Frank Pallone: “Attorney General Gonzales cancelled a vacation and an entire week of work so he could prepare for his testimony before…”

“Attorney General Gonzales cancelled a vacation and an entire week of work so he could prepare for his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday on the expanding U.S. Attorney scandal, but it does not seem to have helped him very much. Despite all that prep time, the Attorney General could still not remember why most of the prosecutors had been fired by him in the first place. Worse yet, Gonzales said he could not recall attending a meeting where the discussion of the fate of these prosecutors was debated. Democratic and Republican senators alike grew increasingly frustrated throughout the day as the Attorney General answered 'I do not recall' to more than 70 questions. It was so bad that conservative Republican Senator Jeff Sessions said that he was concerned about Gonzales' recollection, considering that these events only took place last December. Either the Attorney General is deceiving the Senate about what he remembers or he is so lacking that he can sit through discussions about the potential firing of eight U.S. Attorneys and simply not remember being there. Neither bodes well for Gonzales. It's time the President sets aside his friendship and asks his Attorney General to step aside.”