Got the following e-mail from MD Senator Sarbanes:
"Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the nomination of Alberto R. Gonzales to be United States Attorney General. I appreciate having the benefit of your views on this issue.
As I am sure you are aware, the Constitution grants the President the authority to appoint his cabinet "with the Advice and Consent of the Senate." I firmly believe that the Senate's advice and consent responsibilities are some of my most important as a United States Senator.
As our Nation's chief law enforcement officer, the decisions of the Attorney General impact the lives of all Americans. Judge Gonzales' nomination was considered in the United States Senate on February 3, 2005. I, along with many of my colleagues, expressed serious reservations about this nomination. Prominent among those concerns are the legal advice that Judge Gonzales, as White House Counsel, provided the President on what constitutes torture and the applicability of the Geneva Convention in the war on terror. I am also deeply concerned about Judge Gonzales' apparent lack of independence from the Administration and his lack of forthrightness in answering questions posed by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. With these concerns in mind, I voted against this nomination. However, the Senate confirmed Judge Gonzales as Attorney General by a vote of 60 to 36.
Again, thank you for taking the time to get in touch with me about this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future regarding this or other matters of importance to you.
In the future please visit my web site at
http://sarbanes.senate.gov rather than clicking reply.
With best regards,
Paul Sarbanes
United States Senator
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