WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., told U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales he should resign over the mishandled firings of eight U.S attorneys last year.
In a dramatic face-to-face encounter during Thursday's U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, Coburn said Gonzales had to accept the consequences of poor leadership and management skills in the dismissals.
The communication was atrocious," Coburn said. "It was inconsistent -- it's generous to say there was misstatements; it's a generous statement. And I believe the best way to put this behind us is your resignation."
The senator also told Gonzales: "I believe you're totally dedicated to your job and this country but I think mistakes have consequences."
U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said there had been a general loss of credibility in Gonzales. Specter said the firings had sent a message to U.S. attorneys that they should "be on guard for their independence." He said it was up to U.S. President George W. Bush to decide if Gonzales stays or goes.
The White House said President George W. Bush was pleased with Gonzales' testimony.
"After hours of testimony in which he answered all of the senators' questions and provided thousands of pages of documents, he again showed that nothing improper occurred," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a prepared statement.
"He admitted the matter could have been handled much better, and he apologized for the disruption to the lives of the U.S. attorneys involved, as well as for the lack of clarity in his initial responses."
Perino said Gonzales "has the full confidence of the president."
