White House narrows A.G. search

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The White House has narrowed its search for a new U.S. attorney general to four men, a national magazine reports.

President George Bush this week is expected to tap one of the four to replace Alberto Gonzales, who resigned last week at the urging of his wife after a vacation, Newsweek magazine reports in its Sept. 10 issue.

Gonzales resigned amid mounting anxiety at the White House over an internal Justice Department probe into whether he lied to Congress about political actions undertaken on behalf of the Bush administration, Newsweek reported.

The politically weakened Gonzales had become an obstacle to Bush's agenda, including passage of an updated surveillance law.

Under consideration to replace Gonzales are former deputy attorney general Larry Thompson, former solicitor general Ted Olson, former deputy attorney general George Terwilliger, and current Solicitor General Paul Clement, the magazine reported.