LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy said Monday that his investigation into the alleged political firings of U.S. attorneys would not end with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ resignation over the weekend.
The Rutland Herald reports that Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also said Gonzales’ resignation will help rebuild the tarnished reputation of the U.S. Department of Justice, which has been hampered with accusations that some of its prosecutions were politically motivated.
“The obligations of the Justice Department and its leaders are to the Constitution, the rule of law and the American people, not to the political considerations of this or any White House,” Leahy said Monday during a late-morning press conference at his downtown office in Burlington.
“The attorney general’s resignation reinforces what Congress and the American people already know – that no Justice Department should be allowed to become a political arm of the White House, whether occupied by a Republican or a Democrat,” he added.
