GOP Gonzales Resignation Roll Call Returns

And we’re back.

Since our last roll call, Gonzales received some Republican support during his House Judiciary Committee testimony. But the loss of his #2 Paul McNulty and the recent testimony of former Deputy Attorney General Comey have gained Gonzales a few more detractors in the Senate. Here — as Democrats push for a no-confidence vote in the Senate — is a complete list of Republicans who are saying (or hinting) that the Attorney General should go.

Update: We’ve added Sen. Coleman to the list, who joined the club today.
Update: Sen. Kit Bond has joined us.

The Senate (11)

Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO): “The president might decide that the current leadership remaining at DOJ is doing more harm than good.”

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN): “”I don’t believe that Gonzales has the type of leadership that the department needs.”

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE): “The American people deserve an Attorney General, the chief law enforcement officer of our country, whose honesty and capability are beyond question. Attorney General Gonzales can no longer meet this standard. He has failed this country. He has lost the moral authority to lead.”

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): “I think that out of loyalty to the president that that [resignation] would probably be the best thing that he could do.”

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)- “”When you have to spend more time up here on Capitol Hill instead of running the Justice Department, maybe you ought to think about it.”

Sen. John Sununu (R-NH)- “The president should fire the attorney general and replace him as soon as possible with someone who can provide strong, aggressive leadership.”

Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR)- “For the Justice Department to be effective before the U.S. Senate, it would be helpful.”

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK): “I believe you ought to suffer the consequences that these others have suffered. I believe the best way for us to put this behind us is your resignation.”

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)- “There are some problems that he just hasn’t handled well, and it might just be best if he came to a conclusion that the department is better served if he’s not there.'”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)- “Sometimes, it just came down to these were not the right people at the right time. If I applied that standard to you, what would you say?”

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA)- “For you to have said this was an ‘overblown personnel matter,’ I think that can’t be erased. And the clouds over a lot of the professionals can’t be erased and the worry by those who haven’t been subjected to those clouds can’t be erased. Now, I’m not going call for you resignation; I’m not going to make a recommendation on that. I think there are two people that have to decide that question. You have to decide it in the first instance. If you decide to stay on, it’s up to the President to decide.”

And here, Specter is even more clear: “I have a sense that when we finish our investigation, we may have the conclusion of the tenure of the attorney general…. I think when our investigation is concluded, it’ll be clear even to the attorney general and the president that we’re looking at a dysfunctional department which is vital to the national welfare.”

The House (5)

Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL): “The country deserves an attorney general with the credibility to perform this extremely difficult job, and it is now time for fresh leadership.”

Rep. Vern Elhers (R-MI)- “Since he’s such a close, personal friend, he’s hurt the President by what he’s doing, he should have the politeness to offer his resignation.”

Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-OH)- ‘Given the totality of the circumstances, I think it would be better for the President and the Department if the Attorney General were to step down.”

Rep. Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA)- “Even for Republicans this is a warning sign … saying there needs to be a change.”

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO): “Gonzales’ legacy at the [Justice Department] has been one of misplaced priorities, political miscalculation, and a failure to enforce the laws which he has sworn to uphold…. I think that it is time for him to move on.”

Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE)- “Frankly, until these statements came out that contradicted his first statement, I was backing him, saying that he shouldn’t resign. Now I think that he should.”

Prominent Conservatives

The National Review Editorial Board– “Alberto Gonzales should resign. The Justice Department needs a fresh start.”

Mark Corallo, Justice Department spokesman (2002-2005)- “Alberto Gonzales’ loyalty to George Bush has got to trump George Bush’s loyalty to Alberto Gonzales.”

Additionally, prior to Gonzales’ testimony, a group of conservatives with ties to the White House wrote President Bush to express their displeasure with the Attorney General. They finished the letter saying:

“Attorney General Gonzales has proven an unsuitable steward
of the law and should resign for the good of the country…
The President should accept the resignation.”

Included as signatories were: Bruce Fein, a former senior official in the Reagan Justice Department, David Keene, Chariman of the American Conservative Union, John Whitehead, head of the Rutherford Institute, Bob Barr, former Georgia Congressman, and Richard Viguerie, a well-known GOP fundraiser.