Gonzales Aide Resigns Amid Hearings

Monica Goodling Wouldn't Testify Before A House Panel About Firings Of 8 U.S. Attorneys

(CBS/AP)  A senior Justice Department aide and White House liaison who refused to testify before a House committee investigating the firings of eight U.S. attorneys has resigned.

Monica Goodling, who worked in the Justice Department for the last five years, most recently as senior counsel to embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, submitted a letter of resignation effective April 7.

The terse text of her letter to Gonzales, which gave no reasons for her departure, expressed her honor at having worked at Justice. "I am hereby submitting my resignation to the office of the Attorney General, effective April 7, 2007. It has been an honor to have served at the Department of Justice for the past five years," it read.

The letter ended: "May God bless you richly as you continue your service to America."

Goodling is at the center of the controversy because, as the liaison between the Justice Department and the White House, she may be best suited to explain how deeply Karl Rove and other members of President Bush's political team might have been involved in the firings. Congress also wants her to testify on Gonzales' role in light of his shifting explanations.

A Senate panel has authorized a subpoena for her, but none yet has been issued.

Goodling took a leave last month amid the uproar over the prosecutors' ousters.

On Wednesday, Goodling refused to submit to a private interview with a House committee.

Her lawyers, who had said she would assert her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid appearing at congressional hearings, told the House Judiciary Committee that she would neither testify publicly nor submit to private questioning about the firings.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., asked Tuesday that Goodling submit to a closed-door interview on the matter, saying she had nothing to fear if she told the truth.

In a letter Wednesday responding to that request, Goodling's lawyers said her decision not to testify "can in no way be interpreted to suggest that Ms. Goodling herself participated in any criminal activity."

Her lawyers accused Democrats of behaving like the notorious Sen. Joseph McCarthy to intimidate her.

Goodling, 33, is a graduate of Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Va., which was founded by the Rev. Pat Robertson. CBS News correspondent Howard Arenstein reports that, in a scandal which has been about filling legal positions with so-called "loyal Bushies," she has been described as one of the enforcers of that loyalty.

While Goodling is no longer a federal employee, her change in professional status will likely not change her status in the investigation; she still can and probably will continue to invoke her right to remain silent, at least for now, CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen said.

"The question everyone will be asking this weekend is whether this career move by Goodling means that she intends to take a different strategy when it comes to the Congressional investigation into the firing of those eight U.S. Attorneys," Cohen said. "My guess is that she won't — that her lawyers already have convinced her that, whether she is a government employee or a private individual, she still can better protect herself by refusing to answer questions before Congress."

Goodling's lawyers have said congressional attempts to get Goodling to testify are essentially a perjury trap for their client. They cite charges that Goodling misled Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty before he testified before Congress about the ousters, causing him to give an incomplete and possibly inaccurate account.

The letter cited several instances in which Congress has let witnesses in high-profile investigations assert their Fifth Amendment rights to stay silent, including the Iran-Contra affair, when Oliver North did so. North was later granted immunity for his testimony, and ultimately absolved of convictions for his misconduct in the arms-for-hostages scheme.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is leading an inquiry into the firings, said Goodling had "no choice but to resign," and he noted that she was the third Justice Department official involved in the controversy to step down.

"Attorney General Gonzales' hold on the department gets more tenuous each day," Schumer said in a written statement.

Her resignation came less than two weeks before Gonzales' own planned testimony to Congress, which may determine his fate as attorney general. Several Republican lawmakers have joined Democrats in calling for his resignation or dismissal over the firings and other matters at Justice, including the FBI's improper and in some cases illegal prying into Americans' personal information during terror and spy probes.

[kansas1946]

Goodling, 33, is a graduate of Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Va., which was founded by the Rev. Pat Robertson. CBS News correspondent Howard Arenstein reports that, in a scandal which has been about filling legal positions with so-called "loyal Bushies," she has been described as one of the enforcers of that loyalty.
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Good grief, no wonder she is a little off. Look where she went to school, the "King of Whacky's" school, Pat Robertson. It is bad enough to have incompetent people in the justice department and the White House, but whacko's is a whole other ball game.

[realpatriot1]

So the left is to blame for the republican administration not acting on Darfur? How do you figure? The way I see it, we can't do anything about Darfur where we could make a difference because we're over extended in Iraq where as the Pope says, nothing good is happening.(actually, you don't have to be Pope to see that).

[homespunlady]

New book out by an Iraqi on our incompetence and huge demonstrations in the street demanding we leave. The Shiite's about to hit the fan. IS BUSH LISTENING YET? to paraphrase Verizon - CANHE HEAR THEM NOW?
Seriously, I'm beginning to think the Gonzales thing is another diversion so America doesn't notice what's going on in the world.

[fixitj-2009]

Well I am sure Gonzo can always count on his old job back at the Bush ranch where it all started, mowing grass or whatever he did. But, I don't know who George can get to replace him; aren't all his other *buddies from Texas* either in jail somewhere or already making some major department like FEMA, FDA, CIA, VA, or the DoD totally disfunctional?

There has to be a better idiot for George to choose, but finding one that will *serve the pleasure of the President* like Gonzo has apparently done will be hard.

NOTE: I am not sure anybody knows fully what Gonzo meant when he said he *serves the pleasure of the President*, besides Gonzo and supposedly the President's pleasure center or whatever, and I don't think we really want to know anyway. This group with their secret abductions and secret torture camps and war on whomever George declares an *evil-doers* already has me scared; Nope, I don't think I want to know about their private affairs or just how this sick group gets pleasure! Yuk, I mean Gonzo, OMG, at least Monica was kind of cute.

[toldyouso21]

I heard Bush prayed for peace this Easter Sunday. Unless he was praying to his real spiritual father*, someone should tell him that God has no dealings with and does not answer the prayers of blasphemers, apostates or reprobates (and Bush may well count for all 3 titles).

*The bible says that Satan is the true father of all liars and they shall have their place with him in the Lake of fire. Well, Bush...at least you'll be warm er hot.

[randalds]

RandalDS You may have hit the wee willy on its little head.
Posted by firststate at 02:31 AM : Apr 08, 2007

Hope it stings! lol!

[inventagod]

It's been decades since the Department of Justice was full of good, honest employees. Watching public servants bail out during the current administration's troubles indicates there are bigger troubles to come.
Gonzales has gone from a public relations tour to hiding in the bunker with Mr. *** Cheney. Where will the buck stop this time?

[abbe7]

"DOJ's political failure to act on the repetitive sexual molestation of minors by employees of the Texas Youth Commission is politically based law enforcement at its worst. "Embattled AG now accused in teen *** scandal 'cover-up' - Attorney General Gonzales among officials who allegedly ignored abuse of minor boys" http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/articl
e.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54861 Worldnetdaily is not liberal except in the way the framers of the Constitution were liberals."

Fowleygate, no 2 ... but it takes a long time to get to the MSM ...

[firststate]

RandalDS You may have hit the wee willy on its little head.

[randalds]

Last month Libby, now Gonzales taking the fall for the Bush administration. Do Bush/Cheney have something against little bitty fellers?
Posted by dallison7 at 10:28 PM : Apr 07, 2007

Maybe they're both upset at the little bitty fellers they see when looking down at the urinal? Sure would explain their need to overcompensate by war and torture and sacrificing humans! lol!