Alberto Gonzales

June 25, 2007 -- Freedom House today urged President Bush to unequivocally ban the use of torture or other cruel, inhumane and degrading punishment by any official or individual working for or on behalf of the U.S. government.    » read more »

June 22, 2007 -- An article in today’s Washington Post sheds new light on Republican efforts to politicize the Bush Justice Department by weeding out employees who were not considered loyal Republican foot soldiers. The article highlights the role of Acting Assistant Attorney General Brad Schlozman in the politically motivated hirings and firings in the civil rights division of the Justice Department. The civil rights division of the Justice Department is responsible for fighting racial discrimination.    » read more »

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message for the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, to be observed on 26 June:

The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is an occasion to highlight the unambiguous and absolute prohibition on torture and all forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. It is also an opportunity to express solidarity with the suffering of torture victims and their families, and to reaffirm the need for a global commitment to rehabilitate all victims of all such abuse.    » read more »

June 13, 2007 -- WASHINGTON- Today, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, and Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings reported to the President about the issues raised by the Virginia Tech tragedy. The Report to the President on Issues Raised by the Virginia Tech Tragedy was also released publicly today, and is attached. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales issued the following statement:    » read more »

June 14, 2007 -- (Washington, DC)- Today, FBI officials briefed House Judiciary Committee staff on a new draft audit report detailing the bureau's use of National Security Letters (NSLs). The briefing served to update and correct prior statements to Congress, since the release of an earlier Inspector General report. The FBI confirmed that they found more abuses in the use of NSLs than the IG's report had originally found. FBI officials say they are launching a new compliance program as a result.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) had the following statement:    » read more »

June 11, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today issued the following statement in support of the Senate resolution expressing no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:

“The Attorney General is the attorney for the people of this country, not the attorney for any political party or political agenda.

“In my view, Alberto Gonzales has been the attorney for Karl Rove and the political operatives in the White House.    » read more »

June 11th, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke on the floor of the Senate regarding S.J. Res. 14, the Resolution of “No Confidence” in Attorney General Gonzales.

A copy of the floor statement is pasted below.    » read more »

June 12, 2007 -- As the Senate prepares a no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales today, the Washington Post reports the latest example of the Bush Administration putting its politics ahead of what’s best for the American people. The Bush Administration appears to have broken the law by emphasizing “partisan political ties over expertise in recent years in selecting the judges who decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of immigrants,” according to an analysis by the Washington Post.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement:    » read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. June 11, 2007 — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada made the following remarks today on the floor of the U.S. Senate, calling for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:    » read more »

Washington, DC (6/11/2007) - In the wake of a Congressional no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the American Civil Liberties Union once again urged a thorough investigation into the Department of Justice. The resolution, introduced in the Senate, states that Gonzales "no longer holds the confidence of the Senate or American people."    » read more »

30 May 2007 -- A private legal defense group is suing a U.S. aviation corporation, accusing it of helping the CIA secretly transport three terrorism suspects to overseas prisons, where they were allegedly tortured. Victoria Cavaliere reports from VOA's New York bureau.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit Wednesday in a federal court in California. The suit accuses Jeppesen Dataplan, a subsidiary of the giant Boeing Corporation, of knowingly providing the CIA with flight plans and travel logistics in order to shuttle terror suspects to foreign prisons for interrogation.    » read more »

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards released the following statement following today's comments by President Bush expressing confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Edwards first called for Gonzales to resign on March 13th, 2007.

"The American people rightly lose a little more confidence in George Bush every time he expresses his confidence in Alberto Gonzales. When he says Gonzales has done nothing wrong, we wonder whether the President has forgotten the difference between right and wrong.    » read more »

May 18, 2007 -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement following World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz’s resignation:

“The World Bank did what the White House won’t: hold its people accountable. Paul Wolfowitz’s incompetent leadership as the architect of the Iraq War should have never been rewarded with a post as the World Bank’s President. His incompetence is only rivaled by that of Attorney General Gonzales. America deserves leaders we can trust. It’s time for Gonzales to join Wolfowitz and be shown the door.”

Source: DNC

20 May 2007 -- The top Republican senator on the committee investigating U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says he believes Gonzales might step down before a no-confidence vote planned this week by opposition Democrats.

In a television interview Sunday, Senator Arlen Specter said he expects a number of Republicans will join the Democrats in a "very substantial" vote against Gonzales, if the measure comes to the Senate floor.

Specter says he thinks Gonzales will resign in preference to having such a mark on his record.    » read more »

New Initiatives Focus Resources on Federal, State and Local Partnerships

May 15, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today unveiled new Department of Justice efforts to assist federal, state and local law enforcement in combating violent crime. Part of the Department’s Initiative for Safer Communities, today’s announcement calls for more prosecutors, new training, additional funds, enhanced prevention efforts and a crack down against America’s most violent offenders.    » read more »