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Gonzales Resigns; Michael Vick Plea
Aired August 27, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: First, the fight over for the embattled attorney general. Alberto Gonzales is resigning. Hear from him at the bottom of the hour here in the NEWSROOM.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And from the Department of Justice to facing justice. In minutes, Michael Vick enters a plea in federal court to dogfighting conspiracy charges. The star quarterback also expected to make a statement.
It is Monday, August 27th, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: The nation's top prosecutor, no longer resisting calls to step down. Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigns. He will speak this hour. The president will be talking about it next hour. But right now we want to turn to CNN White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, who has the latest from the White House.
Suzanne, this is a move a lot of people would have expected months ago.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, T.J., it was really a move that a lot of people were calling for as well. But this is really an extraordinary reversal for President Bush, who as accepted Alberto Gonzales' resignation. The call came in on Friday to the president. He did accept it. And then, we are told, the president invited Alberto Gonzales, and his wife Becky, out to the Crawford ranch. They all had lunch just yesterday.
Now this is something where a lot of people inside the White House, outside of the White House, on Capitol Hill, within the Justice Department were all calling for him to step down, saying he was no longer an effective leader of the Justice Department. The one man that was able to keep it for so long was the president. But, clearly, they have made this political calculus that it's no longer worth it.
Now we're going to hear from President Bush at 11:50 Eastern Time from the Waco Airport before he goes to New Mexico. We expect he is going to talk about Gonzales. But he is not going to mention who the possible replacement might be. Today's day, we are told, is simply to recognize Gonzales for his hard work.
But senior administration officials are telling us, at the highest levels here, that the number one possible replacement here would be the Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. The person who might step in to replace him would be the deputy director of OMB Clay Johnson. And we do know that the acting attorney general, that is solicitor general of the United States Paul Clement. So a lot of moving positions. We have been told it's going to happen fast track here. And clearly this White House feels that the next 17 months is going to be critical putting someone else in that place and hopefully creating a little bit of more goodwill within the Justice Department and on The Hill.
T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Suzanne Malveaux for us from the White House.
Suzanne, thank you so much.
KEILAR: CNN's Kelli Arena has more on what led to the attorney general's resignation today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): By the time Alberto Gonzales resigned as attorney general, few in Washington wanted him to stay.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER, (R) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I believe that the Department of Justice is close to being dysfunctional now.
ARENA: Gonzales' downhill slide started with the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. What followed were contradictions, retractions and top-level resignations, none which shed any light on exactly why the prosecutors were let go.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, (D) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: All were terminated without cause and no one in the Department of Justice owns up to putting any one of them on that list.
ARENA: Republicans tried to stick with him as long as they could. And there was a moment when the slow fall of the ax stalled.
REP. LAMAR SMITH, (R) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: If there are no fish in this lake, we should reel in our lines of questions, dock our empty boat, and turn to more pressing issues.
ARENA: Until James Comey brought it crashing down. The former deputy attorney general testified that Gonzales, as White House counsel, tried to bully his predecessor, John Ashcroft, into approving the controversial NSA surveillance program while Ashcroft lay sick in a hospital bed.
JAMES COMEY, FORMER DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: I was very upset. I was angry. I thought I just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man.
ARENA: After the hospital saga, Gonzales himself was on life support and loyalty was not enough to save him.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is an honest, honorable man in whom I have confidence. ARENA: A hard fall for a man who had risen the hard way. From humble beginnings, to Harvard Law School. The Texas supreme court and ultimately to the Justice Department as the first Hispanic attorney general of the United States. Close associates say Gonzales was determined to hang on.
ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: In everything that I've done here, the principles that I've tried to support, are truthfulness and being forthcoming and accountability.
ARENA: A determination his critics said all but ruined the Justice Department. And when he finally quit, it wasn't to applause, but a sigh of relief.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And Kelli Arena joining us now from Washington.
Kelli, there were some people in the Justice Department who you would have expect would have had some knowledge that this resignation was coming, but not the case, right?
