"The decisions to seek the resignation of a handful of U.S. attorneys were properly made but poorly explained," he said. "This is a benign rather than sinister story, and I know that some may be disposed not to accept it, but it's the truth as I observed it and experienced it."
Sampson's behind-the-scenes look into how the administration came to target the eight prosecutors left some lawmakers incensed.
He testified that "there really was no documentation of this" other than "a chart and notes that I would dump into my lower right desk drawer."
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said incredulously: "So this was a project you were in charge of? This was a project that lasted for two years? This was a project that would end the careers of eight United States attorneys, and neither you nor anybody reporting to you kept a specific file in your office about it?"
Sampson's testimony about Gonzales raised more doubts in Congress about the attorney general's future.
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said Gonzales had "many questions to answer." Sampson's testimony, he said, raised "a real question as to whether he's acting in a competent way as attorney general."
The Justice Department said Gonzales had no plans to resign.
At the White House, Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino said, "I'm going to have to let the attorney general speak for himself."
Gonzales is not scheduled to visit Congress until April 17. That amount of time, Perino acknowledged, left the issue hanging longer than the White House would like. She said the president had "confidence in the attorney general."
Gonzales told reporters March 13 that he was "not involved in any discussion" about the firings.
But the Justice Department later released documents showing that he had participated in a meeting on Nov. 27 about the firings, 10 days before they were carried out.
"So he was involved in discussions, contrary to the statement he made in his news conference on March 13?" Specter asked.
"I believe, yes, sir," Sampson replied.
Under questioning from Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sampson said he and Gonzales discussed the issue as long ago as January 2005, when President Bush first selected him to be the attorney general, and later in 2005 and 2006 when the process was "sort of in a thinking phase," and ultimately to its conclusion in the fall.
He said he did not recall the number of times he met with Gonzales about the issue, but said, "I spoke with him every day, so I think at least five."
