Gonzales Report and Lawyers' Letter- Concerns About Nomination for Attorney General

Alliance for Justice Releases Gonzales Report and Lawyers' Letter; Both Raise Serious Concerns About Nomination for Attorney General

1/4/2005 2:33:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Julie Bernstein of Alliance for Justice, 202-822-6070 ext. 297 or 240-601-5562 (cell)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Alliance for Justice released today a detailed report and lawyers' letter critical of the nomination of White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales to be attorney general of the United States. Gonzales' record as White House counsel over the past four years, especially his role in formulating the policies that led to the torture of prisoners of war, raises fundamental questions about his fitness to serve as our nation's top law enforcement officer.

"Alberto Gonzales was the chief engineer behind the Bush administration's policy justifying the abusive treatment of prisoners of war," said Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron. "Gonzales wrote memos advocating the use of torture in defiance of the Geneva Conventions, international law and standards of human decency. He paved the way for the Bush administration to sidestep the rule of law that, as attorney general, he will be mandated to enforce."

Aron praised the unprecedented, bipartisan effort of over 300 prominent members of the legal community to demand Gonzales support an independent commission to investigate the detention and interrogation policies and practices of the United States. This group has long been insisting on the full disclosure of all memos related to torture -- a request that Gonzales has failed to meet.

"It is essential that an independent, bipartisan commission with full subpoena power be established to prepare a full account of detention and interrogation practices carried out by the United States," said John J. Curtin, Jr., former president of the American Bar Association. "Gonzales should be closely questioned about his record in these matters so that the Senate and the nation may determine his fitness to serve as attorney general of the United States."

"Gonzales has consistently pushed the limits of executive privilege in order to shield the Bush administration from oversight by Congress or scrutiny by the American people," added Aron. "The position of the country's top cop demands an impeccable level of integrity and commitment to the rule of law that Gonzales has not proven to possess." Aron noted other areas of concern in Gonzales' record, including his direct role as White House counsel in selecting extremist judicial nominees; and his cavalier treatment of clemency petitions in Texas death penalty cases while advising then- Governor George W. Bush.

"The Senate Judiciary Committee must thoroughly review all memos relating to torture written during Gonzales' tenure as White House counsel before voting on his nomination," Aron advocated, adding that the latest memo out of the Office of Legal Counsel does not alleviate her concerns.

Alliance for Justice's report on Alberto Gonzales and the lawyers' letter including the list of signatories can be found at http://www.allianceforjustice.org.

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