Abuse of power

27 August 2007 -- The resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales brings to a close a bitter standoff between the Bush administration and Congress over the attorney general's loss of personal credibility and integrity with lawmakers.

Alberto Gonzales has long been one of George Bush's most trusted advisors, first during his tenure as Texas governor and later as president.

Gonzales first served as White House counsel, in effect the president's top lawyer, until he was confirmed as the first Hispanic U.S. attorney general in 2005.    » read more »

August 27, 2007 -- THE PRESIDENT: This morning, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced that he will leave the Department of Justice, after two and a half years of service to the department. Al Gonzales is a man of integrity, decency and principle. And I have reluctantly accepted his resignation, with great appreciation for the service that he has provided for our country.    » read more »

August 27, 2007 -- "The next U.S. Attorney General must restore integrity and honor at the top of the Department of Justice - and take politics out of justice.

"As a former U.S. Attorney, I have been appalled and outraged, like so many Americans, by unethical and improper practices interfering with the dedicated work of professionals at Department of Justice.

As Attorney General, I work with them closely and respect their perseverance in the face of ethically dysfunctional leadership.    » read more »

27 August 2007 -- Bush administration officials say U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will announce his resignation Monday.

The resignation comes after opposition Democrats and some Republicans have repeatedly called for Gonzales to step down over the firings last year of eight federal prosecutors.

Many lawmakers believe the firings were politically motivated.

President Bush has supported Gonzales throughout the controversy.

Source: VOA News

August 20, 2007 -- "Today was the deadline for the Administration to comply with the Judiciary Committee’s subpoenas for documents related to the legal justifications for and President’s authorization of the warrantless wiretapping program. The Administration failed to adequately comply, despite our granting an extension of more than a month past the original return date. The Administration has produced no documents, no adequate basis for noncompliance, no privilege claims, and no complete privilege log.    » read more »

20 August 2007 -- The Democratic chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, has threatened to hold members of the Bush administration in contempt for withholding documents subpoenaed by his panel. The administration did not meet a Monday deadline for handing over information about the legal justification for its wiretapping program.    » read more »

WASHINGTON (Thursday, August 16) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday asked the Justice Department’s Inspector General to investigate potentially false or misleading testimony given by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales during his appearances before various congressional committees.    » read more »

MONTPELIER, Vt. (August 14, 2007) – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday sent a letter to President Bush urging him to work with Committee members to reach a final agreement for the testimony of key officials in the ongoing investigation into the mass firings of federal prosecutors and the politicization of hiring and firing within the Department of Justice.    » read more »

August 14, 2007 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has received a letter from the Department of Justice in response to her questioning of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales during a July 24, 2007, Judiciary Committee oversight hearing.

At that hearing, Senator Feinstein asked Attorney General Gonzales about the total number of U.S. attorneys that he approved to be fired:

FEINSTEIN: We’re now up to nine that we know about. How many --
this is important -- how many U.S. attorneys did you approve to be
summarily fired?    » read more »

07/12/2007 -- WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) wrote a letter to David Addington, Vice President Cheney’s Chief of Staff, asking for answers about reports that the Vice President’s office demanded control of the visitors logs of the Office of the Vice President from the Secret Service.    » read more »

July 17, 2007 -- At the request of Sara Taylor, the former White House Director of Political Affairs, John Walters, the nation’s drug czar, and his deputies traveled to 20 events with vulnerable Republican members of Congress in the months prior to the 2006 elections. The trips were paid for by federal taxpayers and several were combined with the announcement of federal grants or actions that benefited the districts of the Republican members.    » read more »

July 12, 2007 -- Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman announced his plans to introduce legislation to protect the Surgeon General from political interference. On Tuesday, the Oversight Committee held a hearing at which three former Surgeons General testified regarding the damage the political interference has done to the ability of the Surgeon General to speak openly and honestly with the American public about threats to public health.    » read more »

July 17, 2007 -- (Washington, DC)- Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Reps. Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Artur Davis (D-AL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, asking him to provide documents and information about several prominent prosecutions and convictions of Democratic officials or operatives across the country.    » read more »

July 13, 2007 -- (Washington, DC) - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), issued a subpoena for documents from the Republican National Committee (RNC) as part of ongoing congressional investigations into the targeted purge of US Attorneys and related matters. The Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law authorized Conyers to issue the subpoena yesterday.    » read more »

Allegedly Traveled, Spent Lavishly on Newark Credit Cards, and Engaged in Fraudulent Land “Flipping” with Companion

July 12, 2007 -- NEWARK – Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James was charged in an Indictment today with using city-issued credit cards to spend lavishly on himself, eight female companions and others during personal trips and vacations to such places as Martha’s Vineyard, Rio de Janeiro, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie and New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram announced.    » read more »