Sen. Ken Salazar was only one of six Democratic Senators who supported Alberto Gonzales for the role of Attorney General, but now Salazar is asking Gonzales to resign. Salazar and Gonzales were professional associates that went beyond politics…until Friday.In March, Salazar had stated his displeasure with the AG.
Senator Ken Salazar today criticized Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ leadership role at the department of justice in light of the recent situation concerning the firing of United States attorneys.
In his statement on the floor of the United States Senate Sen. Salazar said, “I am disappointed that the Department of Justice may have blurred the line between representation of President Bush and representation of the people of the Untied States.
“Blur the line” is probably an understatement considering what has transpired in the past week.
Salazar’s statement on Gonzales from Friday’s press release:
Over the past several months I have followed closely the events and revelations related to Alberto Gonzales as United States Attorney General and White House counsel. I have concluded that it is in the best interest of the Department of Justice to have new leadership to restore the trust and confidence of the American people in this keystone department of our Nation’s government.
The people deserve a Justice Department that is an independent and forceful voice in defense of our Nation’s laws. Therefore, I believe it is in the best interest of our Nation for the Department of Justice to get a fresh start with a new Attorney General.
As noted in Saturday’s Rocky Mountain News, Salazar’s friendship with Gonzales was never popular with a lot of Coloradan Democrats:
When Salazar took office in January 2005, one of his first official acts was to endorse Gonzales and introduce him at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
That move angered some Democrats, who said it blunted their questioning of Gonzales over his role in crafting the Bush administration’s policies related to torture and other issues.
President Bush has “full confidence” in Gonzales as he did Paul Wolfowitz, Harriet Myers and Donald Rumsfield, which means Gonzales’ resignation is probably in the mail.
