Gonzales to Replace Ashcroft
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
WASHINGTON — White House counsel Alberto Gonzales (search) has been chosen by President Bush to be the next attorney general, U.S. officials confirmed to FOX News on Wednesday. An announcement from the White House could come later Wednesday.
Gonzales, who would be the first Hispanic attorney general, would replace John Ashcroft (search).
Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans (search) formally resigned from office on Tuesday, handing in letters that suggested Bush will have a prosperous second term but that they are too tired to continue with him.
Word had floated last week that Ashcroft was planning on leaving the Justice Department (search). In fact, the attorney general handed in his five-page, handwritten resignation to the president on Election Day.
In it, Ashcroft said he had never been more honored than to work for the president, but his time to retire had come.
"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved. The rule of law has been strengthened and upheld in the courts. Yet, I believe that the Department of Justice would be well served by new leadership and fresh inspiration," Ashcroft wrote in the letter he scripted himself, aides say, to prevent any leaks.
In a letter to DOJ employees released Tuesday, Ashcroft added that he was pleased that his department had helped prevent another terrorist attack.
"For the past three years, my every working day has begun with a report — a catalog of the murderous acts being plotted against Americans. That we have passed these three years in safety and security is a credit to you. But it would be the height of arrogance to assume we achieved this alone. The Psalms remind us: 'Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stands guard in vain," he wrote.
Ashcroft, 62, has signaled for months his desire to leave, aides say. His aides say that he feels like he accomplished everything he set out to do. They add that Ashcroft recognized that if he is going to leave, it's best to leave while on top, and the attorney general feels like he made positive changes to the Justice Department and the country.
Ashcroft said that he will stay on in his role until his successor is confirmed. Some of the individuals speculated to be in the running to take his place were Gonzales, Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot, former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Democrats have said that Ashcroft was a "divisive" character who was willing to subvert civil liberties in the name of law enforcement. They said now is the time for Bush to try to heal divisions with Democrats.
"America lived through four difficult years with an attorney general who became one of the most divisive faces in this administration. With the end of the era of John Ashcroft, the president now has an opportunity to heal those divisions and make good on his promise of renewed bipartisan cooperation. I am hopeful he will appoint an attorney general who will respect the Constitution and ensure the protection of the rights of all Americans," said Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.
Republicans, however, immediately showed an outpouring for Ashcroft.
"I said when John Ashcroft was nominated that he was perhaps the most experienced candidate for attorney general in recent history, and his time in office made clear that experience matters," said Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona.
"John Ashcroft has served this country well as attorney general and was a key leader in fighting the War on Terror. He redirected the resources of the Justice Department to this important mission and helped keep America safe," said Texas Sen. John Cornyn.
According to a senior Justice Department official, though Ashcroft was frequently "attacked and vilified" for allegedly ignoring civil liberties, he was actually the voice of restraint and reason in high-level meetings about the War on Terror, repeatedly insisting the country would be best served by sticking to constitutional principles in its treatment of U.S. citizens captured as enemy combatants.
Ashcroft also repeatedly disagreed with the Pentagon on how it was treating the prisoners at Guantanamo, who also did not get lawyers or due process, according to the official.
Ashcroft, however, was repeatedly overruled by senior White House officials who chose to side with the Pentagon. Even though he disagreed and had been overruled, Ashcroft "took the heat" for those cases.
In two statements released by the White House, President Bush thanked both men for their service.
"John Ashcroft has worked tirelessly to help make our country safer," the president said. "John has served our nation with honor, distinction, and integrity."
Ashcroft and Evans, who have headed their respective departments since the start of the Bush administration, are the first members of the Cabinet to leave as the president considers the shape of his second term. The resignations were announced by White House press secretary Scott McClellan, who said Bush had accepted the decisions of both secretaries.
Meanwhile, three high-ranking Bush administration officials said they would like to remain on the job. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Leavitt all said they want to continue.
FOX News' Wendell Goler and Anna Persky and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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