Tug of War Over Attorney General's Fate Continues

The political tug of war over the fate of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales continued to escalate today, with California Senator Diane Feinstein for the first time calling for Gonzales to resign over the firings of eight United States attorneys in late 2006. This comes on the heels of President Bush and a senior Republican Senator reaffirming their support of the embattled Attorney General.

Despite the release of over 280 pages of documents, including e-mails, schedules, and notes, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch maintained his support for Gonzales.

"He has always been straightforward and honest with me," Hatch said. "So, unless there is clear evidence that the attorney general deliberately lied or misled Congress, I see no reason to call for his resignation."

Gonzales has said he participated in no discussions and saw no memos about plans to carry out the firings on Dec. 7, 2006. But the recently released documents include Gonzales' schedule for Nov. 27, and show that he attended an hour-long meeting on that date where he approved a detailed, five-step plan to carry out the firings. Democrats said the documents show the Attorney General was more involved than he had earlier claimed. Democrats maintain that the firings were politically motivated.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the meeting "widens the gap between the evolving explanations the Bush administration has offered and the facts that keep coming to light."

But White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said the documents do not conflict with Gonzales' earlier statements, and a Justice Department spokesman said Saturday there are no plans for Gonzales to resign.

"The president continues to have confidence in the attorney general," Perino said. "As the Justice Department said last night, these new documents are not inconsistent with its previous statements."