Sorry, Al, but just saying mistakes were made doesn't cut it with the American people. And as for any pledge you make, you have consistently shown a disdain and/or lack of knowledge of the Constitution, so why should we believe you now. Do the country a favor and go back to Texas. We understand that two villages in the Lone Star State are missing their idiots.-Babel
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that "mistakes were made" regarding the firing of eight U.S. attorneys and he accepts responsibility for the ordeal.
"My pledge to the American people is to find out what went wrong here," he said. "As we can all imagine, in an organization of 110,000 people, I am not aware of every bit of information that passes through the halls of justice, nor am I aware of all decisions."
However, despite calls for his resignation, Gonzales said he was not stepping down.
Democrats are examining e-mails they say prove the White House was far more involved in the firings of U.S. attorneys than it has acknowledged.
The e-mails between the Department of Justice and White House were handed on Tuesday to congressional committees investigating the firing of eight U.S. attorneys and whether there was political motivation behind the dismissals.
White House spokesman Tony Snow confirmed that it was former White House counsel Harriet Miers who came up with an idea to remove all the federal prosecutors and bring in "fresh blood" at the beginning of President Bush's second term.
Meanwhile, the chief of staff to Gonzales has resigned, the Justice Department said Tuesday, as criticism grows over the firing of eight federal prosecutors last year.
D. Kyle Sampson, who also was a top lawyer under Gonzales' predecessor, John Ashcroft, has been at the center of the storm. His resignation was effective Monday.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, has said Gonzales should follow suit and tender his resignation.
"Just when we thought our faith could not be shaken any further, it has been," Schumer said. "At the very beginning, it was clear that something didn't smell right. But I had no idea how high it went."
He added: "The latest revelations proved beyond any reasonable doubt that there has been an unprecedented breach of trust, abuse of power and misuse of the Justice Department. And that is very serious and very important."
Schumer also warned the White House against making Sampson "the next fall guy."
