U.S. Senate Democrats seek perjury investigation of attorney general

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales answers a question as he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing on 'Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice' on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 23, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
WASHINGTON, July 26 (Xinhua) -- A group of U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for possible perjury.
Speaking at a news conference, Senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said Senate Democrats were asking the solicitor general to appoint a special counsel to investigate potential perjury by the attorney general for not telling the truth when testifying before Congress about a controversial domestic eavesdropping program.
"The attorney general took an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Schumer said of Gonzales's testimonies during congressional hearings.
"Instead, he tells the half-truth, the partial truth and everything but the truth," he said, "And he does it not once, and not twice, but over and over and over again."
Schumer said Gonzales's instinct was not to tell the truth "but to dissemble and deceive."
The senator said Gonzales contradicted his prior statements, the sworn testimony of Deputy Attorney General James Comey, and a letter written by former director of national intelligence John Negroponte, regarding the warrantless domestic spying program.
"Enough is truly enough," he said.
Schumer accused the Justice Department of putting emphasis on political loyalty rather than upholding the rule of law.
The move on Thursday followed a threat by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy Wednesday who said he would request a perjury investigation of Gonzales, as Democrats have said an intelligence official's statement about a classified surveillance program is at odds with Gonzales' sworn testimony.
Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, said he was giving Gonzales until late next week to revise his testimony about the surveillance program or he would ask Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine to conduct a perjury inquiry