Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) had the best line of questioning of the day so far.
Under persistent questioning, Gonzales admitted that he did not know the reasons that the U.S. attorneys were on the list. Gonzales could only say that he relied on the judgment of the department’s senior leadership – he added that he had not been surprised to see five of the names on the list (he didn’t say which two surprised him).
When Feingold pressed about Gonzales’ assertion that the U.S. attorneys had “lost his confidence” in a USA Today op-ed, Gonzales said, “I regret the use of those words.”
And Feingold pressed on Gonzales’ statement that he had “no basis” on which to say to that there had not been improper reasons behind the firings. How could he know that? Gonzales answered “I know the basis on which I made my decision.”
