Oregon's Democratic Candidate for US Senate Calls for Gonzalez' Impeachment

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/26017

Oregon's Democratic Candidate for US Senate Calls for Gonzalez' Impeachment
Submitted by Chip on Wed, 2007-08-22 03:49. Impeachment

Jeff Merkley wrote:

August 20, 2007

My fellow Americans,

"I don't recall." "I don't remember." "I don't know."

Is it really possible that Alberto Gonzales is that checked out from the day-to-day operations in the Justice Department? He may have been the President's personal attorney back in Texas, but he's the Attorney General now - and he's failing the American people. He's become an embarassment.

And worse, he's become the single strongest example of political corruption and abuse of power in the Bush Administration.

Under Gonzalez' embarassing stewardship, they've fired U.S. Attorneys for political reasons. He's authorized illegal wiretaps of American citizens. He even tried to strong-arm then-Attorney General John Ashcroft into authorizing the illegal wiretapping program while he lay gravely ill in a hospital bed. And now he won't tell Congress the whole truth about what's happening on his watch.

It's time for Alberto Gonzales to be fired.

If the President won't fire him, then the Congress should impeach him.

It's time for the House to pass the impeachment resolution offered by Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA).

Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary shall investigate fully whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to impeach Alberto R. Gonzales, Attorney General of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Only through impeachment proceedings will we be able to hold the Attorney General accountable for his actions. I applaud Oregon's four Democratic Congressional Members for their early leadership in co-sponsoring the Inslee resolution in the House.

Earlier this month, the Congress gave the Attorney General additional powers to authorize warrantless wiretaps of Americans. And just this week, the Los Angeles Times reported that in the Patriot Act reauthorization, the Congress gave the Attorney General the power to expedite death penalty cases - shifting that power away from federal judges.

Now, more than ever, the American people need an Attorney General that they can trust to do the right thing, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

It's time for Congress to begin the impeachment of Alberto Gonzales.

I hope you'll join me in calling on Congress to support the Inslee resolution.

Join me in calling for impeachment here.

If we stand strong together, Congress will listen and Alberto Gonzales will finally be gone.

Sincerely,

Jeff Merkley