Braley Joins Call to Impeach Attorney General Gonzales

Rep. Braley issued a press release calling for an investigation into the impeachment of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Today, Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) joined Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Washington) and a group of former prosecutors who currently serve in the House of Representatives as a co-sponsor to a resolution that would direct the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors.

The resolution calls for a formal investigation of whether Attorney General Gonzales should be impeached; it does not include articles of impeachment.

“We need to determine if the Attorney General—a man appointed to uphold the Constitution—is following the laws he swore to protect,” Braley said. “While I have healthy reservations for taking such an action, as an attorney who practiced in Iowa for 23 years I am deeply concerned with the state of the US Department of Justice.

“Judging from Attorney General Gonzales’ public comments and sworn testimony before Congress, it appears as if he was involved in the decisions to fire some US Attorneys for not pursuing public corruption cases based on partisan political factors.

“This resolution requests only a formal investigation of the Attorney General’s conduct so Congress can determine whether articles of impeachment are appropriate; it does not include articles of impeachment. I believe requiring this formal investigation is necessary to determine how exactly the Attorney General was involved in the US Attorney firings and to protect the creditability of the Department of Justice.

At a press conference, Braley had this to say...

“He has forgotten why he became a lawyer, he has forgotten why he took that oath to support and defend the constitution,” he said. “It’s time that the American people had a leader in charge of the Department of Justice who reflected the values and beliefs of this country and what an independent judiciary means to everyone.”