OK, one last clip from yesterday’s hearing, one that I didn’t get to yesterday out of sheer Gonzales fatigue.
But it encapsulates the absurdity of Gonzales’ claim of “full responsibility” for the firings while at the same time hiding behind a review “process” that, as everyone now knows, was a joke.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) asked Gonzales a simple question: was it a mistake to fire the eight prosecutors?
And here we go down the rabbit hole…
Gonzales: …I stand by the decision.Sherman: So if you had it do all over again, these eight would be toast?
Gonzales: No, again, because we would have used a different process. And I don’t know if using a different process, the same recommendations would have come to me. I relied upon….
Sherman: I’m asking you whether you made a mistake, not whether you like your process. The conclusion to fire these eight, was that the right, best thing to do for the administration of justice?
Gonzales: I think… I stand by the decision. In hindsight, I’m not happy with the process. I know that… to me, the process was important, too. And I think using a different process, we may have come out with different recommendations to me, which would have made a difference… perhaps.
If I could dare to summarize: Gonzales stands by his decision to fire those eight, but if he had it to do all over again, he would have fired somebody else.
Amazing… Gonzales makes Kyle Sampson look like a model of directness.