May 15, 2007 -- Gonzales finally "recalls" something, but gets it wrong. Speaking at a National Press Club breakfast this morning, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said that Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, who announced yesterday that he would resign, was involved in preparing the list of U.S. Attorneys to be fired in the wake of George W. Bush's re-election in 2004. There is only one problem with Gonzales' attempt to shift blame to McNulty. The preparation of the U.S. Attorney "hit list" began in February 2005 by Gonzales' Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson. McNulty did not take over as Deputy Attorney General until March 17, 2006, long after the list was prepared and the U.S. Attorneys were fired. James Comey was the Deputy Attorney General at the time the "hit list" was developed and McNulty was the US Attorney for Eastern Virginia. Gonzales also spoke about McNulty's departure and said that the department would "probably not" find a qualified candidate to replace him.
There is over a year and a half left for the Bush administration. Either Gonzales meant that the position would remain vacant or he would find an unqualified candidate to replace McNulty. If an unqualified candidate is selected for such an important position, it will be in concert with the lowest standards exhibited thus far by the Bush administration in its political appointments.
Gonzales today at the National Press Club. He could not "recall" who his Deputy was in February 2005.