February 11, 2009 5:12 PM

Strategist Says Gonzales Is "Finished"

(CBS/AP)  Pressure mounted on the White House Thursday to fire Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for the abrupt dismissal of U.S. attorneys. More Republicans called for his ouster, and one Republican strategist close to the White House told CBS News that Gonzales is "finished."

Congressman Dana Rohrbacher became the latest Republican to say Gonzales should go, reports CBS News White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.

"Even for Republicans this is a warning sign … saying there needs to be a change," said Rohrbacher. "Maybe the president should have an attorney general who is less a personal friend and more professional in his approach."

Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday cleared the way for subpoenas compelling five Justice Department officials and six of the federal prosecutors they fired to tell the story of the purge.

The voice vote to authorize the panel to issue subpoenas amounts to insurance against the possibility that Gonzales could retract his permission to let the aides testify voluntarily, or impose strict conditions.

The committee also postponed for a week a vote on whether to authorize subpoenas for President Bush's top aides who were involved in the eight firings, including political adviser Karl Rove, former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and deputy White House Counsel William K. Kelley.

The committee approved subpoena power for key Justice Department officials involved in the firings: Michael Elston, Kyle Sampson, Monica Goodling, Bill Mercer and Mike Battle.

Sampson, Gonzales' chief of staff, quit this week. Elston is staff chief to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, and Mercer is associate attorney general. Goodling is Gonzales' senior counsel and White House liaison, and Battle is the departing director of the office that oversees all 93 U.S. attorneys.

Gonzales has said he would allow the aides still at the Justice Department to testify voluntarily. It was unclear whether Sampson would agree to tell his story without a subpoena.

The panel also approved subpoena power for six of the eight U.S. attorneys fired since December. The six, all of whom testified last week under oath before the House Committee, are: Carol Lam of California, Bud Cummins of Arkansas, Paul Charlton of Arizona, John McKay of Washington state, Daniel Bogden of Nevada, David Iglesias of New Mexico.

The subpoenas are a warning to the embattled administration to follow through on promises in recent days by Gonzales and President Bush to tell the whole story of the firings, beyond the selected details that Associate Deputy Attorney General William Moschella revealed to the House panel last week.

"I want to obtain their cooperation and all relevant information," Leahy said. "But I want people to know that if I do not get cooperation, I will subpoena, we will have testimony under oath in this committee. We will find out what happened."

Gonzales' tenure has been tangled in controversies, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr.

As the president's chief lawyer, Gonzales sanctioned the widespread use of "warrantless wiretaps," allowing the government to snoop on Americans without court orders.

Citing an urgent need to prevent terror attacks, he also approved the so-called "torture memo," clearing the way for the CIA to use harsh methods in questioning al Qaeda captives, adds Orr.



© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 183 Comments
by dallison7 March 16, 2007 9:30 AM EDT
As the president's chief lawyer, Gonzales sanctioned the widespread use of "warrantless wiretaps," allowing the government to snoop on Americans without court orders.

Citing an urgent need to prevent terror attacks, he also approved the so-called "torture memo," clearing the way for the CIA to use harsh methods in questioning al Qaeda captives

AMERICAN PATRIOTS MUST NEVER FORGET THIS ATTACK ON OUR CONSTITUTION!! WE MUST NEVER AGAIN ALLOW CRIMINALS TO ATTAIN POSITIONS OF POWER!!
Reply to this comment
by karlimhof March 16, 2007 9:25 AM EDT
Bush "administration" is a run-away freight train that has already crashed through numerous Constitutional stations -

I am not an adherent of "shadenfreude", especially since so many unnecessary deaths have been caused by this "war-on-terror" megalomaniac, but I take unbridled pleasure is seeing the complete and utter disintergration of the neoconservative policies and personalities.

