Gonzales's Hold on Job Slips Over Prosecutor Firings (Robert Schmidt)

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U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's hold on his job is slipping after President George W. Bush, his chief benefactor, said he has some explaining to do and a Republican senator joined Democrats in urging him to step down.

By Robert Schmidt

March 15 (Bloomberg) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's hold on his job is slipping after President George W. Bush, his chief benefactor, said he has some explaining to do and a Republican senator joined Democrats in urging him to step down.

The political uproar over the Justice Department's handling of the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys escalated as Bush ordered Gonzales to Capitol Hill to patch up relations with lawmakers. Members of Congress say they were misled by Gonzales, who termed the dismissals non-political before administration e- mails released this week showed the White House was behind them.

Recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by Gonzales and his top deputy, Paul McNulty, was ``at best misleading and inaccurate,'' the panel's chairman, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, said today. ``I would not be surprised,'' Leahy said at a committee meeting in Washington, if Gonzales sends him a letter retracting testimony he gave on Jan. 18.

The Judiciary Committee, by voice vote, authorized subpoenas for one former and four current Justice Department officials to testify on the firings in case they are needed. The Bush administration has indicated it will permit the current officials to testify voluntarily.

Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire became the first Republican in Congress to call on the president to fire Gonzales, saying yesterday the controversy harmed his ability to run the Justice Department. While Bush said he supported his attorney general, Gonzales found few defenders among other Republicans.

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