Still fightin’. Reacting to Kyle Sampson’s testimony that “I don’t think the Attorney General’s statement about not being involved in any discussions about USA removals is accurate,” Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse released the following statement:
The Attorney General recently clarified his statements from a March 13 press conference, as Mr. Sampson stated during the testimony. The Attorney General explained in a recent interview on March 26, 2007, “[f]rom time to time, Mr. Sampson would tell [him] something that would confirm in [his] mind that that process was ongoing.” During the interview, the Attorney General stated he “was never focused on specific concerns about United States Attorneys as to whether or not they should be asked to resign.” Rather, as the Attorney General has already explained, his discussions with Mr. Sampson were focused on ensuring that appropriate people were aware of and involved in the process. Furthermore, the Attorney General explained — consistent with Mr. Sampson’s testimony today — in an interview on March 14 that he directed Mr. Sampson to lead the evaluation process, was kept aware of some conversations during the process, and that he approved the recommendations to seek the resignations of select U.S. Attorneys.