Coburn: No Confidence in Congress
Sen. Tom Coburn has no confidence in U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. He told the embattled AG last month at a public hearing that he should resign.
But Coburn, R-Muskogee, has a problem with the whole Senate expressing no confidence in Gonzales.
In a letter sent to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, today, Coburn said he wants to be notified before there is any agreement for senators to offer a resolution on a no-confidence vote on Gonzales.
Gonzales has been under fire for months now because of the way the Justice Department handled the dismissals of at least eight U.S. attorneys. Shifting explanations about why the U.S. attorneys were replaced, along with strong suspicions that White House political operatives were involved, have led some lawmakers, including Coburn, to conclude that the matter has hurt the credibility of the Justice Department and left Gonzales without the authority to run it.
But, Coburn wrote McConnell, “The Senate has a responsibility to be good stewards and secure the future for our children and grandchildren.
“We must, therefore, first hold Congress accountable for its failures, before pointing fingers at the shortcomings of others, by acknowledging and accepting the lack of confidence that the public has in Congress’ unwillingness to cut wasteful spending and balance the budget.”
If senators offer a resolution expressing no confidence in Gonzales, he wrote, he will offer an amendment “expressing no confidence in Congress’ ability to cut wasteful spending or balance the budget.”
Coburn wrote, “It is hypocritical for the Senate to grandstand for political purposes while ignoring its own shortcomings that threaten the solvency of Social Security and Medicare and the standard of living of future generations.”
Coburn also said he would reserve the right to object to any unanimous consent agreement to consider a no-confidence resolution. Such a move could prevent the Senate from even debating the resolution.
Chris Casteel
Washington Bureau
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