Breaking: Admin Will Not Oppose U.S. Attorney Law Change

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the meeting senators from the Judiciary Committee had with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales this afternoon:

“While we didn’t get any better explanation for these unprecedented firings, two important developments came from this meeting. First, the Attorney General told us the Administration would not oppose our legislation requiring Senate confirmation for all U.S. Attorneys. Second, in one form or another, each of the five Department of Justice witnesses will be made available to us for questioning. The details and venue are still being worked out, but we are hopeful they will cooperate.”

And from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who authored the bill:

“The Administration has withdrawn their objection to my legislation, and I welcome that. It is a step in the right direction.

My concerns have been that the firing of people with strong performance reviews all at one time – a number of whom were involved in corruption cases – sends an adverse signal to the rest of the U.S. Attorneys as well as to the general public.

They may be hired by the President, but they serve the people, and they should not be subjected to political pressure.

We have to pass this legislation, and we have to get it in place. We must ensure that these appointments are carefully scrutinized and confirmed by the Senate – now and in the future.”