Attorney General Gonzales resigns

[AlethiaSi]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, senior administration officials told CNN Monday.
Alberto Gonzales was dogged by controversial issues including wiretapping programs and fired U.S. attorneys.





President Bush is expected to make a statement about Gonzales at 11:50 a.m. from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he has been vacationing.
Gonzales aides at the highest level and other top-level officials knew nothing about the announcement in advance, Justice Department sources indicated to CNN.
They were not informed until a meeting this morning, sources said, when Gonzales acknowledged he would be reading a statement at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Gonzales and his wife Becky had lunch with Bush at his Crawford, Texas, ranch on Sunday.
Bush will likely nominate Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to the position, senior administration officials said. Chertoff has headed Homeland Security since 2005. He served as a federal appellate court judge, a federal prosecutor and as special counsel for a Senate committee investigating President Clinton's involvement in the Whitewater land development.
One Gonzales' chief Democratic critics, New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, appealed to the administration "to work with us to nominate someone whom Democrats can support and America can be proud of."

Clay Johnson, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, would replace Chertoff, the senior administration officials said.
Johnson, a longtime friend of Bush, served as the president's chief of staff and appointments secretary when Bush was governor of Texas and was executive director of the Bush-Cheney transition team.
Although Bush had long stood by Gonzales, many members of Congress from both sides of the aisle had called on him to quit after the firing of several U.S. attorneys in 2006.
"Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for this job," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday. "He lacked independence, he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say no to Karl Rove." Rove, another longtime Bush official and his top political adviser, also resigned this month.
"This resignation is not the end of the story," Reid warned. "Congress must get to the bottom of this mess and follow the facts where they lead, into the White House."
In a statement, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said Gonzales was responsible for a "severe crisis of leadership that allowed our justice system to be corrupted by political influence."
Leahy called the experience "a lesson to those in the future who hold these high offices, so that law enforcement is never subverted in this way again."
Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said the attorney general's move was "better late than never."
Schumer, hailed Gonzales' resignation.
"Well I think that clearly this was the right thing to do," the New York Democrat told CNN. "It took a long time but there is no question about it that the Justice Department is virtually non-functional."
Schumer added that, "no one thought Alberto Gonzales was up to the job" saying that "we need someone who will put rule of law first."
After Rove's resignation senior administration officials said White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten had told senior aides that if they intended to stay after Labor Day, plan to remain for the rest of Bush's term through January 2009.
Throughout Gonzales' time as attorney general, controversies surrounded his positions on issues such as U.S. interrogation techniques and the wiretapping of conversations between Americans and suspected terrorists overseas.
This year, after Congress began an investigation into the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, Gonzales faced a great deal of scrutiny -- and the calls for his dismissal began.
The Senate Judiciary Committee looked into whether the administration may have fired some or all of them for political reasons. In his testimony before the committee on multiple occasions, Gonzales repeatedly seemed to contradict himself, other members of his department, or Justice Department documents.
The attorney general also testified that he could not answer dozens of questions because he could not "recall" certain incidents or meetings.





A longtime friend and legal adviser to the president, Gonzales was nominated by Bush in November, 2004, and confirmed by the Senate in February, 2005.
Other White House officials who have left in the wake of the 2006 election include White House counselor Dan Bartlett, budget director Rob Portman, chief White House attorney Harriet Miers, political director Sara Taylor, deputy national security adviser J.D. Crouch and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

From:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/...les/index.html

other sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/gonzales_resigns

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20459457/

[DeltAlum]

I don't think I'll miss him.

[OneTimeSBX]

Dear Mr. President

Why are all your people resigning? Hmm?

love, the United States

[RU OX Alum]

this doesn't surprise me at all

[mystikchick]

Goodbye and good riddance to yet another incompetent from this administration who have done so much damage to America.

Dear Mr. President: Reality bites, doesn't it?

[DeltAlum]

"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 Friday."

With all due respect, Mr. President, I have nothing against Texans, but there are other very well qualified people here in the United States (oops, I mean the rest of the United States -- I just couldn't help myself) with which to fill government posts.

I see in the first post that speculation is that Michael Chertoff, Director of Homeland Security will replace Gonzales and that Clay Johnson will replace Chertoff.

"Johnson, a longtime friend of Bush, served as the president's chief of staff and appointments secretary when Bush was governor of Texas and was executive director of the Bush-Cheney transition team."

Is it really necessary to be a long time friend of the President to be competent, or is what we are seeing a President taking care of his political pals?

Agree or disagree, it's a legitimate question in my opinion.

[AlethiaSi]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

"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 Friday."

With all due respect, Mr. President, I have nothing against Texans, but there are other very well qualified people here in the United States (oops, I mean the rest of the United States -- I just couldn't help myself) with which to fill government posts.

I see in the first post that speculation is that Michael Chertoff, Director of Homeland Security will replace Gonzales and that Clay Johnson will replace Chertoff.

"Johnson, a longtime friend of Bush, served as the president's chief of staff and appointments secretary when Bush was governor of Texas and was executive director of the Bush-Cheney transition team."

Is it really necessary to be a long time friend of the President to be competent, or is what we are seeing a President taking care of his political pals?

Agree or disagree, it's a legitimate question in my opinion.

I think it is an extremely legitimate question. We are seeing a President taking care of his politicals pals.

(I wrote out this big long thing about it, but decided against it)

[OneTimeSBX]

the presidency is not a company: you can't hire your friends for everything! the USA isnt a Starbucks franchise!!

true, its his presidency, but its our country, and i do believe we outnumber him. just slightly.

[Tom Earp]

I am beginning to wonder if he has any friends outside of Texas?

The USA is built on 5 States, Texas, New York, California, Florida, and ? Oh actually there is 49 other states but do we really count?

Amazing the the DNC is telling Florida, you better not change your caucus date or you cannot come to our party.

Way to go, morons who have done nothing for the USA!

[Tom Earp]

PS, forgot to say Adious Ass Wipe.!

You sucked!

[Rudey]

Umm I assume at the top people have gotten to know each other and become friends. It is what it is. You don't randomly hire a headhunter to do a global search like you would for an executive in the business world.

-Rudey

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

"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 Friday."

With all due respect, Mr. President, I have nothing against Texans, but there are other very well qualified people here in the United States (oops, I mean the rest of the United States -- I just couldn't help myself) with which to fill government posts.

I see in the first post that speculation is that Michael Chertoff, Director of Homeland Security will replace Gonzales and that Clay Johnson will replace Chertoff.

"Johnson, a longtime friend of Bush, served as the president's chief of staff and appointments secretary when Bush was governor of Texas and was executive director of the Bush-Cheney transition team."

Is it really necessary to be a long time friend of the President to be competent, or is what we are seeing a President taking care of his political pals?

Agree or disagree, it's a legitimate question in my opinion.

[Benzgirl]

Finally!

[Tom Earp]

Now I wonder why?

Inadequate Texan or Mexican?

Hell, it was obvious from the start!

It seems He may have had a problem holding a glass of water!

[sageofages]

What took you so long............?

is all I have to say.

Ok wait there is more...

Mr Bush it is about picking the PEOPLE'S attorney general, NOT your attorney general. What a concept. Think about it and get back to us.

[PM_Mama00]

One of the radio stations here was joking that he resigned because they found out he didn't have a green card and they were playing recordings from when Elian Gonzalez was taken and asking if they were related.