Alberto Gonzales and other Republicans could face criminal charges in US

The US Department of Justice has appointed a prosecutor to investigate potential criminal charges against Alberto Gonzales, the former attorney general, and other ex-Bush administration officials and Republicans in Congress.

By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 5:53PM BST 30 Sep 2008

The move by Michael Mukasey, the current attorney general, to examine the controversial firing of nine federal prosecutors in 2006 was accompanied by a department report that found Mr Gonzales "abdicated" his responsibility in the dismissals.

The report concluded that, despite White House denials, political considerations played a part in the sacking of at least four of the US attorneys.

It found that Kyle Sampson, Mr Gonzales's chief of staff, had wrongly weighed "political support" in deciding whether to fire the nine. His claim that they were sacked for "underperformance" was "misleading".

"Our investigation found substantial evidence that partisan political considerations played a part in the removal of several of the US attorneys," the report said.

Mr Mukasey said: "At a minimum, the process by which nine US attorneys were removed in 2006 was haphazard, arbitrary and unprofessional."

Mr Gonzales was forced to resign from the post following accusations of political bias from Democrats in Congress, depriving President Bush of a close ally.

The report, written by the Justice Department's inspector general, said former officials, including Karl Rove, a key Bush aide, and Harriet Miers, the White House Counsel, refused to be interviewed by the investigators.

The White House also refused to turn over requested internal documents, hampering the investigation, it said.

Mr Mukasey appointed Nora Dannehy, the acting US attorney in Connecticut, to conduct the investigation and provide a progress report in 60 days - after the presidential battle has been decided.

She has the power to subpoena witnesses, such as Mr Rove, who did not cooperate with the original investigation.

US attorneys are political appointees who serve "at the pleasure" of the president, but they cannot be sacked for improper reasons.

George Terwilliger, Mr Gonzales's lawyer, said the report showed his client did not engage in wrongful conduct.

Mr Gonzales issued a statement saying that he and his family were "glad to have the investigation of my conduct in this matter behind us".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... s/3110808/
Alberto-Gonzales-and-other-Republicans-could-face-criminal-charges-in-US.html