Gonzales Vows To Fix Justice Department's Image

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says he's staying at the Justice Department to try to repair its broken image, telling Congress in a statement released Monday he's troubled

Monday, July 23rd 2007, 10:19 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says he's staying at the Justice Department to try to repair its broken image, telling Congress in a statement released Monday he's troubled that politics may have played a part in hiring career federal prosecutors.

The attorney general's comments came in 26 pages of prepared testimony that was released on the eve of his scheduled appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is expected to face detailed questions Tuesday about the firings and conflicts between his earlier statements and the testimony of a former aide.

After months of critics calling for his resignation, Gonzales appears to have weathered the political furor that began with the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year and subsequently revealed a Justice Department hiring process that favored Republican loyalists.

In his written testimony, Gonzales touted the department's focus on terrorists, violent crime and even aid to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims. He made no reference to the fired U.S. attorneys and only briefly mentioned the controversy that has torpedoed morale at the Justice Department and has called the fairness of its attorneys' into question.

``Reinforcing public confidence in the department is also critical, and will be one of my top priorities as attorney general for the remainder of my term,'' Gonzales said in the prepared statement.

``I believe very strongly that there is no place for political considerations in the hiring of our career employees or in the administration of justice,'' he said. ``As such, these allegations have been troubling to hear. From my perspective, there are two options available in light of these allegations. I would walk away or I could devote my time, effort and energy to fix the problems. Since I have never been one to quit, I decided that the best course of action was to remain here and fix the problems.''

Gonzales also reminded senators that the Justice Department has launched an internal investigation _ one that he has no control over _ into the accusations.

It's against federal law to discriminate against career employees by hiring or firing them based on their political loyalties. But two months ago, former top Gonzales aide Monica S. Goodling admitted she did just that when she served as the Justice Department's liaison to the White House _ including, at times, looking to see whether job applicants had contributed to the GOP or other political parties.