Attorney General Alberto Gonzales initially dismissed the Democratic outcry over the firing of seven U.S. attorneys as “an overblown personnel matter,” but e-mails and evidence provided to congressional investigators show a coordinated plan to purge the prosecutors that was tied closely to political turns of the 2006 election cycle.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) yesterday called the Justice Department’s actions “untoward, wrong, immoral and illegal,” renewing calls within his party for Gonzales to step down. President Bush spoke directly on the matter for the first time yesterday, acknowledging that he had taken up lawmakers’ general complaints about prosecutors with Gonzales but denying issuing any specific instructions to respond.

“What was mishandled was the explanation of the cases to the Congress,” Bush told reporters. “And Al’s got work to do up there.”

Below is a timeline of key events in the scandal, based on e-mails provided to congress and the public record.

Timeline (.PDF)