US Senate Republicans block vote on Gonzales

Washington, June 12: US Senate Republicans blocked a vote of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, dashing Democratic hopes of embarrassing Gonzales and his boss, President George W. Bush, with a formal demand for his ouster.

A Senate no-confidence vote in a Cabinet member would have no force of law in the US system of government. Earlier yesterday, Bush called the resolution ''meaningless.'' But Democrats wanted to pile pressure on Bush to fire the country's top law enforcement officer over his handling of the controversial firing of US prosecutors, which critics portray as a politically motivated purge.

The Republicans stopped the no-confidence vote under Senate rules that allow a minority to block consideration of a measure. Their move came despite months of searing criticism of Gonzales by members of both parties.

Seven Republicans split with their party and sided with Democrats. Republican Pennsylvania Sen Arlen Specter said the Democratic motion was ''political chicanery'' but he had decided the interests of the country, including needed improvements at the Justice Department, were more important.

''There is no doubt that the (Justice) department at the present time is in shambles,'' Specter said. ''Have I lost confidence in Attorney General Gonzales? Absolutely, yes.'' Instead of defending Gonzales, Republican critics of the Democratic resolution argued it was a waste of time as well as a political stunt sponsored by the head of the Senate Democrats' campaign committee, New York Sen. Charles Schumer.

''The American people may not have particular confidence, one way or another, in this attorney general, but this is not an election of the attorney general,'' Sen Trent Lott said before the vote.

''This is not the British Parliament, and I hope it never will become the British Parliament,'' where no-confidence motions in members of the government can be brought, said Lott, a Mississippi Republican. ''This is all about partisan politics.'' The Democrats have a majority of 51 in the Senate, counting two independents who often vote with them although yesterday, one of those, Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, did not. Democrats needed 60 votes to scale the procedural hurdle erected by Republicans, but got only 53, with 38 voting against.

'No Wrongdoing'

Gonzales has refused to step down and is supported by the Republican president, his longtime mentor from Texas. Bush, traveling in Europe, dismissed the Democrats' move as political, declaring, ''There's no wrongdoing.'' The Justice Department said after the vote that Gonzales would remain focused on the ''important issues'' of his job.

''With so many pressing issues facing our country such as the threat of terrorism and the danger posed by gangs and violent criminals, we look forward to continuing to work with Congress to identify appropriate solutions to address these issues,'' the Justice Department statement said.

Schumer, sponsor of the no-confidence motion, said he knew there were few if any precedents in the US Senate. ''The situation at the Department of Justice is also without precedent,'' Schumer said, adding Gonzales had ''failed miserably.'' Both the House and Senate have been investigating Gonzales for months over the firings of nine U.S. attorneys last year.

Criticism of Gonzales intensified after an April Senate hearing in which he said many times he could not remember details of what had happened during the firings.

Reuters>