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A Republican loyalist on Tuesday moved one step closer to calling for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying that the exodus of top staffers at the Justice Department was alarming and that rebuilding the staff "is going to be difficult" if the embattled Cabinet member stays on the job.

The Republican, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a member of the Judiciary Committee and a former U.S. attorney, did not directly call for Gonzales to resign, but he told reporters the attorney general and the White House "should wrestle with that very seriously because the Justice Department comes first."

Sessions added that the furor over the firings of eight federal prosecutors last year will make it difficult to recruit top candidates for Justice Department jobs.

"My concern is that we really will have to reconstitute a first-rate staff over there," Sessions said.

Also Tuesday, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats are considering offering a non-binding resolution expressing "no confidence" in Gonzales.

Republican Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, another member of the Judiciary Committee, have already called for Gonzales to leave. But it would be a particularly heavy blow for Gonzales if Sessions joined their call; the senator has long been known as a party loyalist and a strong backer of President Bush.

Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said Gonzales is proving to be "a major distraction" and told reporters, "I still have concerns about his ability."

Sessions appeared to start losing confidence in Gonzales last week, when the embattled attorney general appeared before the Judiciary Committee. After Gonzales testified, Sessions suggested he "take the weekend considering" whether he should remain on the job and have a "frank discussion" about it with Bush.

Gonzales said earlier this week he would not resign and Bush reiterated his support for him, even as Democrats in both chambers stepped up their investigation into allegations that the eight U.S. attorneys were fired for political reasons.

COMMENTS

• First let me start by saying I don't really understand why it is necessary for the president to have the degree of control he/she does over all employees of the Justice Department. I could see that he would have the power to appoint the position of Attorney General. I would think that employees under the Attorney General should work to the same level to represent the taxpayers of this county regardless of their polital beliefs. Note I say represent the taxpayers not the President. As noted in other issues it appears some Presidents seem to forget that they are to represent the majority of the taxpayers wishes. However based on the existing rules and controls, I feel the same generosity concerning firing afforded to Bush's top cronies should be afforded to employees within the justice department. As Molinar ststed they go in with the knowledge that their job is a political one and that they are subject to removal by the Presdident's whelm. However if the decision is made to remove a member for political reasons the president or AG should notify them and and allow them to submit a letter of resignation and any press release should indicate that the resignation was voluntary and that the AG and President was sorry to see them go. This way there is no smear or indication of lack of performance. Bush and the white house do this all the time when they have to dismiss someone they like. GovExec.com reader Posted April 30, 2007 9:22 AM
• Taxpayer Monico Molinar Sounds to me like you are trying to get employed by this present administration, or you simply don’t get it. When a President appoints all new attorney generals, he has the right to replace some or all at any given time. But when he and the administration cronies begin a witch hunt to selectively dismiss those that don’t suck up to his ideas or party loyalty, then there is a big problem that you should be very concerned with. That is exactly what happened. Attorney generals are supposed to be unbiased and work in the best interest of the common citizens, Republicans, Democrats and people of any other political affiliation. They are supposed to be people of high integrity, and good moral character. If you truly believe that Attorney General Gonzales meets these important traits, then you are kidding yourself. Do you really believe that Attorney General Gonzales could not remember the slightest details of over 70 questions posed to him by the Senate Judiciary Committee? Do you truly believe that the President that appointed him meets these same standards as well? If you do, I respectfully suggest that you not limit yourself to only believing what the right wing new media (FOX for example) have to say. Their only purpose is to protect the administration and cover for all their blatant lies and mistakes. Program Analyst GovExec.com reader Posted April 27, 2007 9:18 AM
• If he's concerned about staff departures at the Department of Justice, what would he say about the revolving door at the 4 year old Department of Homeland Security? Compared to the attrition among top managers and legacy agency personnel at DHS, Justice is quite stable! GovExec.com reader Posted April 25, 2007 6:33 PM