Can someone summarize this thing with Gonzales and why he is being railroaded?

Question

I dont follow politics anymore but Gonzales keeps showing up in the Yahoo News headlines. Whats the story?

Answer 1

Eight U.S. District Attorneys were fired last December. It is possible that they were fired for political reasons. Gonzalez claimed he didn't know about the terminations until after the fact. It has recently been discovered that he had a meeting to discuss how to carry out the terminations.

Answer 2

The Department of Justice, which Gonzales runs as Atty General, has had three major scandals in the past month.

The first was the Inspector General's report that the FBI had been mis-using (and sometimes intentionally abusing) its authority to gain access to financial and communications records without a warrant. In some case, laws were broken, though usually by incompetence rather than by intent.

The second was a determination that Bush had denied the Dept of Justice security clearances to look into the illegal NSA wiretapping program, and that Gonzales was a target of that investigation. Shortly after the investigation was stone-walled by Bush, Gonzales was appointed to run the Department of Justice.

On the heals of those, and the Scooter Libby conviction for perjury and obstruction, it came to light that 8 US Attorneys (senior federal prosecutors) had been fired last December. Accusations were made that the reasons for their firing were improper and unethical. Gonzales held a press conference implying that he didn't even know they had been fired (by Gonzales's chief of staff) until after the fact.

So, either Gonzales potentially acted in volation of his ethical obligations as attorney and his oath of office as Attorney General, or he is simply an incompetent manager who doesn't know what's happening within his own department. Those are the accusations.

Answer 3

I would hardly call lying under oath to Congress (a felony) and possible obstruction of justice (also a felony) as railroading anybody. To use such a term in the case of Gonzales must mean you are a Bushie.

Answer 4

You don't follow politics or read anything but headlines, yet you know he's being railroaded...interetsting. Well, it seems he has contrdicted himself two or three times and it smells like he is covering for Bush and covering up corruption. They are lying about why the attorneys were terminated. Even several republican senators are saying he should resign. He has been covering for Bush ever since Bush was governor of Texas.

Answer 5

If you don't follow politics why do you use the term "railroaded" to describe his situation? That is the kind of term a spin doctor who knows what is happening but wants to stop it would use.

Answer 6

If he's being railroaded, look to Republicans like Arlen Specter.

Gonzales is a liar, and the highest law enforcement official in the US.

Can't have both in one person, so he's toast!

Answer 7

Gonzalez isn't being railroaded. He's being nailed to the wall for his role in the illegal firing of 8 US attorneys for purely political purposes.

Answer 8

He lied to Congress. Just like Clinton did and they impeached him over a blo*job.

Gonzales isn't being railroaded but I hope he will be punished appropriately. Maybe they can do an "extraordinary rendition" on him.

Answer 9

The libs are doing a slash and burn on anything republican that moves. Look what they did to poor Scooter. He cant remember exactly how something didn't happen and now hes going to jail.

Answer 10

And Bill Clinton didn't know what the definitionof is, is and he is worshipped by every democrat out there, Go figure. And now they want to put his wife in the same office. When she couldn't remember squat when she was asked questions.