[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15671]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HOW MUCH WORSE DO THINGS HAVE TO GET AT JUSTICE BEFORE REPUBLICANS HOLD 
                            HIM ACCOUNTABLE?

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, just how bad do things have to get at the 
Justice Department before congressional Republicans say enough is 
enough?
  On Monday, Senate Democrats tried to bring up a vote of no confidence 
in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. While seven Republicans supported 
an effort to allow for an up-or-down vote, the rest of the Senate 
Republican Caucus blocked it procedurally.
  Are my Republican colleagues serious? Do they actually believe, 
despite all the evidence to the contrary, that this Attorney General 
can continue to serve as the Nation's leading law enforcement officer?
  Let's not forget that Gonzales still does not remember why he fired 
eight U.S. attorneys last year. Nor should we forget that Gonzales 
tried to pressure then-Attorney General Ashcroft into signing off on 
the secret telephone surveillance program while Ashcroft sat in a 
hospital bed preparing for surgery.
  Mr. Speaker, Democrats are restoring real accountability to 
Washington, but it would be nice if we could get a little help from our 
Republican friends.

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