Senate Judiciary Committee w/Alberto Gonzales-7/24/07 Pt29

Part 29 of 32 Senate Judiciary Committee with Alberto Gonzales. Chairman Leahy gavels hearing to order after a break, asks Gonzales more questions. This clip includes the first part of Senator Schumer 's second round of questions to Alberto Gonzales. 7/24/07

KEEP IN MIND: Gonzales was given each and every question he would be asked beforehand. Nothing was a surprise - there was absolutely NO "GOTCHA!"

The most significant moment of this portion of the hearing was Gonzales's comment that, "There's no governing legal principle that says that Mr. Ashcroft, if he decided he felt better, could decide, "I'm feeling better and I could make this decision and I'm going to make this decision." But to answer your question, I'm..."

Transcript of this portion of the hearing:
LEAHY: The audience will be in order, and the committee be back in order.

For those who have spent much time watching Senate procedures, we know that we sometimes get interrupted by votes, and I am trying to (inaudible) this hearing to a conclusion, although I expressed my appreciation both to the majority leader and to Senator Kennedy for dealing the votes as long as they could.

Senator Schumer has asked for a little bit more time, and I will yield to Senator Schumer. And if there is -- if there are no other questions, we'll then conclude this hearing.

Of course, all senators have the right to submit questions for the record, and the witness has the right, of course, to look at the record, and should he want to change or amplify any answers, he can.

I'll be looking at that transcript. He may want to look at it very, very carefully.

GONZALES: I will look at it very carefully, Mr. Chairman.

LEAHY: I would recommend you look at it extremely carefully.

Senator Schumer?

SCHUMER: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate your waiting for the votes.

I have just a few quick questions that I hope you'll be able to answer quickly and concisely.

First, Mr. Attorney General, at the time you went to Mr. Ashcroft's hospital bed, did you know that power had been transferred to Jim Comey?

GONZALES: I think there were newspaper accounts, and the fact that Mr. Comey was the acting attorney general is probably something that I knew of.

SCHUMER: Probably you know of it?

GONZALES: Well, again sitting here today, I can't tell you, yes, absolutely I knew. But let me make an important point here. The fact the transfer had -- let's assume the transfer had occurred.

There's no governing legal principle that says that Mr. Ashcroft, if he decided he felt better, could decide, "I'm feeling better and I could make this decision and I'm going to make this decision." But to answer your question, I'm...

SCHUMER: But you believe you knew? That's how -- is that a fair characterization?

GONZALES: I would say that -- let's just assume that I knew but, again, I'm not sure that's the main point.

SCHUMER: And at the time you went to Mr. Ashcroft's hospital bed -- you touched on this -- what was your understanding of Mr. Ashcroft's authority?

GONZALES: My understanding -- sitting here today, my understanding is that -- the main focus was -- is that Mr. Comey would be making the decision with respect to this matter.

SCHUMER: All right. When you went to the hospital room, what was your understanding of Mr. Ashcroft's condition?

GONZALES: I don't know if I can recall exactly my understanding. I suspect it was that, of course, he was sick, had had surgery. I may have understood that he was in intensive care. I may have -- from newspaper accounts, may have understood, in fact, that he had problems with his pancreas or gallstones or something...

SCHUMER: Did you know that all visitors had been barred by his wife because of how ill he was?

GONZALES: I don't know if I knew that. Subsequently, I've certainly been made aware of the fact that she was being very, very careful in terms of who could visit with him and who could speak with him.

SCHUMER: The facts have come out that all visitors were barred by her. OK.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• senate
• judiciary
• committee
• cspan
• second
• round
• leahy
• schumer
• ashcroft
• comey
• part
• 29
• gonzales
• 7/24/07
• cssjcagpt2972407

[TrentH190]

Gonzales is soo fucking stupid its amazing

[CNNLIEREPORT]

I only can repeat this from before:

Disgusting action! Reprehensible to the extreme! This administration knows no shame.

[ayazyam]

I wish I had a quote to share, but I think we all know that Government secrecy is about more than security. If you are guilty you will want to hide. This is more than a power-trip of paranoia too. It's a digusting disrespect of the trust of the those in positions of "inferior" power. This administration is not a high point of in our history...*sigh* When will it end??