Washington – Bolstered by a fresh show of support from President Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sought Monday to move beyond calls for his resignation and lingering questions about his credibility after the firings of federal prosecutors.
Critics reluctantly conceded that Gonzales was likely to weather the political storm.
But many scoffed at Bush’s claim of having more confidence in his attorney general after Gonzales’ Senate testimony last week that was filled with memory lapses.
Gonzales, speaking at a news conference about identity theft, said he was staying at the Justice Department. He declined, however, to say for how long.
“Obviously, we’ll be working with Congress to reassure them that we’ve identified that mistakes have been made here and we’re taking steps to address them,” Gonzales said. “But I can’t just be focused on the U.S. attorneys situation.”
His comments came a few hours after Bush described Gonzales as “an honest, honorable man in whom I have confidence.”
Last month, Bush had said Gonzales needed to repair his credibility – and the Justice Department’s – with Congress as lawmakers investigate whether the firings were politically motivated. In sworn testimony last week, Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee 71 times he could not recall meetings, memos or other details about the firings.
On Monday, Bush said Gonzales “went up and gave a very candid assessment and answered every question he could possibly answer, honestly answer, in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job.”
