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Schumer: Testimony proves Gonzales must go |
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By Klaus Marre
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Posted: 04/19/07 02:20 PM [ET] |
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Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), who has been leading Democratic efforts in the probe of the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, said following testimony from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that the Department of Justice official must leave his post. “I think anyone who watched this morning’s hearing can only come to one conclusion, and that is Alberto Gonzales should no longer be attorney general,” Schumer said in reference to Gonzales’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Both Democratic and Republican members of the panel grilled Gonzales about his role in the firings of the U.S. attorneys. While the attorney general admitted that mistakes were made, he insisted that “nothing improper occurred.” Schumer accused Gonzales of “hardly [knowing] what was going on in the department on one of the most important issues the department has faced,” adding, “the great irony is that the U.S. attorneys he fired end up being far more qualified for their jobs than he does for his, at least as today’s testimony shows.” The White House reaffirmed its strong support for Gonzales, and President Bush’s spokeswoman, Dana Perino, said the attorney general’s job is secure no matter what the hearing brings. “I think the president has full confidence in the attorney general and whenever that changes for any public servant, we’ll let you know, and I see no indication of that,” Perino told reporters. |
