Gonzales accused of lying

Attorney General Gonzales clashed with senators in a Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday, drawing the evident displeasure of members of both parties. Gonzales was soundly rebuked on several fronts, including for his reluctance to challenge the White House's wide claims of executive privilege, and his reversals on testimony regarding the White House's secret warrant-less wiretapping program. The senators had strong words for Gonzales, accusing him of lying to protect himself and the Administration:

"How can we trust your leadership when ... you just constantly change the story, seemingly to fit your needs to wiggle out of being caught, frankly, telling mistruths?" Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) asked.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) blasted Gonzales for saddling the Department of Justice (DoJ) with "a lack of credibility - candidly, your personal credibility."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) lamented that Gonzales' performance has so compromised his agency that "it's almost as if the walls were actually crumbling on this huge department."

"There's a discrepancy here in sworn testimony," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who earned a clamor of applause from protesters after telling Gonzales to "be fair to the truth."

It seems Gonzales has so thoroughly tarnished the reputation and credibility of the Justice Department that even some of his own party have had enough.