________________ Portfolio.com thinks Hatch would not want the job, they may be right. "If Orin Hatch was willing to give up his Utah Senate Seat for a year...

Dean: It's About Time Gonzales Resigned Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on the news of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation: "It's about time that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned," said Dean. "From illegally firing US Attorneys to limiting voting rights to warrantless wiretapping, Alberto Gonzales' Justice Department has promoted a culture of lawlessness designed to serve the Bush White House's narrow political agenda, not the American people. Gonzales now joins a long list of Republican officials resigning under a cloud of scandal, but these resignations cannot purge the Bush Administration of its problems. The true...

Finally, Alberto Gonzales has resigned from his post as "Enabler General" for the imperial Bush presidency. Good riddance. THANK YOU to the tens of thousands of PFAW activists who joined the "Gonzales Must Go" petition, and who continued to take action to keep the pressure on since March, when we first called for Gonzales' resignation. Now, we have a unique opportunity to clean up the Department of Justice, but it's going to require strong backbone from senators, and grassroots support from you to make sure the Senate does its job. Tell your senators that they must insist on an attorney...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Alberto Gonzales was a case study in cronyism, a nice guy and presidential pal who became attorney general on the strength of those two credentials. He was not up to the job. In the end, Gonzales' greatest achievement may be that he produced a rare note of unanimity among Republicans and Democrats in Washington: They agree his tenure was an unmitigated failure. "Reasonable people have been saying since the spring that Gonzales should resign, and four months later everybody says this should have happened a long time ago," said Republican consultant Joe Gaylord. "My guess is the...

Dear Friend, We Did It: Keep the Pressure on Bush-backing Republicans Today, we saw what can happen when we stand together to hold Republicans accountable. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned today because of the relentless pressure that our people-powered Democratic Majority brought to bear. We could not have done it without you. But there is no time to rest - we need to ratchet up the same kind of pressure on those Republicans who continue to obstruct our efforts to change the direction on the war in Iraq. News is out that a group of well-funded Republicans, led by Bush's...

“With the resignation of Alberto Gonzales, President Bush has an historic opportunity to recover from some of his self-inflicted injuries. He can do this by nominating a principled conservative to be the next Attorney General. Confront the Democrats, don’t ‘reach out’ to them as liberal commentators are urging. “For decades, polls have shown that the American public takes conservative positions on judicial and legal issues and appointments. If Democrats refuse to confirm a true conservative as Attorney General, that is an issue the Republican presidential candidate—whoever he is—can carry all the way into the White House. “Confronting the Democrats and...

Press Releases Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami 202-226-7616 For Immediate Release 08/27/2007 Pelosi: ‘Resignation of Attorney General Gonzales Is Long Overdue’ Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: “The resignation of Attorney General Gonzales is long overdue. The rampant politicization of federal law enforcement that occurred under his tenure seriously eroded public confidence in our justice system. “The President must now restore credibility to the office of the Attorney General. Given the serious loss of public trust and the disarray at the Department of Justice, the American people must...

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigned, officials said Monday, ending a monthslong standoff with critics who questioned his honesty and competence at the helm of the Justice Department. Republicans and Democrats alike had demanded his resignation over the botched handling of FBI terror investigations and the firings of U.S. attorneys, but President Bush had defiantly stood by his Texas friend until accepting his resignation Frid(AP) — ay, according to senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.The Justice Department planned a news conference for 10:30 a.m. EDT, in Washington. Bush planned to discuss Gonzales' departure at his Crawford, Texas, ranch...

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush will likely nominate Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to replace Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General, senior administration officials told CNN Monday. Chertoff, 53, previously sat on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which handles appeals from New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and the Virgin Islands. Before becoming a judge, he was assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice's criminal division from 2001 to 2003. Chertoff received his law degree from Harvard University and was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice William H. Brennan Jr. in 1979 and 1980. He first stepped into a...

U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy today called the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales “long overdue and called his policies “disastrous.” Gonzales, speaking briefly this morning about his resignation, thanked his staff saying, “It has been one of my greatest privileges to lead the Department of Justice.”

August 27, 2007 Reid Statement On Resignation Of Alberto Gonzalez Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today, following the announcement of the resignation of Alberto Gonzales as U.S. Attorney General: "Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for this job. He lacked independence, he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say no to Karl Rove. This resignation is not the end of the story. Congress must get to the bottom of this mess and follow the facts where they lead, into the White House."

The Justice Department is co-sponsoring a convention held by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) — an unindicted co-conspirator in an ongoing federal terrorist funding case — a move that is raising concerns among the Justice's rank and file. Justice lawyers have objected to the affiliation with ISNA, fearing it will undermine the case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development in Dallas. "There is outrage among lawyers that the Department of Justice is funding a group named as a co-conspirator in a terrorist financing case," said a Justice lawyer who spoke to The Washington Times on...

