WP: Gonzales Prepares to Fight for His Job in Testimony

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040402614.html?hpid=topnews

Gonzales Prepares to Fight for His Job in Testimony

By Dan Eggen and Paul Kane
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, April 5, 2007; Page A01

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has retreated from public view this week in an intensive effort to save his job, spending hours practicing testimony and phoning lawmakers for support in preparation for pivotal appearances in the Senate this month, according to administration officials.

After struggling for weeks to explain the extent of his involvement in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, Gonzales and his aides are viewing the Senate testimony on April 12 and April 17 as seriously as if it were a confirmation proceeding for a Supreme Court or a Cabinet appointment, officials said.

Ed Gillespie, a former Republican National Committee chairman, and Timothy E. Flanigan, who worked for Gonzales at the White House, have met with the attorney general to plot strategy. The department has scheduled three days of rigorous mock testimony sessions next week and Gonzales has placed phone calls to more than a dozen GOP lawmakers seeking support, officials said.

Gonzales is seeking to convince skeptical lawmakers that he can be trusted to command the Justice Department after the prosecutor firings, which he initially described as an "overblown personnel matter." Subsequent documents and testimony from his former chief of staff have shown that Gonzales was regularly briefed on the process, revelations that have led to calls for his resignation.

Justice officials and outside experts said the effort is further hampered by legal conflicts among Gonzales and his senior aides. Top Democrats have also accused department officials of misleading Congress in previous testimony, leading Justice lawyers to insist on limiting contact between key players to avoid allegations of obstructing a congressional investigation, officials said.

As a result, Gonzales and senior Justice lawyers have so far received little assistance from the White House and cannot consult with some of his closest aides, including Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty, officials said.

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[acmavm]

1. Why in the hell are we still having to tolerate more lies coming

from this guy? He should be long gone.

[babylonsister]

2. I don't see him lasting long after his testimony; he's not the only one

'studying', I'm sure. But it is outrageous that this admin continues to harbor a known liar, probably a criminal one at that.

[soothsayer]

3. Should you be able to phone members of a jury to plead your case?

why is lobbying like this allowed?

[gratuitous]

4. "Gonzales is seeking to convince skeptical lawmakers"

Apparently, he's trying to overcome skepticism that he's running his office in professional, non-partisan manner. Toward that end, he's meeting with . . . the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ed Gillespie. That's like trying to show people that you're not mobbed up and meeting with Don Corleone.

[napi21]

5. It's pretty standard practice for a witness to be coached before

testifying, but the ones doing the coaching are the ATTORNEYS! I find it astounding that the Country's TOP ATTORNET needs coaching!

[thecrow]

6. The TRUTH does not need a plot strategy

'nuff said