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Sen. Klobuchar's Statement on Attorney General Gonzales' Resignation

Klobuchar says Gonzales leaves "a legacy of justice tarnished"

August 27, 2007

(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, who in March was among the first members of Congress to call for the resignation of the Attorney General, issued the following statement about today's announcement:

"Alberto Gonzales is doing the right thing by resigning, but he leaves a legacy of justice tarnished.  Our nation's chief law enforcement officer must be the guardian of the rule of law and he must command the highest degree of public trust.  This Attorney General did not.   Instead, he allowed politics to creep too closely to the core of our legal system.

“As the former chief prosecutor for Minnesota's largest county, I always understood that the rule of law must be blind to politics and prosecutors must be free to act without fear or favor.  In the Justice Department of Alberto Gonzales, the professionalism and independence of the U.S. Attorneys was undermined by rank partisan politics.  Unbelievably, even Minnesota's own highly-respected U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger somehow got put on a 'hit list' for removal.  This was an outrage.

 “Let us hope the new Attorney General will be able to uphold the rule of law, restore the public’s trust and allow the professionals in the Department of Justice to do their jobs once again without fear or favor.”