Alberto Gonzales, serial fibber, resigns

August 27, 2007

Waco, Texas - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, caught lying repeatedly to Congress, has resigned, a senior administration official said Monday.

Many lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have long called for his ouster after the firing of several U.S. attorneys in 2006.

President Bush had long stood by Gonzales despite the evidence of dishonesty against him.

Several lawmakers were glad to see him go. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL): "Alberto Gonzales is the first Attorney General who thought the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth were three different things."

"Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for this job," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday. "He lacked independence, he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say no to Karl Rove." Rove, another longtime Bush official and his top political adviser, also resigned this month.

"This resignation is not the end of the story," Reid warned. "Congress must get to the bottom of this mess and follow the facts where they lead, into the White House."

In a statement, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said Gonzales was responsible for a "severe crisis of leadership that allowed our justice system to be corrupted by political influence."

Leahy called the experience "a lesson to those in the future who hold these high offices, so that law enforcement is never subverted in this way again."

"It has been a long and difficult struggle but at last, the Attorney General has done the right thing and stepped down," said New York Democrat Chuck Schumer.

"For the previous six months, the Justice Department has been virtually nonfunctional and desperately needs new leadership," Schumer said in a statement. "Democrats will not obstruct or impede a nominee who we are confident will put the rule of law above political considerations. We beseech the Administration to work with us to nominate someone whom Democrats can support and America can be proud of."

Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation, submitted his to President Bush by telephone on Friday, the official said. His decision was not immediately announced, the official added, until after the president invited him and his wife to lunch at his ranch near here.

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