BOSTON—U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on Friday he did not recall being involved in talks on dismissing individual federal prosecutors, disputing testimony given to Congress by his former chief of staff.
Gonzales, facing calls to resign over the firings, said he directed former aide Kyle Sampson to evaluate the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys to determine where changes might be needed.
Gonzales said "from time to time" Sampson would mention "things that would tell me that this effort was ongoing."
"I don't recall being involved in deliberations involving the question of whether or not a U.S. attorney should or should not be asked to resign," Gonzales told reporters after a forum on child safety at the federal courthouse in Boston.
The dismissal of eight prosecutors in December, shortly after Democrats won control of Congress, has blown up into another controversy for the administration of President George W. Bush, whose approval ratings have been dragged down by public discontent over the war in Iraq.
Critics charge the firings appear politically motivated, while the administration contends the dismissals were justified, based largely on performance or policy differences.
Newly disclosed documents show loyalty was a factor.
U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of a president, but the Bush administration has offered shifting and conflicting explanations for why the eight were dismissed.
Sampson testified on Thursday he shared vital information with Department of Justice (DOJ) colleagues about the firings, despite assertions to the contrary by the attorney general.
"I didn't focus on specific concerns about individuals," said Gonzales. "I know what I did and I know the motivations for the decisions that I made were not based on improper reasons."
Senate Panel to Grill Gonzales
Gonzales faces what many see as a make-or-break appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee next month.
"He has his work cut out for him," Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the ranking Republican on the panel which heard from Sampson on Thursday, said in addressing the Republican National Lawyers Association in Washington.
"A number of Republicans as well as all the Democrats have called for his resignation. I won't do that until he has had a chance to testify."
A congressional aide said Specter's comments "pretty well reflect the general consensus among Senate Republicans."
"The hearing is going to be make-or-break," the aide said.
Bush has voiced support for Gonzales but also told him to go to Capitol Hill to ease concerns.
At the White House, spokeswoman Dana Perino said: "The president thinks that there are legitimate questions and concerns that have been raised by members of Congress."
"The president believes that the attorney general can overcome the challenges that are before him," she added.
Gonzales said Sampson had brought him recommendations over the dismissals "at the end of the process."
"I viewed them as his recommendations, as well the recommendations of senior officials that he had consulted with. And obviously he brought to me the implementation plan," said Gonzales.
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