ARENA: That's right, Brianna. A few people that we reached out to this morning, in pretty senior level jobs, did not know. They were surprised. So, obviously, a very closely held secret.
But this was, you know, Gonzales did seem to be in for even more trouble once Congress got back into session and started really going. They've threatened another perjury investigation of him regarding his testimony of the NSA surveillance program. There already are ongoing investigations, as you know, of the whole U.S. attorney debacle. So this was a man who that it just wasn't going to let up for him. You know, Congress was going to keep on going and the staff and Gonzales knew that.
KEILAR: All right. Kelli Arena, thank you so much for your report.
ARENA: Thanks.
HOLMES: And more on the Gonzales resignation now from our chief national correspondent, John King.
And, John, is there any indication that he got a little help in making this decision? Was he nudged a bit? Was he encouraged to make this decision and turn in that resignation?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., the political calendar works differently than the calendar we all use at home. The school year is about to begin and the end of the summer is traditionally the turning of the page when it comes to the political season as well. Labor Day is the kickoff of the campaign season.
When the president comes back from vacation, he wants to have a fresh look, if you will. And there is no question that in this administration they have spent the summer months saying how can we be most effective for 17 more months at a time when even our Republican friends in Congress and around the country say this is a lame duck president saddled with a very unpopular war?
So on the domestic front, what were their big problems? They had a controversial chief political advisor, Karl Rove. He decided it was time for him to step out. They had an embattled attorney general who had zero credibility outside of one office, the Oval Office at the White House, and he decided to step down.
So was he kicked by the president of the United States? That would probably be a bit too much. But can they all sit around and say, what are our biggest liabilities if we want a fresh start, as fresh a start as you can get so late in your second term? Alberto Gonzales would have been number one on the domestic front.
HOLMES: How much fresher is that White House going to look now if Alberto Gonzales is out of there, Karl Rove, as you mentioned, is out of there? Not to say that the Democrats are going to start sending fruit baskets to the White House, but are they at least saying, OK, the president is trying, if you will. Is this going to start a whole new front and a new rosy relationship, if you will?
KING: In a word, no. A month from now it will be interesting to see if the Democrats are saying, where are our favorite nemesis gone? They've lost Karl Rove. They've lost Alberto Gonzales. The pinatas, if you will, of the Bush administration.
But that is the point. The president wants to get as much done as he can in the last seven months. He has an unpopular war in Iraq and he's facing so much pressure. And so what do you do? You try to remove the nuclear officials in your administration and start over.
But whoever he picks to replace Alberto Gonzales, and perhaps especially if he picks somebody from within the administration, like Michael Chertoff, there will be a tough confirmation battle. So the president wants a new start, a fresh start, if you will, for the final 17 months in office. But to get that start, T.J., he's going to have to go through more political turmoil first in saying good-bye to Alberto Gonzales and bringing somebody else in.
And then it will be a big question. The president, through the end of this year and then early next year, will try to say I have three or four more things to want to get done on the domestic front. Will the Democrats open their doors to him? Very unlikely because it's not just the Democrats turning on the president now, the Republican party is turning on this president, looking for a new post- George W. Bush Republican Party.
You see that playing out every day in the presidential campaign. You see it on Capitol Hill as well. This president finds himself very, very lonely at the moment.
HOLMES: Very lonely. It's lonely as the president, isn't it? John King for us.
John, as always, we appreciate it. KING: Thanks, T.J.
KEILAR: Let's get now to former senator and presidential candidate for the Democratic nomination, John Edwards. He's on the phone with us.
First, I want to bring viewers up to date. You issued a response, a four-word response actually, just say "better late than never." Obviously very short and to the point. But can you expand on that? What's your response to Gonzales resigning?
JOHN EDWARDS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I've been calling for months for Alberto Gonzales to resign. I think for a whole variety of things, which the American people are now aware of, his politicizing of the Justice Department. I mean one branch of government that -- one department of the government that we completely depend on being nonpolitical, and also for his approval of spying -- the domestic spying program, which I think is illegal spying on Americans, and his approval of what's happened at Guantanamo. I think it's a good thing that he's gone.
