Storm over U.S. Attorneys doesn’t quit

To grasp - or stoke - the furor over the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys, you can start with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a former U.S. Attorney himself.

Talk also to former Gov. Lincoln Almond, who long held the federal post, and Robert Clark Corrente, who has it now. But they're Republicans. The flamethrower here is Democrat Whitehouse. He says the firings represent a grave threat to even-handed prosecution. He skewers Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is to appear on April 17 before Whitehouse's Senate Judiciary Committee. Right now, Whitehouse thinks Gonzales should resign, but the senator is willing to "give him a chance" before reaching a final conclusion.

Whitehouse thinks Gonzales has misled Congress, mismanaged the Department of Justice and damaged the independence of the U.S. Attorneys. "He has never taken off his hat of being George Bush's White House lawyer and put on his hat as attorney general of the United States."

Whitehouse says he's told Gonzales, "You can't have a Department of Justice until there's a Department of Truth."

Click here for the full article.

• Print
• Email
• Tweet