DeLauro Statement on Attorney General Gonzales Resignation

Press Release

DeLauro Statement on Attorney General Gonzales Resignation

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) issued the following statement on the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

"Although long-over due, the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is welcome news. His tenure as Attorney General has been a dark spot in the history of the U.S. Department of Justice. We need to restore the integrity and the independence of our federal law enforcement and the new Attorney General must meet higher standards.

"During these two and a half years, we have seen an agency that ignored its responsibility for upholding the Constitution and protecting the American people and instead became a political arm of the White House with a greater focus on protecting the President. There have been significant threats to civil liberties including questions about the use of warrantless wiretaps; possible perjury in testimony before the Congress; as well as the politicization of federal law enforcement as exemplified by the firing of U.S. attorneys."

"Even though Alberto Gonzales will leave the Justice Department, the oversight investigations into the politicization of the Department will continue. Finding out how deep the White House's control of the Justice Department goes is critical to restoring the American people's confidence in the independence of our justice system."

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