Sunday, March 25, 2007

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales faced a weakening of Congressional support over the weekend, as Republican lawmakers joined Democrats in questioning his credibility, pointing to new evidence that conflicts with his statements that he played little role in the deliberations on the dismissal of eight United States attorneys.

Not one of nine senators of both parties appearing on television news programs today offered unqualified support. Even Mr. Gonzales’s strongest defenders, like Senator Orrin G. Hatch, a conservative Republican of Utah, expressed doubts about the Justice Department’s handling of the matter, even while saying the attorney general deserved a full hearing.

Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said that if Mr. Gonzales did not come across as candid and truthful in a “make-or-break” appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 17, then “that’s a very compelling reason for him not to stay on.”

Another Republican member of the committee, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said on “Face the Nation” on CBS that Gonzales had been "wounded"; and Senator Chuck Hagel, Republican of Nebraska, agreed on “This Week” on ABC that Mr. Gonzales had a credibility problem.

Democrats went further. “I believe he should step down,” Senator Dianne Feinstein of California said on “Fox News Sunday,” after earlier having withheld judgment.

“I think he’s lost his credibility,” said Senator Bill Nelson of Florida on CNN. And Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the majority whip, said on “Meet the Press” on NBC, “I don’t believe he enjoys the confidence of the American people or of Congress.”

Mr. Bush, in his Saturday radio address, again defended Gonzales, his longtime friend and adviser. “I strongly support the attorney general in this decision,” he said.