Homeland Security

US Attorney General Gonzales Resigns

By Jim Malone
Washington
27 August 2007

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is resigning after a stormy tenure as head of the Justice Department. Bush administration officials say Gonzales submitted his resignation to President Bush on Friday. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

Administration officials confirmed that Gonzales is stepping down after a difficult tenure as the nation's top law enforcement official.

Gonzales came under intense criticism in recent months from Democrats and a number of Republicans in Congress for his handling of the firing of several U.S. Attorneys last year.

Democrats charged that the replacement of the federal prosecutors was politically motivated and demanded testimony and documents about the firings from the White House. Gonzales defended the firings and said they were not political.

Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa was among his critics.

"Because he did things like fire eight U.S. attorneys that probably should not have been fired, it did weaken his position," he said.

Gonzales also came under fire from Democrats and civil liberties activists for his support of a domestic spying program that targets suspected terrorists.