KEILAR: Now some people are talking about the possibility that it will be Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, who is really the number one name being floated to replace Gonzales. He, obviously, has been in the trenches, but he's also a controversial figure. What would you think about that?
EDWARDS: I don't think we should make the person who's responsible for Guantanamo and replace him with the person that's responsible for the aftermath of Katrina. My initial reaction is very negative to that. I think Chertoff -- there are lots of very good, qualified lawyers in this country. I don't know why President Bush's circle is quite so small. But we ought to be able to find somebody who's not political, who's highly qualified to head up the Justice Department.
KEILAR: Well, who would you suggest? I mean some people, playing devil's advocate, would say there's really not going to be anyone that is not going to have a difficult confirmation hearing that Democrats are really going to buy into. If you were to float a couple names, what do you think?
EDWARDS: Well, I don't want to suggest names to the president for attorney general, but what I know is, there are thousands of highly qualified lawyers in this country. If he's not look for a political appointee, I mean not looking for someone who has some political relationship with him, but he's just looking for someone who will just do a competent job in running the Justice Department, there are many, many choices. And the president knows that. And he should choose somebody who will be noncontroversial, and who has a clear record that will make them qualified to do the job.
KEILAR: Is there someone who would be noncontroversial, you know, or are you expecting that the president is going to pick someone who is controversial? EDWARDS: Well, I think if he picks Chertoff, he can expect controversy, particularly given the mess that we've had in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. So I think if that's the choice, it will be controversial. There will be huge issues around it.
I mean it's clear that he could pick someone who was essentially nonpolitical, highly qualified, competent, independent. If he did that, he wouldn't have any problem at all. That's what the Justice Department needs, particularly in the aftermath of Gonzales.
KEILAR: All right, John Edwards, thanks so much for taking the time with us to talk on the phone. Appreciate it.
HOLMES: And it's been a tumultuous two-and-a-half years as attorney general for Alberto Gonzales. We do know now that his late day on the job will be September the 16th. Now he was the nation's first Hispanic attorney general. He was nominated by President Bush in late 2004, confirmed by the Senate in February of 2005.
Before that, Gonzales served on the Texas supreme court. He left Texas in 2001 to join President Bush as White House counsel. Gonzales served as legal counsel for George W. Bush was he was governor of Texas. He also served as Texas secretary of state.
KEILAR: And breaking news out of the Washington that we've been following, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales due to announce his resignation this hour. And CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash is on Capitol Hill.
What are you hearing there, Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Brianna, the big reasons, as we've been hearing all morning, why Alberto Gonzales finally is gone is because his credibility, his reputation probably could not have gotten any worse here on Capitol Hill. And not just with Democrats, but with members of his own party.
So far this morning we haven't heard very much from Republicans yet, but we certainly are hearing from Democrats. In fact, we just got a statement from the senate majority leader, Harry Reid, and it was incredibly biting, but really in keeping with this sort of tone when it came to the attorney general. Let me read you this statement, Brianna.
Harry Reid said, "Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for the job. He lacked independence, he lacked judgment, and he lacked the spine to say no to Karl Rove. This resignation is not the end of the story. Congress must get to the bottom of this mess and follow the facts where they lead, into the White House."
Now there Harry Reid is referring to probably the thing that perhaps finally ended the attorney general's tenure at the Department of Justice, and that is the fired federal prosecutor's controversy. And that is an investigation that Democrats launched several months ago and they are making clear they are not going to stop even with the departure of the attorney general or even the departure of Karl Rove, for that matter.
But the thing really that we're already starting to look for and think about, Brianna is, what's next, is the confirmation fight. Because you talk to Republicans here throughout this really bruising battle that you saw between Republicans and Democrats on The Hill and the attorney general. And Republicans would say, you know what, as bad as it is for us politically to have the attorney general, Alberto Gonzales, in office, they thought it would be even worse to have, for the first time since Democrats took over Congress, a confirmation battle with the president sending somebody up here and having what everybody expects to be a bruising fight, really no matter who the nominee is.
