Gonzales claims he never discussed Fitzgerald's removal
 Attorney General Alberto Gonzales claimed in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today on the firing of 8 US Attorneys that he never discussed the removal from office of US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald with his former Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson. He also insisted that Sampson himself had not recommended that the CIA leak investigator should be fired.
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked the Attorney General if he and Sampson had discussed the case of Fitzgerald, who served as both US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and the Special Counsel in the Valerie Plame leak investigation, before the former chief of staff met with the White House Counsel's office and discussed it.
"I don't think that conversation occurred," Gonzales insisted.
But he then attempted to re-characterize Sampson's discussions with former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and one of her subordinates.
"He didn't make a recommendation," Gonzales argued.
On March 29, when Sampson testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he admitted to his exchange with Miers while being quizzed by Durbin.
"On one occasion in 2006 in discussing the removal of U.S. attorneys -- or the process of considering some U.S. attorneys that might be asked to resign, that I was speaking with Harriet Miers and Bill Kelley and I raised Pat Fitzgerald," Sampson said. "And immediately after I did it, I regretted it."
Durbin later characterized the conversation as a "recommendation," and Sampson did not argue with him.
"Why did you recommend or at least suggest that he be removed as U.S. attorney?" the Illinois Democrat asked.
Sampson answered, "I think it was maybe to get a reaction from them. I don't think that I ever -- I know that I never seriously considered putting Pat Fitzgerald on a list, and he never did appear on a list."
Shortly after the discussion of Fitzgerald, Gonzales repeated the line of argument he had introduced with Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) earlier in the day, that the criticisms of Democratic Senators impugned the work of career, non-political officials in the Justice Department.
Durbin responded angrily.
"That's like saying that if I attack the president's policy on the war in Iraq, I'm attacking the soldiers," he quipped, followed by applause from the gallery.
Schumer assails White House's "bunker mentality"
After the hearing took a recess for lunch, a large group of protesters stood and chanted, calling on the Attorney General to resign.
C-Span's microphones picked up Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) joking "We've got too many people to kick out."
Several senators answered questions for reporters in the committee room.
"The questions we asked were legitimate, I was disappointed with the answers," Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the committee's chairman said.
A reporter noted that the Attorney General said "I don't recall," 55 times, and Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) joked in response "That's an improvement, I'd say."
Senator Schumer subsequently excoriated the Attorney General and effectively called for his resignation.
"There are so many contradictions," he said. "I don't know how someone can walk up from that table and still believe they could be an effective Attorney General."
Schumer then pinned the blame on President George W. Bush.
"They're so in their bunker they're going to keep him," he said. "Anyone who watched this testimony has to think we can do better for an Attorney General, and he is far less qualified than many of the US Attorneys he fired."
A transcript of Sampson's March 29 exchange with Senator Durbin about his exchange with the White House Counsel's office on the subject of Patrick Fitzgerald is provided below.
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SEN. DURBIN: Were you ever party to any conversation about the removal of Patrick Fitzgerald from his position as Northern District U.S. attorney?
MR. SAMPSON: I remember on one occasion in 2006 in discussing the removal of U.S. attorneys -- or the process of considering some U.S. attorneys that might be asked to resign, that I was speaking with Harriet Miers and Bill Kelley and I raised Pat Fitzgerald. And immediately after I did it, I regretted it. I thought, I knew that it was the wrong thing to do. I knew that it was inappropriate. And I remember at the time that Ms. Miers and Bill Kelley said nothing; they just looked at me. And I immediately regretted it and I withdrew it at the time, and I regret it now.
SEN. DURBIN: Do you recall what you said at the time about Patrick Fitzgerald?
MR. SAMPSON: I said Patrick Fitzgerald could be added to this list.
SEN. DURBIN: And there was no response?
MR. SAMPSON: No. They looked at me like I had said something totally inappropriate, and I had.
SEN. DURBIN: Why did you say it? Why did you recommend or at least suggest that he be removed as U.S. attorney?
MR. SAMPSON: I'm not sure. I think -- I don't remember. I think it was maybe to get a reaction from them. I don't think that I ever -- I know that I never seriously considered putting Pat Fitzgerald on a list, and he never did appear on a list.
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More RAW STORY coverage on the Gonzales hearing can be found at the following links:
Video: Senator Schumer takes the gloves off
Attorney General: 'This is not about Alberto Gonzales'
Leahy: Justice Dept. has a crisis of leadership unrivaled in its history
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