Ensign to remain quiet on Gonzales’ status

WASHINGTON -- With a growing number of lawmakers calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign or be fired, Sen. John Ensign plans to remain silent for now, a spokesman said Monday.

Ensign was one of the first Republicans to criticize the Justice Department after seven U.S. attorneys were fired on Dec. 7.

The Nevada senator was specifically unhappy about the removal of Daniel Bogden, appointed in 2001 at Ensign's suggestion to serve as the chief federal prosecutor in the state.

Gonzales has come under fire for the way in which the Justice Department has changed its explanations about the firings, saying initially they were "performance related," but backing down when this was challenged by the prosecutors and members of Congress.

The attorney general did not appear to help himself at a Senate committee hearing last Thursday when he could not remember details of key meetings.

At least three Republican senators have called for Gonzales to resign: Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Gordon Smith of Oregon.

On Sunday, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said Gonzales was undermining his agency, but stopped just short of demanding he leave his post.

"I don't challenge anybody else who wants to do it," Specter said. "My own mind-set is to leave it up to the attorney general and the president."

As far as whether Gonzales should quit, Ensign will continue to hold his tongue, spokesman Tory Mazzola said.

Mazzola said Ensign awaits the outcome of several demands he made of Gonzales when they spoke early in March about Bogden's dismissal.

Ensign has called on the attorney general to increase resources for the U.S. attorney's office in Nevada, which Bogden had complained was understaffed to handle caseloads in the fast-growing state.

The Nevadan also has called for the Justice Department to strengthen the benchmarks in place to judge the performance of U.S. attorneys.

Most of the seven who were fired in December, and an Arkansas prosecutor who was dismissed last June, had earned positive job reviews, which added to the surprise when they were let go.

Thirdly, Ensign wants the Justice Department to help Bogden "restore his reputation" after what he considers an unwarranted dismissal.

Mazzola said there have been "conversations back and forth" between the Justice Department and Ensign's office.

"It seems like they are making progress," Mazzola said. "I wouldn't speculate but it makes sense to see if things move in the right direction. Let's see how things work out."

In the same month that Bogden left office, the Justice Department increased the Nevada district's budget. It also approved the hiring of five new attorneys, according to Steve Myhre, the acting U.S. attorney.

Gonzales testified to the Senate on Thursday that he called Bogden and offered to help him find a new job, but did not say whether he did so in response to Ensign's urging.

Bogden said they spoke on March 13 and March 16.

Bogden said he told Gonzales the way to reinstate his reputation would be to give him his old job back. But, Bogden said, he got the sense it was not going to happen.

"It seemed to me it was not an area he was willing to revisit," Bogden said.

On Friday, Rep., Jon Porter R-Nev., called for Gonzales to resign, saying Americans "have lost confidence" in the attorney general and the Justice Department.

Three other House Republicans, Dana Rohrabacher of California, Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Lee Terry of Nebraska, also have called for the attorney general's resignation.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Shelley Berkley, both Democrats, earlier called for Gonzales to step down.

Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., has not given a view on Gonzales. His office did not respond to an interview request on Monday.