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Justice Job Considered For Ousted Prosecutor
Daniel Bogden, right, one of the seven U.S. attorneys fired on Dec. 7, listens to the testimony of former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico.
(By Lauren Victoria Burke -- Associated Press)
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The former Rove aide, Tim Griffin, was opposed for the job by Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), who under Leahy's practices on the committee would have had home-state privileges of blocking any nominee he opposed. But Sampson outlined a plan to install Griffin and then "run out the clock" by pretending to engage Pryor in consultation over who would receive the permanent appointment.
Upon reading Sampson's e-mails, Pryor -- one of six Senate Democrats to vote for his confirmation -- said Gonzales is a "liar" and called for his resignation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), in an interview yesterday with Chicago media, joined the chorus of Democrats criticizing the attorney general but stopped short of asking for his resignation.
"I don't think Alberto Gonzales fundamentally understood the difference between being the president's lawyer and the attorney general of the United States and the premier defender of the Constitution," she said.
Two Senate Republicans, John E. Sununu (N.H.) and Gordon Smith (Ore.), both facing potentially difficult reelections next year, have called for Gonzales's removal.
But Ensign has been perhaps the most vocal GOP critic of the attorney general who has not sought his resignation. Ensign first put Bogden's name forward for the prosecutor's job in 2001, one of the first federal appointments he advanced after winning his seat in 2000.
In a news conference last week, Ensign called for Gonzales to "restore" Bogden's reputation, noting that the attorney general's repeated assertions that the prosecutors had been fired for performance or policy reasons were not accurate.
Later in the week, Ensign told The Washington Post that "the jury is out" on Gonzales's continued tenure, continuing his call for some public gesture on Bogden's behalf.
While he doubted Bogden would get his job back, Ensign suggested that Gonzales might "find him something in the Justice Department."
