Ex-AG Gonzales: 'I Should Have Been More Engaged' (NPR / Tell Me More)

[struggle4progress]

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=46&prgDate=01-26-2009&view=storyview


Prosecuting torture: 'Hard to believe'
So says former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in an NPR interview.
Posted January 26, 2009 1:05 PM
by Mark Silva

... MS. MARTIN: One of the things that didn't come out until after you'd left that job. One of the things that people talk about and criticize you is something that didn't come out until later. When they talk about the time back in March 2004 when you and then Chief of Staff Andy Card went to the hospital room of then Attorney General John Ashcroft, to get him to reauthorize the domestic surveillance program, which he refused to do. He said that Deputy Attorney General James Comey was in charge, but many people looked at that incident and being just in poor taste, arrogant, abusive. The only thing you have publicly said about this subsequently was that you were disappointed that Deputy Chief Attorney General James Comey gave this testimony about that without talking to you first. What is your side about that? Why did you go to his hospital room?

MR. GONZALES: Well let me just say that neither Andy or I, and obviously I can't really speak for Andy, but I feel comfortable saying that neither Andy nor I would have gone there to take advantage of someone who was sick. Andy and I both in fact talked about the importance of satisfying ourselves, as we talked with General Ashcroft that he was in fact competent. We talked about it over at the White House and we talked about it in the Sedan over to the hospital. We were concerned about that. We were sent there on behalf of the President of the United States. We had just had a very, left a very important meeting with the Congressional leadership about a very important intelligence program that the Congressional leadership agreed with the President should continue because it was a particularly heightened period of threats against the United States and against our allies. And I might remind your listeners, that the very next morning you had the Madrid train bombings and so it was a very serious period of time. We had a very important program that the Congressional leadership and the executive branch leadership seemed to feel that this was something that should continue.

MS. MARTIN: Are you saying that the President told you to go?

MR. GONZALES: What I'm saying is I was sent there on behalf of the President of the United States, the Chief of Staff and the Council of the President, we went to the hospital on behalf of the President, we went to the hospital to make sure that General Ashcroft had this information. That's why we went to the hospital ...

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/01/prosecuting_torture_hard_to_be.html

via: http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/01/morning-wrap-11.html

[Frustratedlady]

1. March 2004, eh?

I imagine it was a critical time.