Gonzales Denies 'improper' Motives For U.S. Attorney Firings, Apologizes Again
In his prepared statement for tomorrow's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales once again denied that there were any "improper" motives behind the firing of eight U.S. attorneys last year, including any suggestion that the prosecutors were ousted to block corruption probes of GOP lawmakers.
"For the benefit of the Committee as well as for the American people, I would like to be abundantly clear about the decision to request the resignations of eight (of the 93) United States Attorneys – each of whom had served his or her full four-year term of office: I know that I did not, and would not, ask for a resignation of any individual in order to interfere with or influence a particular prosecution for partisan political gain. I also have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. Attorney for an improper reason," Gonzales said in his opening statement, which was released by the Judiciary Committee today.
"These facts have been made clear through the testimony of Justice Department officials who have appeared before the Congress, as well as by the thousands of pages of internal documents that the Department of Justice has released. Based upon the record as I know it, it is unfair and unfounded for anyone to conclude that any U.S. Attorney was removed for an improper reason. Our record in bringing aggressive prosecutions without fear or favor and irrespective of political affiliations – a record I am very proud of – is beyond reproach."
Gonzales added: "While reasonable people may dispute whether or not the actual reasons for these decisions were sufficient to justify a particular resignation, again, there is no factual basis to support the allegation, as many have made, that these resignations were motivated by improper reasons."
Gonzales also laid the groundwork for a lot more "I don't know" and "I don't recall" answers during tomorrow's appearance, saying that he has purposely not reviewed the depositions of his top aides by congressional investigators and thus won't be able to answers questions from lawmakers on what happened and why.
"The Committee should also know that, to ensure the independence and integrity of these onvestigations, and the investigations of congressional committees, I have not spoken with nor reviewed the confidential transcripts of any of the Department of Justice employees interviewed by congressional staff," Gonzales said.
"I state this because, as a result, I may be somewhat limited when it comes to providing you with all of the facts that you may desire. I hope you understand that, to me, it was absolutely essential that the investigative work proceeds in a manner free of any complications by my efforts to prepare for this testimony."