Gonzales Crams for a Senate Grilling

Newsweek ^ | 4/16/07 | Michael Isikoff

[nj26]

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has virtually wiped his public schedule clean to bone up for his long-awaited April 17 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee—a session widely seen as a crucial test as to whether he will survive the U.S. attorney mess. But even his own closest advisers are nervous about whether he is up to the task. At a recent "prep" for a prospective Sunday talk-show interview, Gonzales's performance was so poor that top aides scrapped any live appearances. During the March 23 session in the A.G.'s conference room, Gonzales was grilled by a team of top aides and advisers—including former Republican National Committee chair Ed Gillespie and former White House lawyer Tim Flanigan—about what he knew about the plan to fire seven U.S. attorneys last fall. But Gonzales kept contradicting himself and "getting his timeline confused," said one participant who asked not to be identified talking about a private meeting. His advisers finally got "exasperated" with him, the source added. "He's not ready," Tasia Scolinos, Gonzales's public-affairs chief, told the A.G.'s top aides after the session was over, said the source. Asked for comment, Scolinos told NEWSWEEK: "This was the first session of this kind that we'd done."

One problem is that Gonzales is increasingly isolated. Top DOJ lawyers have decreed he can't talk about the U.S. attorney firings with Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty and his staff, who are key witnesses in an internal Justice inquiry into whether DOJ officials misled Congress...

[nj26]

Although obviously the Administration was well within its rights to dismiss the AGs, DOJ's approach to the Senate sideshow isn't exactly encouraging.

[TomGuy]

It sounds as if Gonzalez has contradicted his own story so many times that he is now confused as to what the actual truth is.

[traditional1]

It's just another opportunity to Bash-Bush for the Liberals, and speeches and meaningless political accusations will be over-flowing.

Gonzales should mention the firing of ALL U.S. Attorneys by the Klintoon-Reno machine IMMEDIATELY upon taking office (to prevent ANY prosecution of him for his law-breaking and corruption) as many times as he can.

Reno stone-walled all the prosecution of the BentOne, and he walked away with the blessing of the MSM and every socialist/appeaser/whiner to agree that adultery with a subordinate is acceptable to them.

Not ONE Democrat has brought up the idea of an investigation of Sandy Burglar's underwear-stuffing of Top Secret Klintoon-implicating documents have they?????

[pointsal]

Hope he went and talked to Scooter Libby

[True Republican Patriot]

Can anyone find out how many U.S. Attorneys were fired/replaced during the Clinton Administration and in what years ex the original 93 that everyone knows about! I imsgine quite a few? but that is the most pertinent item now.

[hophead]

He SHOULD resign. If for no other reason than he has NOT told the dems to shove it. It is the prerogative of the President to fire the attorneys and he does not need to explain why.

[HaveHadEnough]

It sounds as if Gonzalez has contradicted his own story so many times that he is now confused as to what the actual truth is.

If I were his lawyer, I would advise him to invoke his Fifth Amendment right and not testify.

[Always Right]

Why not just pull a Bill and Hillary, “I do not recall”. That is the best way to handle them.

[the Real fifi]

Do you really think “close associates” of GOnzales wouls speak to Isikoff? THis is propaganda being spread by his foes inside the DoJ .(like McNulty, Schumer’s pal, for example.)

[Stayfree]

Do a Nelson Rockefeller and give them all the finger.