Judging Alberto Gonzales

Who was behind partisan decisions at the Justice Department?

Alberto Gonzales must be “breathing a sigh of relief,” said Dan Slater in The Wall Street Journal online. The Justice Department won’t be referring him to a grand jury for his alleged role in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. It looks like Gonzales’ former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, is taking most of the blame.

Gonzales’ lawyer “boasted” that his client had been vindicated because a report by federal watchdogs didn‘t accuse him of misleading Congress, said the Los Angeles Times in an editorial. But that‘s “pitiful consolation,” considering that investigators said Gonzales presided over a nakedly partisan department. That’s a “devastating judgment.”

No wonder Attorney Gen. Michael Mukasey rushed to appoint a special prosecutor, said Dahlia Lithwick in Slate. That’s important because it guarantees that somebody will care about getting to the bottom of this, even after President Bush has left office.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us