Congressman Cohen Calls on President to Appoint James Comey to Attorney General Position

Memphis, TN – Upon learning of the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Congressman Steve Cohen called on the President to nominate James Comey, former Deputy Attorney General under the current administration, to lead the Department of Justice.

“Mr. Comey has been one of the heroes of the Department of Justice throughout the Congressional investigations,” said Congressman Cohen. “He is respected, well-qualified and would make large advances toward restoring faith in America’s justice system.”

Congressman Cohen was working with former Reagan Justice Department official Bruce Fein to prepare articles of impeachment against Alberto Gonzales, which placed pressure on the Attorney General to resign. Congressman Cohen intended to introduce them upon the Congress’s return from its summer recess on September 4.

“I believe that Attorney General Gonzales did the right thing by resigning,” said Congressman Cohen. “His resignation saves the country from an impeachment trial, which would have been necessary if he stayed on as Attorney General. The Justice Department must be like Caesar’s wife – beyond reproach. Unfortunately, under Attorney General Gonzales’s tenure, the Department has been besmirched by the Attorney General’s misleading and contradictory testimony before Congress as well as credible evidence of the improper and possibly illegal politicization of the Department’s law enforcement activities.”

Earlier this year, Cohen caught Attorney General Gonzales providing contradictory testimony when he questioned Attorney General Gonzales about what knowledge the President and Vice President may have had concerning the firing of nine U.S. Attorneys. Demonstrating that he placed his loyalty to the President above his duty as Attorney General, Mr. Gonzales was at a loss for words to explain his assertion that the President was not involved in the decision to fire the U.S. Attorneys while earlier having testified that he did not know of the President’s involvement.

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Contact:

Marilyn Dillihay, Press Secretary 202-225-3265

Brian Alberts, Communications Assistant 202-225-3265

Susan Sowell, Executive Assistant 202-431-1607