Stallings: Gonzales visit to Idaho doesn't make up for abuse of office

BOISE, Idaho – The following remarks were made Monday by Richard Stallings, chairman of the Idaho Democratic Party and former 2^nd District congressman:

“United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be visiting Boise on Tuesday. While his stated intention is to meet local and tour facilities, it’s clear that the trip is really just an attempt to rehabilitate the AG’s appalling image.

“The intermountain West is known to be more friendly to president Bush than some areas of the country, but we are not so blind that we do not see how powerful individuals like Gonzales have abused their position to take away people’s basic and essential rights to privacy and ` the pursuit of happiness.’”

Senate Republicans recently blocked a no-confidence resolution against Gonzales, but it’s clear that he no longer has the confidence of a majority of the Senate -- or of the American people. 

“His attempt to obfuscate the truth about the firings of U.S. Attorneys around the country shows he is either stonewalling or he has become completely detached from the day to day work of the Department of Justice. 

The dedicated people in the U.S. Attorney's office for the District of Idaho work hard to administer justice in a fair and even-handed manner.  The people of our state and nation deserve nothing less. Unfortunately, however, the Attorney General seems not to understand that he took an oath to serve the Republic, not the Republican Party. 

“Time and time again, he has put partisanship before citizenship, undermining confidence in our justice system. During his tenure with the Bush administration, Gonzalez has done more to take away the rights and liberties of the people of this country than perhaps any other Attorney General in history.

“All the softball news stories and photo ops in the world will never be enough to compensate for cronyism, concealment and corruption that has come from Alberto Gonzales. In the end, his legacy will be the rampant and shameful abuse off office.”