Salazar: Justice 'blemished' by purge

M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, March 15, 2007

WASHINGTON - Sen. Ken Salazar said Wednesday he is troubled by allegations that have "blemished" the Department of Justice, but so far he is not joining other Democrats calling for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign.

"I think we need to know the facts first," Salazar, D-Denver, told reporters Wednesday during a conference call.

"I am troubled by the allegations here, that the arm of the law in the Department of Justice would somehow be used to further a particular political end," said Salazar, former Colorado Attorney General. "That would be a misuse of the prosecutorial powers of the Department of Justice, in my view."

Several prominent Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., have called for Gonzales to follow his chief of staff's lead and resign over the firings of eight U.S. attorneys that critics claim were politically motivated.

Salazar has had close ties with Gonzales since his earliest days in the U.S. Senate. After taking the oath of office in January 2006, one of Salazar's first official acts was to escort Gonzales to his Senate confirmation hearing.

Salazar was one of only six Democrats to vote for Gonzales, and today the two men are among the highest-ranking Hispanics in U.S. government.

Salazar said he also is troubled by recent reports about widespread use of "national security letters" to obtain information in terrorism investigations.

"I don't think things are looking very bright in the Department of Justice," Salazar said.