Gonzales Counsel
Quits Amid Dismissals Inquiry
By EVAN PEREZ, Wall
Street Journal Online. April 7, 2007
One of Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales's senior aides, who is battling congressional demands that she answer
questions about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, handed in her resignation.
Monica Goodling, who took a leave of absence from her job as counsel to Mr.
Gonzales earlier this month, has asserted her Fifth Amendment right against
self-incrimination, saying she feared that she could land in legal jeopardy even
if she testified truthfully to members of Congress investigating the ousters.
Ms. Goodling's three-sentence letter to Mr. Gonzales gave notice of her
resignation effective Saturday, just as congressional investigators prepare to
return from their spring vacation to resume interviews of Justice Department
staffers. Mr. Gonzales's former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, is expected
to return for a follow-up interview later in the week. The attorney
general himself is scheduled to testify to the Senate judiciary committee on
April 17, in an appearance that could determine whether or not he holds on to in
his job.
The dismissals of the eight attorneys last year have sparked a political
controversy that has damaged morale at the Justice Department and prompted calls
for Mr. Gonzales to resign. Mr. Sampson, in testimony to Congress, has
contradicted earlier comments by Mr. Gonzales.
Ms. Goodling's pledge to take the Fifth put her department in a tough spot.
Democrats in Congress earlier in the week chided Mr. Gonzales for promising to
allow members of his staff to be interviewed by investigators, while Ms.
Goodling -- still on the Justice payroll at the time -- refused to cooperate.
Her attorneys have responded to barbs from Democrats with combative letters,
comparing the Democratic leaders of the inquiry to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who led
anticommunist investigations in the 1950s.
Separately, on Friday, three assistant U.S. attorneys in Minnesota resigned
their managerial positions after clashing with the U.S. attorney there, whose
recent appointment was unrelated to the other firings. Justice officials
issued a statement backing the U.S. Attorney, Rachel Paulose: "We are
confident during this transition period that the U.S. Attorney's office will
remain focused on its law enforcement priorities."
Write to Evan Perez at
evan.perez@wsj.com
|