Look, even if it is somebody who the Democrats will have trouble attacking in terms of their personal credentials, this is something that we're going to see as kind of a forum for all things the Democrats really can't stand about the Bush administration in terms of policy, whether it's the Patriot Act or the warrant-less wiretapping program, or even, you know, how the U.S. handles terror suspects. So that is all going to come to the fore as soon as we get the final word on who the nominee and the confirmation hearings that we're going to see certainly come this fall.
KEILAR: And, Dana, we heard from New York Democrat Chuck Schumer on AMERICAN MORNING. We just heard from John Edwards a short time ago. Both of them saying, hey, President Bush, pick someone who isn't political. But at the same time, they're really reticent to even throw out a name of someone who they would find to be acceptable. Is there just a sense that this is going to be a fight no matter who President Bush appoints to replace Gonzales?
BASH: Yes. That is exactly right. There is going to be a fight no matter who is put up.
Now certainly the president could potentially come up with somebody who is, you know, maybe a former member of Congress who senators are -- they're sort of easier on historically. A member of their club. But the name that's been out there, Michael Chertoff, the Department of Homeland Security chief, he is somebody who certainly has great credentials, impeccable credentials when it comes to his legal career, and something that Republicans even said that that was a big problem for Alberto Gonzales, that he wasn't in the trenches at the Justice Department, who didn't really get it and so that was a potential problem.
But you just heard John Edwards use the "k" word, Katrina. If Michael Chertoff is sent up here as a nominee, you are going to hear Democrats and even Republicans question his ability to manage a big agency because of what many thought was his failure when it came to the federal response in Hurricane Katrina two years ago.
KEILAR: ALL right. We will brace ourselves for a fight then. Dana Bash live for us on Capitol Hill.
Thanks, Dana.
BASH: Thank you.
KEILAR: Also want to let you know, we are expecting response from Alberto Gonzales himself. That coming up shortly at 10:30 Eastern Time. We are also expecting a statement from President Bush on the resignation of Gonzales. That is a little later at 11:50 Eastern. We will bring that to you right here on CNN.
HOLMES: I want to take you now to live pictures outside of the federal courthouse in Richmond, Virginia. The see there the attorney for Michael Vick, Billy Martin, standing pretty much in the middle of your screen there with a smile on his face. They're joking around a bit, but certainly not a joking matter today for Michael Vick. He is expected to enter formally his plea agreement before a judge.
Not expecting to hear what sentence he may get. But he is expected to formally enter that guilty plea before a judge and to see if the judge will accept that guilty plea. Of course, Michael Vick pleading guilty to some dogfighting charges. He is out of the league right now, out of the NFL. Don't know how much time he may spend in prison.
We are all over this story. Court expected to start at about 10:30 and we may get a statement from Michael Vick. Don't know if it will be through his attorney or from his own lips. So we are all over this story. Stay tuned.
KEILAR: Meanwhile, flood waters starting to go down in parts of the Midwest. And now you know what that means, time to clean up.
HOLMES: Also, a long shot in Utah. The latest on the search for six miners trapped in that coal mine.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From Virginia outside the courthouse. Michael Vick walking in, in a suit. And, you know, I'm sure his fans -- let's face it, he's still a human being, regardless of what he may or may not have done and the things that he's admitted guilt to. Let's hope that he throws himself on the court and begins to try to get his life back together. Football, right now, is secretary for Michael Vick.
KEILAR: Bu let's talk about football because there are a lot of fans who are wondering what this could mean for his future. And some of it does hinge, right, on what he may or may not say before a judge today.
L. SMITH: Well, that certainly is part of it. But I think the NFL has made it clear in the past couple of weeks, if you read the statements from Roger Goodell, the new commissioner, who has made player conduct a priority for this -- the National Football League, that it's the gambling issue that really is the big deal.
