Alberto Gonzales: I Don't Think Obama AG Will Prosecute Me

In his confirmation hearing Eric Holder, President Obama's nominee for Attorney General, declared definitively that "waterboarding is torture."

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in an interview with National Public Radio's "Tell Me More" Monday, said he was worried that "making a blanket pronouncement like that'' might have a negative "effect ... on the morale and the dedication of intelligence officials and lawyers throughout the administration." (Gonzales probably knows something about bad morale at the Justice Department.)

Gonzales isn't worried, however, about himself. While some have suggested that Holder's statement paved the way for prosecution of administration officials who participated in torture, the ex-AG says it isn't likely.

"I don't think that there's going to be a prosecution, quite frankly.'' Gonzales said. "Because again, these activities ... They were authorized, they were supported by legal opinions at the Department of Justice.''

Holder "will have to make a decision as to whether or not move forward with an investigation or a prosecution,'' Gonzales said. "But under those circumstances, I find it hard to believe."

As for regrets, Gonzales says, "I'm not sure how productive it is to lament about things that went wrong. Maybe it was inevitable."

The former AG has had trouble finding new work since he left the DOJ. He told NPR that things are looking up: "Gonzales says he is writing a book, and he believes his job prospects will look up when the economy improves and when investigations into actions of his Justice Department are put to rest."

Comments

[matthewbenzor]

Freemason push boy I like to call him .Was put there to push the freemason agenda america weve been hijacked by these powermonge­rs,tyrants­,fakes and fruads. for decades wake up america start asking question about these freemason powermongers

[tcuoohjohn]

Alberto Gonzales: I Don't Think Obama AG Will Prosecute Me

Isn't this tantamount to a backdoor confession? Eg.. I have committed crimes but I don't think I'll be prosecuted for them.

[teepeeyoyo]

Hold on there 'Berto, now is not the time for you to be glib....you might want to try to "recall" some things in preparation for your trial.

[SayLessDoMore]

Dear Al:

For years of military-industrial payola, theft, torture, civilian killings, violation of international treaties, various flavors of mayhem . . . well, somebody's gotta go to jail. Should be a lot of people, but that's a hard political diversion, and we've got so many real screw-ups to take care of, looks like we're going to have to settle for one, maybe two, high-level miscreants. We'd like to do Cheney, but he might drop dead and the right-wingnuts will have themselves a martyr. Bush? Only fair, but has a mental incapacity defense. Rummy? Maybe, but he's had the good sense to lay low.

So, guess we know where this is going, don't we?

Look, try not to take it too hard. It isn't like you were ever going to work again, anyway. Not as a lawyer, in any event. You'll have a roof over your head, 3 meals a day, and probably will know some of the folks you're going to meet in your new home. You'll have time to write that book you always meant to start . . . and, being who we are, we'll probably buy the damn thing. Americans love fiction.

Hey, there was a reason for having an obvious toady in a cabinet position. Thanks for taking the fall.

Sincerely yours,

Friends of Fredo

PS - You'll be meeting some people during this process called "lawyers." Don't try to help them. It'll go much better for you if you stay away from the legal stuff.

[SayLessDoMore]

Oops. Acknowledging typo. Got our 'Fredo's and 'Berto's crossed up.

Sincerely yours,

Friends of 'Berto

[SayLessDoMore]

Oh, wait, we do call him Fredo, don't we?

Darn. Gotta ask George about this.

[escrow7]

He's probably right. Obama may not be concerned with looking back with so much going on right in front of him.

http://www.thirdeyechronicles.com

[iver]

Like bank malfeasance with the bailout money, like Karl Rove trying to dodge a subpoena....

[jadeba]

Mental midget....didn't 43 have any smart friends?

[medici]

No one is above the law, Fredo.

[dax49]

this guy can rationalize anything- not a very firm grip on reality, huh

[mmgbizgirl]

Time will tell.

[amaycatbaker]

Gonzo is full of it, he thinks since he did not keep records, there is nothing to prosecute him with... well, he might be surprised, he could get caught on minor charges, anybody look into this guys taxes lately?

[sophistwatch]

If Conyers is successful forcing Rove to testify under oath, Gonzo might be one of the first casualties.

If Gonzo faces jail time as a result of Rove's testimony, then who knows what Gonzo would be willing to disclose to cut a deal which would keep him out of prison.

[iver]

We might have to add a wing to Super Max to hold all the Bush criminals.

[roblabrousse]

A Cretin just like the rest of the company he kept. There's such a toxic layer on this man that no law firm would have him. He couldn't even become an ambulance chaser. It hasn't set in yet that he's just a little nothing. He got squished like the little tic that he is.

[vippy]

Seems like Bush, in order to get his way, selected people that would do as he asked them too in
exchange for something. However, what is wrong is still wrong and in order for us to go forward we
need to abide by rules, clean up our past or we will face the same thing sometime in the future.

[VA Lady2008]

Three simple facts continue to elude the President's personal attorney, who-- like the man who appointed him wa--utterly unfit to hold office: people who break the law should be indicted, prosecuted, and if found guilty sent to jail.

One of the reasons the GOP was run pretty much out of the country was because of its collective and individual abuse and disregard for the rule of law, up to and including torture, war crimes, and treason. Lying, cheating, and stealing--things for which the Watergate "plumbers" did jail time and for which Richard Nixon was forced to resign--are small potatoes to this crew, which apparently, like it's nincompoop in chief--thought that if a President did something, it had to be legal.

Well, welcome to the real world, where criminals are caught, prosecuted, and when found guilty punished, but NOT, of course, before they have lost their jobs, their positions in the community, before everyone they ever knew not only starts to ignore them, but "cuts" them in public, and they impoverish themselves and ultimately their families in what I sincerely hope will be a vain attempt to stay out of the clink.

I'm going to enjoy watching this.

[elmoor]

Such a sad little man.