Gonzales' Support Among GOP Dwindling

A day after senators from his own party pummelled him, the pressure on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign kept coming, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod.

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a strong ally of President Bush and a former U.S. Attorney, today put out a statement saying Gonzales "should have a frank discussion with the White House. If he and the president decide that he cannot be an effective leader ... then he should resign."

The Judiciary Committee's top Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, stopped short of making that recommendation during yesterday's hearing; that decision, he said, belongs to Gonzales and the President.

Gonzales and other administration officials had hoped his appearance Thursday would produce a groundswell of support among Republicans, but there was little if any evidence of that.

"The attorney general sets the standard of leadership for the Department of Justice and the standard set by Mr. Gonzales in this situation has been unacceptably low," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK). "Leadership requires accountability and mistakes should have consequences. In this instance, the consequence should be the resignation of the attorney general."

Axelrod says that Republicans now feel the attorney general's hurt himself so badly with his testimony — including 71 instances of not being able to recall key events in the U.S. Attorney firings — that he may have no choice but to leave.

Gonzales gave no indication Friday that he was prepared to go anywhere.

"Please know that as you continue your work, I am by your side," he told an audience of crime victims' rights supporters. He spoke in a gravely voice the day after his long day of testimony.

Gonzales also called several GOP senators, including John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Specter.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush had spoken with Gonzales after Thursday's hearing, and she added, "The attorney general continues to have the president's full confidence."

There was little other evidence of support for Gonzales, who has been struggling to explain last winter's firings of eight federal prosecutors.

Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican who sits on the committee, issued a statement that notably did not urge Gonzales to remain in his post.

"Although his answers suggested that there were serious managerial issues at the Department of Justice, I did not see a factual basis to call for his resignation. As for whether the attorney general should resign, that is a question I leave to him and to the president," he said.

There were also fresh calls from Democrats for Gonzales to step down. "The president should restore credibility to the office of the attorney general. Alberto Gonzales must resign," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), another member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, "I have very little confidence in Attorney General Gonzales' ability to manage the Justice Department an in independent, non-political manner."

Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida, who doubles as the general chairman of the Republican Party, had no immediate reaction to Gonzales' appearance.

In several hours before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Gonzales said he had done nothing improper in firing the eight prosecutors, but conceded the case had been badly handled.

Several Republicans made plain their unhappiness.

Specter told Gonzales his description of events was "significantly if not totally at variance with the facts."

"Why is your story changing?" Charles Grassley of Iowa asked at one point, citing differences between an earlier explanation and the hearing testimony.

Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, after hearing the attorney general's account of the case, said, "Most of this is a stretch," and added it seemed to him that some of those dismissed "just had personality conflicts with people in your office or the White House and (officials) just made up reasons to fire them."

At the White House on Friday, Perino lavished praise on Gonzales. "He has done a fantastic job at the Department of Justice. He is our No. 1 crime fighter. He has done so much to help keep this country safe from terrorists. He has worked determinately to prevent predators from attacking our children," she said.

"He has worked — they have a fantastic record of fighting corruption in government and in keeping gang violence off our streets."