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Politics
Gonzales aide resigns after refusing to talk
By WASHINGTON POST
Published April 7, 2007
WASHINGTON - The senior counselor to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales submitted her resignation Friday, becoming the third high-ranking Justice Department aide to quit in the aftermath of the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. The departure of Monica M. Goodling, 33, comes two weeks after she first refused to answer questions from Congress about the firings, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Goodling's resignation also comes amid signs of sinking morale in some U.S. attorney's offices. In Minneapolis, three top managers staged a revolt Thursday, choosing to demote themselves rather than work for the newly confirmed U.S. attorney there, who is a former Gonzales aide, officials said. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee also stepped up their demands Friday for hundreds of pages of unreleased records related to the firings that the Justice Department has deemed too sensitive for release to Congress. Gonzales, meanwhile, has largely disappeared from public view as he prepares for a crucial April 17 appearance before the committee to explain his role in the firings. Seven prosecutors were dismissed in December and another was removed earlier as part of a plan set in motion by the White House to replace U.S. attorneys viewed as insufficiently loyal to President Bush or his policies. Gonzales has sought to minimize his role in the firings, but recently released documents and testimony show he was regularly briefed on the effort.
[Last modified April 7, 2007, 01:54:25]
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by American Taxpayer
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04/07/07 03:36 PM
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It's very sad for me to see this revolting abuse of power from the Executive branch and its administration, it's attorney generals office, disregard to the "rule of law", unethical behavior and lack of onus for is past actions. "Tea party anyone?"
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by Gilbert
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04/07/07 01:27 PM
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As a Rep, I am ashamed of this debacle. Either the Pres. needs to ask Gonzalez to leave or fire him. Something tells me this scheme has backfired on the Admin. This resig. did not help clear this issue. As leaders in the free world, we are stumbling
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by Saul
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04/07/07 09:58 AM
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Each US Atty. is an atty. let them go and open their private law practice-"The Firm of Eight" (TFOE) and represent those whom they prosecuted (or were suppose to prosecute) very good living to earned.
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