Gonzales, Saying He Won't Resign, Gets Bush's Support (Update4)

By Robert Schmidt and James Rowley

April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales rejected calls to step down, while President George W. Bush said his support for the attorney general has increased since his testimony about the firing of eight federal prosecutors.

Brushing aside lawmakers' criticism, Gonzales said he would stay on the job ``as long as I think I can be effective.'' Bush said today that Gonzales's testimony before a congressional panel last week showed there was no evidence of any wrongdoing at the Justice Department.

Gonzales's appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee ``increased my confidence in his ability to do his job,'' Bush said at the White House. ``It was clear the attorney general broke no laws,'' the president said, adding, ``This is an honest, honorable man in whom I have confidence.''

Senate and House committees are investigating the firings to determine whether any of the U.S. attorneys were removed last year to interfere with investigations. During the hearing in the Senate, Gonzales was lambasted by most of the Republicans and all of the Democrats on the panel.

One Republican on the committee, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, urged Gonzales to quit, while the senior Republican, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, told Gonzales that his credibility has been ``impaired'' by the scandal. Specter said yesterday that Gonzales's continuation as attorney general would be ``harmful'' to the Justice Department.

`Limited' Involvement

Gonzales told the senators he had ``limited'' involvement in the firings, which he conceded were not handled well. He apologized to the eight prosecutors who were dismissed and promised to improve his management of the Justice Department.

``I imagine the president didn't watch any of the attorney general's testimony,'' Senator Charles E. Schumer, the New York Democrat leading the Senate inquiry, told reporters in a conference call today. ``If he did, he would say this man should not be attorney general.''

Schumer said that like the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, ``Only the president and the small band of advisers around think that we don't need a change in course.'' He said, ``Obviously the White House is in a bunker mentality.''

Today, the attorney general vowed to keep his job. At a news conference on identity theft in Washington, Gonzales said he was working to repair relations with Congress and within the agency, where morale among career staff plummeted because of the firings.

`I'll Continue Serving'

Gonzales said that as long has he believes he's effective in the job and as long as ``the president believes that I should continue to be at the head of the Department of Justice, I'll continue serving as the attorney general.''

``I'm focused on making sure our kids are safe, making sure out neighborhoods are safe, making sure consumers are safe,'' the attorney general said. ``I can't just be focused on the U.S. attorney situation.''

As the Senate panel's probe continues, Schumer said investigators will interview Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty and his principal deputy, William Moschella, about the firings. House and Senate staff lawyers want to know how the list of U.S. attorneys to be fired was compiled, a question left unanswered by Gonzales, he said.

Investigators also want to find out why both officials say they received incomplete briefings on the firings before they gave congressional testimony earlier this year, Schumer told reporters. ``This is pretty serious,'' he said.

McNulty suggested in Senate testimony on Feb. 6 that the White House's role in the firings was much more limited than indicated by documents turned over to Congress.

Paul Charlton

Schumer said the Senate Judiciary Committee wants to determine whether the firing of Paul K. Charlton, U.S. attorney in Arizona, was linked to an investigation of Rick Renzi, a Republican congressman from the state. He is being investigated in connection with a land deal.

``We are not saying the firing has anything to do with that investigation. That is something we want to look at,'' the senator said.

Schumer said investigators also want to talk to Monica Goodling, who served as the attorney general's liaison to the White House until her April 6 resignation. ``Getting her testimony is extremely important,'' he said.

Goodling invoked her Fifth Amendment privilege against self- incrimination to refuse to testify before the House and Senate panels investigating the firings. The House Judiciary Committee plans to vote April 25 on giving Goodling limited immunity, which would bar prosecutors from using what she tells Congress as evidence against her.

In letters to Congress, Goodling's lawyer, John Dowd, Goodling's lawyer, said he feared his client might be prosecuted for perjury if she testified because Justice Department officials have accused Goodling and others of misleading them about the firings.

To contact the reporters on this story: Roger Runningen in Washington at rrunningen@bloomberg.net ; Robert Schmidt in Washington at rschmidt5@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 23, 2007 17:50 EDT
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... &refer=us#