WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in a flurry of network news appearances, Wednesday denied the firings of eight U.S. attorneys was political.
The Democratic-controlled Congress has launched inquiries into the firings amid allegations some of the country's 93 U.S. attorneys weren't considered sufficiently loyal to the White House, or in one case in San Diego, attorney Carol Lam was prosecuting former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham on corruption charges. She was one of the eight U.S. attorneys dismissed last year.
"These firings were not politically motivated. They were not done in retaliation," Gonzales told NBC
He elaborated further on Fox News, saying he trusted the evaluations performed by his chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, who resigned on Monday.
"I'll just say that there was dissatisfaction (with the attorneys), and I will say that these were districts where I generally believe we thought they could do better," Gonzales said.
Asked on ABC News if he would resign if Congress uncovered political interference, Gonzales was vague.
"I serve at the pleasure of the president," he said.
