Gonzales to admit mistakes in firings

WASHINGTON — When Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales faces angry Senate Democrats on Tuesday, he will acknowledge that he made a range of mistakes in the dismissals of eight U.S. attorneys last year and will apologize to them and their families, but he will insist that even though the White House was originally behind the terminations, none of the prosecutors were fired for political reasons.

In what has been described as a make-or-break appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the nation's top federal law enforcement officer will say:

"I know that I did not, and would not, ask for a resignation of any individual in order to interfere with or influence a particular prosecution for partisan political gain. I also have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. attorney for an improper reason."

He also will tell the committee, "I firmly believe that these dismissals were appropriate."

In an unusual move, the Justice Department released Gonzales' testimony Sunday, two days before the hearing.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has been leading the Judiciary Committee's investigation into the controversy, reacted quickly to the attorney general's 24-page statement, saying it did not "advance his cause at all."

In another development, Schumer told reporters that Michael Battle, former head of the Justice Department office that oversees U.S. attorneys, knew nothing about any performance problems of several of those who were fired until shortly before he was directed to call them Dec. 7 and tell them they were being removed.

Schumer said Battle, who has talked to Senate investigators behind closed doors, also told them that a memo naming the prosecutors to be fired was presented at a Nov. 27 meeting that Gonzales attended, though the attorney general has said he never saw the memo.

The firings of the eight U.S. attorneys -- one last summer, seven on Dec. 7 -- have ignited a firestorm in Washington, with critics saying that political pressure was behind the dismissals.

Democrats, who hold a majority in both houses of Congress, have mounted a broad investigation and held hearings on the firings. They also have looked into allegations of missing e-mails at the White House, including some from political strategist Karl Rove that could show his involvement in the terminations.

A number of Democrats -- and some Republicans -- have called for Gonzales to step down.