Gold9472
07-30-2007, 10:07 PM
Cheney defends embattled US attorney general
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Cheney_defends_embattled_US_attorne_07302007.html
Published: Monday July 30, 2007
US Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday came to the defense of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales amid growing pressure from lawmakers for the Justice Department chief's resignation.
Cheney, asked in an interview with CBS radio whether Gonzales should keep his job, replied: "I do. I'm a big fan of Al's."
The vice president also rejected suggestions that Gonzales, a long-time aide to President George W. Bush, had misled the US Senate in testimony about a dispute over a controversial spying program.
"I think Al has done a good job under difficult circumstances. The debate between he and the Senate is something they're going to have to resolve. But I think he has testified truthfully," said Cheney.
Asked how Gonzales can continue as the top US law-enforcement official when even top Republicans say that he has lost credibility, Cheney replied: "Well, I don't agree with them."
Cheney rejected the notion that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat and a fierce critic of Bush and Cheney, had a say in whether Gonzales should keep his job.
"I've had my differences with Pat Leahy. I think the key is whether or not he (Gonzales) has the confidence of the president, and he clearly does," said Cheney, who once blasted Leahy with an expletive on the Senate floor.
Gonzales has drawn fire for his testimony into a mass firing of federal prosecutors, where critics see a political plot, and testimony over a dispute concerning a top-secret surveillance program.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Cheney_defends_embattled_US_attorne_07302007.html
Published: Monday July 30, 2007
US Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday came to the defense of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales amid growing pressure from lawmakers for the Justice Department chief's resignation.
Cheney, asked in an interview with CBS radio whether Gonzales should keep his job, replied: "I do. I'm a big fan of Al's."
The vice president also rejected suggestions that Gonzales, a long-time aide to President George W. Bush, had misled the US Senate in testimony about a dispute over a controversial spying program.
"I think Al has done a good job under difficult circumstances. The debate between he and the Senate is something they're going to have to resolve. But I think he has testified truthfully," said Cheney.
Asked how Gonzales can continue as the top US law-enforcement official when even top Republicans say that he has lost credibility, Cheney replied: "Well, I don't agree with them."
Cheney rejected the notion that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat and a fierce critic of Bush and Cheney, had a say in whether Gonzales should keep his job.
"I've had my differences with Pat Leahy. I think the key is whether or not he (Gonzales) has the confidence of the president, and he clearly does," said Cheney, who once blasted Leahy with an expletive on the Senate floor.
Gonzales has drawn fire for his testimony into a mass firing of federal prosecutors, where critics see a political plot, and testimony over a dispute concerning a top-secret surveillance program.