Saguaro
07-30-2007, 09:36 AM
NPR.org, July 30, 2007 · The leading Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee has advised a wait-and-see approach to a perjury investigation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, saying more time is needed to determine if the embattled Cabinet official lied to Congress.
Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, said he wanted to wait at least until a briefing Monday by the Bush administration on classified spy programs.
"Let's give him a chance," Specter said Sunday. "What we want to do is find out what the facts are."
Last week, four Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee asked Solicitor General Paul Clement for a special prosecutor to probe Gonzales, who they say may have perjured himself during testimony regarding a domestic spying program. The request came after FBI Director Robert S. Mueller appeared to contradict Gonzales' statements.
Gonzales told that committee the program was not at issue when he — then a White House counsel — made a dramatic visit to Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital room in 2004. Mueller, speaking to the House Judiciary Committee, said it was an issue.
The apparent contradiction only compounded problems for Gonzales, who is losing support among members of both parties even as President Bush continues to express support. That's despite a series of apparent misstatements made by Gonzales since Congress began investigating the firings of federal prosecutors seven months ago.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who chairs the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Gonzales on Thursday, giving him a week to resolve any inconsistencies in his testimony. While he has declined so far to support a perjury probe, Leahy indicated that could change.
"He has a week," Leahy said Sunday. "If he doesn't correct it, then I think that there are so many errors in there that the pressure will lead very, very heavily to whether it's a special prosecutor, a special counsel, efforts within the Congress."
Leahy also said he was ready to work with the Bush administration to modernize a law that governs how intelligence agencies monitor the communications of suspected terrorists.
Bush used his weekly radio address over the weekend to urge Congress to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 so the law can better keep pace with the latest technology used by terrorists.
Democrats have indicated they do not want to rush ahead with any changes, seeking to ensure civil liberties are protected and the executive branch is not granted unfettered surveillance powers. But the Bush administration says its latest request is narrowly drawn and urgently needed.
"The proposal would make clear that court orders are not necessary to effectively collect foreign intelligence about foreign targets overseas," the national intelligence director, Mike McConnell, wrote congressional leaders Friday. He urged action before Congress departs for a month of vacation in early August.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12345582&sc=YahooNews&ft=1&f=1001
Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, said he wanted to wait at least until a briefing Monday by the Bush administration on classified spy programs.
"Let's give him a chance," Specter said Sunday. "What we want to do is find out what the facts are."
Last week, four Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee asked Solicitor General Paul Clement for a special prosecutor to probe Gonzales, who they say may have perjured himself during testimony regarding a domestic spying program. The request came after FBI Director Robert S. Mueller appeared to contradict Gonzales' statements.
Gonzales told that committee the program was not at issue when he — then a White House counsel — made a dramatic visit to Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital room in 2004. Mueller, speaking to the House Judiciary Committee, said it was an issue.
The apparent contradiction only compounded problems for Gonzales, who is losing support among members of both parties even as President Bush continues to express support. That's despite a series of apparent misstatements made by Gonzales since Congress began investigating the firings of federal prosecutors seven months ago.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who chairs the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Gonzales on Thursday, giving him a week to resolve any inconsistencies in his testimony. While he has declined so far to support a perjury probe, Leahy indicated that could change.
"He has a week," Leahy said Sunday. "If he doesn't correct it, then I think that there are so many errors in there that the pressure will lead very, very heavily to whether it's a special prosecutor, a special counsel, efforts within the Congress."
Leahy also said he was ready to work with the Bush administration to modernize a law that governs how intelligence agencies monitor the communications of suspected terrorists.
Bush used his weekly radio address over the weekend to urge Congress to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 so the law can better keep pace with the latest technology used by terrorists.
Democrats have indicated they do not want to rush ahead with any changes, seeking to ensure civil liberties are protected and the executive branch is not granted unfettered surveillance powers. But the Bush administration says its latest request is narrowly drawn and urgently needed.
"The proposal would make clear that court orders are not necessary to effectively collect foreign intelligence about foreign targets overseas," the national intelligence director, Mike McConnell, wrote congressional leaders Friday. He urged action before Congress departs for a month of vacation in early August.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12345582&sc=YahooNews&ft=1&f=1001