WASHINGTON, July 27 (UPI) -- The White House Friday defended U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales from Congressional critics.
Press officers for President George W. Bush said Gonzales' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee -- which has been widely criticized by Democrats and Republicans in Congress -- was limited by national security considerations, The Washington Post reported. They said Gonzales' testimony on a warrantless wiretapping program was not contradicted by FBI Director Robert Mueller.
"I understand it's difficult to parse, because what you have involved here are matters of classification," White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. "Sometimes it's going to lead people to talk very carefully, and there's going to be plenty of room for interpretation or conclusion."
Mueller told the House Judiciary Committee this week that he and other officials almost resigned over the National Security Agency wiretapping. Gonzales said there was no serious disagreement.
Dana Perino, a Bush spokeswoman, accused Democrats who have called for a special counsel of starting a "crusade to try to destroy the attorney general."
