New attorney general sworn in
Bush welcomes Michael Mukasey, calling him 'the right man' to confront the challenges at the Justice Department.
WASHINGTON -- Former federal Judge Michael B. Mukasey was sworn in as the nation's 81st attorney general today, capping a wrenching battle over what critics called the politicalization of the Justice Department by the White House.
President Bush, welcoming Mukasey to the Cabinet, called him "the right man" to confront the challenges at the department, which has been demoralized by a scandal in which eight U.S. attorneys were fired, provoking allegations from Democrats that they were purged for failing to adhere to a Republican agenda on prosecutions.
The ceremony, in the Great Hall at the Justice Department, came before an audience of employees and two former attorneys general -- Richard L. Thornburgh and John Ashcroft.
There has been a recent exodus of top-level employees from the department. Bush said he would name their replacements Thursday "so America has the strongest ... national security team in place."
Bush thanked former Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales, his longtime political ally and a former Texas Supreme Court justice.
"Al Gonzales worked tirelessly," said Bush, who previously has complained that Gonzales' "good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons." Bush today said that he was grateful for the former attorney general's service, prompting robust applause from Justice Department employees.
Mukasey, privately sworn in Friday, sought to set a new tone for the department. After taking the oath of office from Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Mukasey said he considered today's swearing-in the official one because it came before an audience of Justice Department employees, and he pledged to "help you continue to protect" U.S. interests with a "neutral and even-handed application of the Constitution."
With little more than a year left in the Bush administration's second term, Mukasey faces a number of tasks -- including handling requests from Congress.
Democrats want more information about the U.S. attorney firings, as well as on techniques for interrogating suspected terrorists and the terrorist surveillance program that allowed eavesdropping on international calls and e-mails without a court order.
