Gonzales's Woes Create Legal Liability for Bush Administration

[DeepModem Mom]

Bloomberg News: Gonzales's Woes Create Legal Liability for Bush Administration
By Robert Schmidt

Aug. 1 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has gone from being a political embarrassment to a legal liability for the White House. President George W. Bush resisted pressure to fire Gonzales, claiming Democrats in Congress were on a witch hunt. Lawmakers haven't backed off, hammering away at the attorney general's credibility. Gonzales now faces demands for a criminal investigation and calls for his impeachment.

"Just when you think it couldn't get any worse, it gets worse,'' said Douglas Kmiec, a former Justice Department legal counsel in the Reagan administration. "The natural progression of this is not healthy for the department and is not favorable for the attorney general.''
Six months after revelations over the ouster of nine federal prosecutors ignited a firestorm, Democrats are demanding the appointment of a special counsel to probe whether Gonzales lied under oath about the firings and Bush's anti-terrorism surveillance program. Gonzales, 51, has until the end of this week to review his congressional testimony and correct any misstatements. His response may determine whether influential lawmakers -- such as Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, and the panel's ranking Republican, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania -- join the chorus for an independent inquiry.

Congress and the White House are already embroiled in a battle over executive privilege that could be headed for a showdown in court. Bush has refused to provide documents sought by the lawmakers investigating the firings, and top aides have defied subpoenas to testify under oath.

At the heart of Gonzales's troubles are Democratic allegations he committed perjury on several occasions. Gonzales says he told the truth and Bush is sticking by him....

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=asD0nb0DUgis

[LiberalFighter]

1. Is there any way we could define witch so Gonzales would qualify?

[Demeter]

4. Traitor Works for Me

[BridgeTheGap]

2. I guess MSM still doesn't get that Gonzo is covering more asses

other than his own. The question is whether or not he will be impeached and the information Congress has been requesting will be turned over. If it is, others will fall.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. Or they're not sharing that with readers. nt