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WASHINGTON - Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers yesterday urged President Bush to nominate a replacement for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales who can restore confidence in the US Justice Department.
Gonzales resigned yesterday under pressure after months of controversy and political turmoil that President George W. Bush angrily blamed on his administration's critics in Congress.
Bush, who doggedly supported Gonzales during repeated confrontations with the Democratic-controlled Congress, said Gonzales had endured "months of unfair treatment that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Department".
"It's sad that we live in a time when a talented and honourable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons," Bush said before leaving Texas for Republican fundraisers in New Mexico and Washington.
Gonzales announced at the Justice Department that his resignation would take effect on September 17. He refused to take questions from reporters and gave no reason for his sudden decision to depart after months of controversy.
"I have lived the American dream," said Gonzales, a son of migrant workers who began working for Bush when the president was still the governor of Texas.
"Even my worst days as attorney general have been better than my father's best days," he said.
Members of both parties were critical of Gonzales' tenure yesterday, leaving only a few voices defending him.
"Our country needs a credible, effective attorney general who can work with Congress on critical issues ranging from immigration to investigating terrorism at home and abroad," said Senator John Sununu, a Republican from New Hampshire.
A 52-year-old Bush loyalist, Gonzales was at the centre of a political firestorm over the sacking of federal prosecutors last year, which critics in Congress said were politically motivated. He faced a possible perjury investigation for his testimony before Congress.
- Reuters
