EDITORIAL: Mr. Gonzales’ Word

By Times Union, Albany, N.Y.

Jul. 11–In yet another reminder that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales plays fast and loose with the truth, new documents show he was far from forthcoming two years ago when he flatly told the Senate Intelligence Committee that there “has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse” by the FBI.

That was wrong. And Mr. Gonzales either knew it, or should have known it, at the time he testified.

Mr. Gonzales’ testimony, on April 27, 2005, was crucial because, at the time, the committee was debating whether to renew the USA Patriot Act, which had been widely criticized for giving government too much power to intrude on the privacy of Americans.

In the end, Congress did renew the Patriot Act, putting 14 provisions permanently in place and extending two other provisions for four years. There were only slight revisions, such as limiting the government’s right to demand library records.

According to a Washington Post report Tuesday, documents secured under a Freedom of Information request show that Mr. Gonzales had received at least six reports of FBI violations during the three months before his testimony. The reports mention both legal and procedural abuses, including an illegal property search and unauthorized surveillance, the Post reported. In another instance, a report sent to Mr. Gonzales April 21, 2005, cited the FBI’s misuse of national security letters, which are used to demand information from people and organizations. Those abuses were the topic of a report by the Justice Department’s inspector general earlier this year.

The obvious question is whether Mr. Gonzales lied to Congress. For the moment, Justice Department officials claim they can’t say if Mr. Gonzales was aware of the reports before he testified. But a department spokesman adds that in his 2005 testimony, Mr. Gonzales was speaking in the “context” of earlier reports that had found no specific abuses of civil liberties.

That’s stretching credulity. Mr. Gonzales has a reputation for being less than forthcoming with lawmakers and the public, most recently over his alleged role in the firing of federal prosecutors for what appear to be partisan reasons. At first, Mr. Gonzales claimed to be out of the loop on the firings. But it was later revealed that a meetings log had listed him as present during a discussion of the dismissals.

Clearly, Mr. Gonzales can’t be taken at his word. How long can President Bush continue to stand by him in the face of mounting evidence that he is unfit to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer?

THE ISSUE: Documents contradict Attorney General Gonzales’ testimony on FBI abuses.

THE STAKES: How much longer will President Bush continue to support him in this post?

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