Alberto Gonzales Resigns

Attorney general steps down after months of criticism over politicized Justice Department
By Caroline Miller,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2007 7:42 AM CDT
Alberto Gonzales Resigns
In this Jan. 31, 2005 file photo, United States Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales, right, and White House senior adviser Karl Rove, left, look on as they attend the swearing-in ceremony for the Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings at the U.S. Dept. of Education, in Washington. Embattled...   (Associated Press)

Alberto Gonzales has resigned, the White House told CNN today, after months of calls for his replacement—and even impeachment—from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle worried that the Justice Department was becoming overly politicized. The AG told President Bush of his intention to step down Friday, following strategist Karl Rove out by just a few weeks.

Gonzales' tenure at Justice was marred by a scandal over the firing of nine US attorneys, which led to charges that the AG perjured himself in Senate testimony. A dispute over internal dissension concerning the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program, dating back to the longtime Bush adviser's tenure as White House counsel, helped fuel calls for his ouster. (More Alberto Gonzales stories.)

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