Gonzales's Ex-Aide Sampson Denies Withholding Info

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Gonzales's Ex-Aide Sampson Denies Withholding Info

(AP) WASHINGTON Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' former chief aide denies he purposefully withheld information from Justice Department officials who misled Congress about the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

Gonzales has acknowledged that his department mishandled the dismissals of the U.S. attorneys and did not tell Congress the whole story about the firings. The attorney general, who is under pressure to resign, has said he ultimately is to blame for the mistakes, but stands behind the firings, which Democrats allege were politically motivated.

Kyle Sampson, who quit last week as Gonzales' chief of staff, said in a statement from his lawyer that he did not step down "because he had misled anyone at the Justice Department or withheld information concerning the replacement of the U.S. attorneys.

"He resigned because, as chief of staff, he felt he had let the attorney general down in failing to appreciate the need for and organize a more effective response to the unfounded accusations that the replacements were improper," according to the statement from attorney Brad Berenson.