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Pryor joins Democratic chorus in bashing attorney general Thursday, Mar 15, 2007 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Revelations about the Bush administration's handling of a U.S. attorney firings provoked Sen. Mark Pryor's harshest criticism yet of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Wednesday amid a mounting scandal that involves a federal prosecutor in Arkansas. Pryor said he was wading through about 200 pages of e-mails released Tuesday that detail the administration's plan to forego the normal Senate confirmation process to install former White House aide Tim Griffin as interim U.S. attorney in Little Rock. Pryor said he saw the strategy as an improper use of authority given to the attorney general last year to appoint interim prosecutors for indefinite time periods. "I believe very strongly that he has abused this power, he has misused this power and the administration had a hand in this," Pryor said. Pending legislation would repeal that authority. President Bush said he would dispatch Gonzales to Capitol Hill to explain the Justice Department's firing of eight U.S. attorneys, including H.E. "Bud" Cummins III in Little Rock. Democratic leaders have called for Gonzales' resignation after learning through the e-mails that the Justice Department did not fully disclose to Congress the level of White House involvement in the firings. Pryor did not specifically seek Gonzales' ouster. "Obviously, I've lost confidence in this attorney general," he said. "Some of these e-mails are very damning, and I know the attorney general's credibility has been greatly harmed and his stature has been diminished in the Senate." Bush on Wednesday acknowledged "mistakes were made," but he expressed confidence in Gonzales. The attorney general is to meet privately with senators either this week or early next week, though spokeswomen for Pryor and Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., said they were unsure late Wednesday whether he would visit either lawmaker. Democrats have criticized the political push behind the firings and the White House's involvement in them. At least two prosecutors have said they thought their ousters were tied to their handling of pending investigations. Republicans maintain that the president has power to hire and fire prosecutors at will. They cite the Clinton administration's decision in 1993 to fire all 93 U.S. attorneys. Pryor said the Justice Department misrepresented to congressional oversight panels how much of a factor Bush political adviser Karl Rove and other White House officials were in Griffin's appointment. One e-mail from Gonzales' chief of staff, who abruptly resigned Tuesday, stated that "Harriet, Karl, etc." wanted Griffin in Little Rock. The e-mail referred to Rove and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. "Why was Karl Rove involved in hand-picking U.S. attorneys?" Pryor asked. "It's also clear, and the attorney general has admitted as much, the attorney general and the Justice Department have misinformed and misled the two committees in Congress." Pryor said it was clear to him the administration worked to bypass Senate confirmation - as well as his and Lincoln's input - to replace Cummins and keep Griffin in the job until the end of the Bush administration. The move was an error that "tainted" Griffin's time in office and is an injustice to residents of the Eastern District of Arkansas, Pryor said, since the Senate was unable to question Griffin about his legal background or past employment. Pryor said he was concerned about Griffin's lack of "legal stature" in Arkansas. "I've always thought it was presumptuous for someone who lived out of state for most of their entire professional life to want to come in and be named U.S. attorney," Pryor said. Griffin is a native of Magnolia who attended law school at Tulane and served stints at the Republican National Committee during the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. Critics have raised questions about his tactics while at the RNC. He was an aide to Rove and a special assistant to the president from April 2005 to September 2005, before being deployed for a year of active duty as a Army Reserve judge advocate general officer. He served in Iraq last year. Griffin did not comment about Pryor's statements, but he has said he is focused on his job and would remain there until replaced by the White House. Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, is in the process of interviewing Republican attorneys to recommend as possible replacements. |
