WASHINGTON—U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales wrongly claimed he was not involved in the firing of federal prosecutors, his former chief of staff told Congress on Thursday.
Kyle Sampson also said as he shared key information with Justice Department colleagues about the dismissal of eight of the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys last year, despite complaints to the contrary by the attorney general.
"I never sought to conceal or withhold any material fact on this matter from anyone," Sampson, who helped orchestrate the ousters, told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"Others in the department knew what I knew about the origins and timing of this enterprise," he said.
The dismissals have triggered a firestorm, fanned by charges the firings may have been politically motivated, and calls for Gonzales to resign.
The administration contends the dismissals were justified, based largely on performance or policy differences. But newly disclosed documents also show loyalty was a factor.
"For my part in allowing what should have been a routine process of assuring the Congress that nothing untoward occurred to become an ugly, undignified spectacle, I want to apologize," said Sampson, who resigned this month as Gonzales' chief of staff.
Gonzales, in what some members of Congress say could be a make-or-break bid to keep his job, is to appear before the Judiciary Committee next month.
President George W. Bush has voiced confidence in Gonzales, but also told him to go to Capitol Hill to ease concerns.
The investigation is part of a drive by the new Democratic-led Congress to increase oversight over how the administration operates.
At a March 13 news conference, Gonzales said, "The mistake that occurred here was that information that he (Sampson) had was not shared with individuals within the department who were then going to be providing testimony and information to the Congress."
Gonzales also had said he was not involved in discussions about the firings. But he sought to clarify after the recent disclosure of an internal document showed otherwise.
"I don't think the attorney general's statement that he was not involved in any discussions about U.S. attorney removals is accurate," Sampson said.
Subsequently, Gonzales said he was not involved in deliberations over which prosecutors should go, only getting involved at the end of the process. U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of a president.
Sampson testified that Gonzales "was aware of this process from the beginning in early 2005 .... Ultimately he approved both the list and the notion of going forward and asking for these resignations." He later said both Gonzales and former White House counsel Harriet Miers were directly involved in at least one of the reviews.
Congressional subpoenas have been authorized for Miers, senior adviser Karl Rove and other top White House aides. But Bush has vowed to oppose any attempt to compel sworn testimony from them.
Sampson said the decisions to fire the prosecutors "were properly made, but poorly explained." He also rejected suggestions prosecutors were dismissed to gain political advantage in some federal investigations.
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, noted the administration has offered shifting and conflicting explanations that will require further examination.
"In the last seven weeks, we learned that Attorney General Gonzales was personally involved in the firing plan—after being told that he wasn't," Schumer said.
"We have learned that the White House was involved—after being told that it wasn't," Schumer said. "We have learned that Karl Rove was involved—after being told that he wasn't."
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