[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6335]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS PLAYING POLITICS WITH U.S. ATTORNEYS OFFICE

  (Ms. WATSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, every day the Bush White House is losing 
more credibility with the American people and with the Congress. Late 
last year the Justice Department fired eight U.S. Attorneys for purely 
political reasons. Last week, Attorney General Gonzales came to Capitol 
Hill and swore that the terminations had nothing to do with politics. 
But then 2 days ago we learned that these decisions were not made 
exclusively by the Justice Department. The political purge reached the 
highest levels at the White House and was actually prompted by 
President Bush. So much for no political involvement from the White 
House.
  Mr. Speaker, this information would have never come out if the new 
Democratic Congress did not take its oversight responsibility 
seriously. U.S. Attorneys should be free of political pressure and that 
is simply not the case with the Bush White House.
  We will continue to demand answers from an administration that is not 
too interested in working with Congress. It would be nice if they would 
finally learn their lesson and realize that it is time to level with 
both the Congress and the American people.

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