May they not rest in peace....
Reply to this comment
by crater7 March 16, 2007 9:02 AM EDT
THE PRESSURE IS ON?
Keep the pressure on Gonazlas, and of course C. Rove, lets not forget, that Robert Mueller, FBI, has admitted Illegal acts by the FBI. It's time to clean house of these Corrupt,Incompetant, Crooks.
Reply to this comment
by tuckerndfw March 16, 2007 8:44 AM EDT
Presumably, Senate confirmation is required to prevent presidents from appointing their unqualified cronies to high political office.

From what I've seen, the US Senate acts more as a rubber stamp for the president than as a guard against appointing unqualified people.

It is not unique to this administration, but Bush has taken it to the highest levels. And the Senate has been derelict in their duties.

Gonzales should have never been confirmed in the first place due to his well known personal relationship with George Bush and his lack of qualifications to be Attorney General.

His predecessor, John Aschroft, was similarly unqualified. So long as the Senate acts as a rubber stamp, we can expect more of the same, regardless who is in the White House.

Perhaps presidents should be taken out of the process and not allowed to nominate candidates.
Reply to this comment
by karlimhof March 16, 2007 6:39 AM EDT
What we've taken for granted, and what we are faced with;

- a President does not lie or mislead the people
- a President does not misuse our judicial system for political ojectives
- a President's first responsibility is to protect the people
- a President second responsibility is to strengthen our democratic institutions in line with the Constitiution

Bush has failed on all counts - we have allowed it to happen because we take all our freedoms and principles for granted and are not sufficiently vigilant.

Now there must be reckoning and reform and those who acted not in America's best interests but in their own, or for an agenda - must be brought before the tribunal of American opinion, if not before a Congressional inquiry.

Reply to this comment
by searingtruth March 16, 2007 5:40 AM EDT
"Paul Krugman has a flip side of this story, one that few have been talking about: ..."
DefndLiberty

Indeed fellow patriot, and this is the meat of the story.

Whenever an administration takes power it is customary for all US attorney generals to offer their resignations. If a new party is taking power most resignations are accepted, if the same party retains power most resignations are rejected.

In this case Bush and his henchman conspired to get rid of attorney generals during their second term who would not accept their fascist agenda.
ST

"... My friends, this administrations illegal and covert activities began the moment power was assumed, and one thing is very clear. Instead of working to make America safer after an attack on our nation, as all other American Presidents throughout history have done, George Bush and his accomplices simply used the event as a convenient excuse to accelerate their own attack on American liberty and freedom.

In fact, the terrorists must be ecstatic. To them it looks like they simply attacked once and the American Constitution self destructed."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - wwww.searingtruth.com

Reply to this comment
by dallison7 March 16, 2007 5:37 AM EDT
THIS IS HE KIND OF SILLY SH*IT FOX NEWS PUBLISHES.

IT SPEAKS REAMS ABOUT THE MENTALITY OF THEIR AUDIENCE.



Senator Obama Says John Edwards Is 'Kind of Cute'
Thursday, March 15, 2007

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama referred to rival John Edwards as "kind of good-looking" during a recent speech, according the Beltway Web site TheHill.com.
Reply to this comment
by searingtruth March 16, 2007 5:17 AM EDT
"America should not be so concerned with what these eight attorneys didn't do for the Bush crime cartel but rather what the rest of them did do."
dallison7

Indeed.
ST

"Cruelty and brutality are evidence of evil, not strength."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
Reply to this comment
by searingtruth March 16, 2007 5:11 AM EDT
"More accuracy please. These authoritarian Bushies CALL themselves Republicans, but are not in the tradition of the Republican Party. ..."
DefndLiberty

Then you should register as an Independent voter, as I did long ago. You owe your loyalty to America, not a political party.
ST


"And let history record that in that darkest hour, when loss predeemed history, providence again praised freedom. Providence, and the righteous will and might of the American people."
SearingTruth, A Future of the Brave

A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
Reply to this comment
by dallison7 March 16, 2007 5:11 AM EDT
America should not be so concerned with what these eight attorneys didn't do for the Bush crime cartel but rather what the rest of them did do.
Reply to this comment
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