Judiciary Committee Hearing with Attorney General Gonzales

"And when we learn this morning, page A1, Washington Post, that another US Attorney in Missouri was forced out contrary to repeated assurances that the eight US Attorneys whose circumstances we've been examining for the past few months were the entire list, it makes us wonder when we will get the entire report, truthful report about this matter."

"I want to ask how the US Attorney termination list came to be. Who suggested putting most of these US Attorneys on the list and why? Now that's the question that overhangs everything we're doing here. If we can answer that, I think outside of the reticence of the White House to cooperate, we would make incredible gains in trying to put this matter to rest..."

"So you didn't fire him for that reason but somebody might have put him on the list for that reason, that's really what you're saying Mr. Attorney General?"

AG Gonzales:

"I don't... again... Congressman, I'm assuming that this committee has spoken with every one who provided input and of course the person who was compiling the information, Mr. Sampson, would know better than I because I'm a fact witness..."

"In March of this year when Mr. Roehrkasse, your press spokesman said that in none of these conversations, none of these three conversations were corruption cases mentioned, that wasn't true was it?"

AG Gonzales:

"Well, again, I don't know whether or not Mr. Roehrkasse was talking about specific corruption cases or as a general category, Senator Domenici did not mention specific corruption cases."

Rep. Schiff:

"And you don't think that's misleading?"

"I will ask to put it in the record, Mr. Chairman, a survey done by the University of Minnesota which surveys prosecutions of local elected officials between 2001 and 2006, with respect to partisan affiliation. 85% of the local officials prosecuted were Democrats, 12% were Republicans. 50 % of elected officials in this country are Democrats and 41% are Republicans. Do you have any reason to assert that seven times more Democrats are guilty of federal crimes than Republicans?"

"Attorney General Gonzales, I have had a really hard time today figuring out what it is you do know. I have sat through this entire hearing and most of your answers have been you don't know. Now, you know what, I'm 40 years old and I'm reaching a point where I have spottiness in my memory too, but something as significant as the lapses in memory that you seem to have had related to the firing of the US Attorneys..."