*snip* Attorney General Gonzales Resigns Controversy Plagued Top Law Enforcement Official By PIERRE THOMAS, JASON RYAN, THERESA COOK and JACK DATE Aug. 27, 2007 Gonzales will hold a press conference at 10:30 a.m. at the Justice Department to announce the resignation; President Bush is also expected to make a statement at 11:30 a.m. *snip* The embattled attorney general had withstood months of criticism from both sides of the aisle in Congress for a variety of missteps. Lawmakers blasted Gonzales after his department fired at least nine U.S. attorneys last year and accused him of misusing terrorist surveillance programs. Most recently...

WACO, Tex., Aug. 27 — Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, has resigned. A senior administration official said he would announce the decision later this morning in Washington. Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation, submitted his to President Bush by telephone on Friday, the official said. His decision was not announced immediately announced, the official added, until after the president invited him and his wife to lunch at his ranch near here. Mr. Bush has not yet chosen a replacement but will not leave the...

Then-Attorney General John D. Ashcroft was "feeble," "barely articulate" and "stressed" moments after a hospital room confrontation in March 2004 with Alberto R. Gonzales, who wanted Ashcroft to approve a warrantless wiretapping program over Justice Department objections, according to notes from FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III that were released yesterday. One of Mueller's entries in five pages of a daily log pertaining to the dispute also indicated that Ashcroft's deputy was so concerned about undue pressure by Gonzales and other White House aides for the attorney general to back the wiretapping program that the deputy asked Mueller to bar...

Democrats have introduced resolutions in the House and Senate that would censure President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., introduced the censure resolutions in the Senate on Aug. 4; New York Democrat Maurice D. Hinchey introduced them in the House a day later. One resolution (S Res 302, H Res. 625), would censure Bush and Cheney for “misleading the American people” about the need to invade and occupy Iraq, as well as for poor planning and conduct of the war. The other measure (S Res 303, H Res. 626) would censure Bush and...

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales late Friday declined to provide more information about discrepancies in his sworn testimony about the purge of federal prosecutors and its aftermath. Critics say the differences indicate that he misled Congress about his department's purge of federal prosecutors, but Gonzales has denied that. Still, Gonzales' refusal to clarify the inconsistencies increases the likelihood that lawmakers of both parties will seek ways to pry him from office. In a two-page letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, Gonzales reiterated his position that alleged violations of the USA Patriot Act were mistakes rather civil...

Homeland Security: Congressional Republicans say they won't leave for the August break until gaps in surveillance law are filled. Democrats will probably vote for a rewrite, but not for the right reason. Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell is pushing the administration's position that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act needs to be amended. Saying that national security cannot be postponed, the White House and its GOP supporters want Congress to change the law so that warrants would not be needed before monitoring the communications of suspected terrorists who are outside the U.S. They believe there are dangerous holes in the...

The name of Alberto Gonzales is rapidly becoming synonymous with all that has gone wrong under the Bush administration. Repeated media discussions of the US secretary of state in the most contentious tones have served to lay the blame for all the ailments that infected American democracy under Bush squarely on one man’s shoulders. President Bush himself, Gonzales’ loyal boss, friend and the hand behind all the stunts and tricks that Gonzales so indefatigably performed to defend and justify the unjustifiable, remains immune to any meaningful criticism. Bush is well-known for his habit of awarding sensitive posts to old friends,...

Washington Post reporters Dan Eggen and Amy Goldstein continue their effort to assist congressional Democrats in smearing Attorney General Gonzales by questioning his truthfulness in another front-page story. The only news on this front from the past few days is the confirmation that Gonzales testified truthfully about which surveillance was the subject to his visit to John Ashcroft at the hospital. As John has noted, even the New York Times had the decency this weekend to acknowledge that Gonzales has been vindicated on this point. But the Post lacks such decency. In fact, Eggen and Goldstein include this matter in...

Democrats are playing political games with national security and mongering phony scandal. It amounts to a program of harassment of the Bush Administration's efforts to defend us against attack by uncovering terror plots using intelligence agencies. It has been nothing short of a miracle that we have been spared another attack after 9/11; this has occurred through the Administration's use of various techniques almost all of which were leaked to the press. National security secrets were disclosed with no punishment to the leakers or publishers at all. I'm talking about leaks of real national security significance -- the terrorist surveillance...

Democrats are playing political games with national security and mongering phony scandal. It amounts to a program of harassment of the Bush Administration's efforts to defend us against attack by uncovering terror plots using intelligence agencies