Federal Government

Partisan Sparring in Gonzales Hearing

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and its ranking Republican sparred today as they interviewed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. In his testimony, Gonzales repeated assertions that his decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys was not based on improper reasons and the firings…

May 10, 2007 4:42 PM CDT

Gonzales Tells Aides He’ll Keep Job

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has told aides he will likely survive the flap over his dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys. Some administration officials, including political strategist Karl Rove and White House Counsel Fred Fielding, had earlier expressed misgivings about Gonzales. But in the face of President Bush’s steadfast support…

May 10, 2007 2:00 PM CDT

Two Fired U.S. Attys Suggest Criminal Charges

Two former U.S. attorneys allegedly fired as part of a political purge reportedly predict possible criminal charges against senior Justice Department officials as a result of the dismissals. “I think there will be a criminal case that will come out of this,” John McKay, former U.S. Attorney for western Washington…

May 10, 2007 1:51 AM CDT

AG Apologizes Pre-Hearing, Asks for New Focus

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has apologized and asked members of Congress to help the Justice Department focus on its crime-fighting mission, in a written statement submitted in anticipation of a scheduled House Judiciary Committee hearing tomorrow. In the statement, he said he apologizes for “the process” by which eight…

May 9, 2007 6:32 PM CDT

Ex U.S. Attorney Decries ‘Secret Hit Lists’

Todd Graves of Missouri wasn’t among the eight fired U.S. attorneys, but he was on a preliminary Justice Department list of prosecutors targeted for removal. And he was also targeted by an aide to Sen. Christopher S. Bond, R-Mo., without the senator’s knowledge. A spokeswoman for Bond says the senator’s…

May 9, 2007 5:50 PM CDT

Goodling Will Testify, Schlozman Invited to Do So

Lining up potential witnesses in the ongoing Congressional investigation of alleged politically motivated firing of prosecutors and hiring of career attorneys at the Justice Department, legislators both called a new witness on Monday and apparently locked in the testimony of another they had been pursuing for some time. Monica Goodling,…

May 8, 2007 12:17 AM CDT

Holtzman: Axing AG Would Put Bush on Hot Seat

In all the arguing over whether U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should be asked to resign, several important facts seem to have been forgotten, a former member of Congress says. If Gonzales goes, his replacement would have to be confirmed by the Senate, and the last thing the White House…

May 7, 2007 10:05 PM CDT

Ex-DOJ Official: Hiring Claims Most Serious

The Justice Department would suffer a severe blow if accusations are proven true that political loyalty was a basis for screening job applicants, according to a former deputy attorney general.

May 4, 2007 1:38 PM CDT

Bush Threatens Abortion Vetoes

President Bush says he will veto any bills that support abortion with taxpayer dollars. One pending appropriations bill bars discussion of abortion in family planning clinics in developing nations. Abortion groups want to remove the ban from the legislation, according to the New York Times. A spokesman for House Speaker,…

May 4, 2007 1:24 PM CDT

Comey Testifies 7 of 8 Fired U.S. Attorneys Great

In testimony today before a U.S. House judiciary committee investigating the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, a former top Justice Department attorney praised all but one of them. Jim Comey, who was number two in the department when he served as deputy attorney general from 2003 to 2005, said only…

May 3, 2007 9:52 PM CDT

Bush Threatens Veto of Hate Crimes Bill

President Bush is threatening to veto a bill that expands hate crimes legislation to protect against crimes motivated by gender or sexual orientation.

May 3, 2007 7:21 PM CDT

Goodling Targeted re Possible Hiring Law Violation

A former top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales reportedly is being investigated to see whether she hired career lawyers at the Justice Department based on their party affiliation. Officials announced today that Monica Goodling, a former senior counselor and White House liaison for Gonzales, is under investigation for allegedly…

May 2, 2007 11:52 PM CDT

New Senate Subpoena, Hearing for Gonzales

Senate Judiciary Committee members want Karl Rove e-mails related to the investigation of the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

May 2, 2007 10:03 PM CDT

House Fails to Override Bush Veto of War Bill

An attempt today by the U.S. House of Representatives to override President George W. Bush’s veto yesterday of a controversial Iraq war funding bill failed by a significant margin. A two-thirds majority was required to override the veto, but the vote was 222-203. The White House and Congress are now…

May 2, 2007 9:17 PM CDT

Former Deputy AG Unaware of Firing List

A former deputy attorney general says he was unaware the Justice Department was developing a list of U.S. attorneys to fire. James Comey told the Seattle Times that he remembers only two brief conversations about weak U.S. attorneys. “I answered twice off the top of my head,” Comey said. “During…

May 2, 2007 7:02 PM CDT