We can talk about dogfighting and what Michael Vick may have done on his property in Surry County, Virginia, but it's the gambling issue really that the NFL has been very serious about. I thought that Roger Goodell, by suspecting Vick indefinitely after he signed that plea agreement on Friday, I thought that really was a good move to make. He doesn't have to set any kind of certain timelines. He now can sit back and say, well, let's see how long this sentence is going to be for the federal charges, if the state charges come up next month, as we expect them to, is there any additional time with that? And at that point he can step back.
We know that Michael Vick is going to not play in the 2007 season. He probably will still be behind bars, it seems at this point, in 2008. And so the earliest it would seem that he would be eligible to play, from a legal standpoint, would be 2009. At that point, Roger Goodell could say, he sat out for two years. He's done his time. He can come back. Only time will tell.
KEILAR: All right Larry, thank you very much.
L. SMITH: OK.
KEILAR: And, of course, this is an unsettled future for Michael Vick.
HOLMES: Yes, we're going to get a little more insight now on what we may see in our today. Joining us now from New York is sports attorney Ryan Smith. Hello to you, sir. And also here in Atlanta, a noted defense attorney Jerry Froehlich. I will start with the defense attorney, Jerry Froehlich.
Is this what you would tell your client to do? I know we're not all privy to all the discussions and all the circumstances, but given what we do know, as a defense attorney, is this what you would have recommended, hey, we don't need to go have this fight in court, we need to find a plea deal?
JERRY FROEHLICH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes. It's exactly what I've done. I probably would have told him to do it a little earlier. I mean when you see the facts that are laid out both in the plea and the indictment, I believe the earlier you get in -- if you have a problem, you solve it early. You also would have had the advantage then of saying I'd testify against my co-defendants, which would have give him what they call a 5-K motion, a reduction in sentence. And I think Goodell would have looked at that as saying, boy, not only are you coming in, but you're willing to testify against co-defendants.
HOLMES: And, Ryan, to you now. This is a situation where, yes, this young man's life is at stake. But a lot of his life is football. So is this a thing -- were you trying to tell him to save his butt or save his career, or are the two things connected?
RYAN SMITH, NEW YORK SPORTS ATTORNEY: Well, they're connected. And this is -- he is unlike any other defendant that you would see in this circumstance. You can look at the plea and the summary of facts and tell that he was trying to appeal to the NFL in a way and appeal to public opinion. His entire plea and summary of facts is based on the idea of, yes, I participated, I had some things to do with some of these things, but I wasn't directly involved. So for him, the entire process was about trying to make sure that he could preserve his NFL career. And as time went by and the investigation went along very quickly, he found himself not being able to handle the fallout from what was going on with the prosecution. So he ended up having to come in a lot later because he never thought things would go that fast. And once they did, he had to fall on his sword there and just simply say, I was involved in these things.
HOLMES: OK. Well, Ryan and Jerry, we are, of course, going back and forth between two pretty major stories right now. The other major story we are watching today, of course, being the attorney general has stepped down. I want you two to stand by. We are watching this Michael Vick story. We are going to turn back now to the Alberto Gonzales story and speak to one of the Republicans. We haven't heard from any Republicans yet today.
Brianna.
KEILAR: That's right. And we are actually awaiting a statement right now from the Justice Department. But at this point we have Senator Jon Cornyn, obviously a Republican, on the phone with us.
Sir, can you give us just your first impressions of what you heard this morning with Alberto Gonzales resigning?
SEN. JOHN CORNYN, (R) TEXAS: Well, I think it's a sad day and it's a commentary -- a sad commentary on the hyper-partisan atmosphere in Washington, D.C. where a good man and somebody who's the highest level Hispanic who's ever served in government resigned for basically unproven charges of politicization of the Justice Department. There's absolutely no evidence after all of the hearings that we've had that any U.S. attorney was terminated in an effort to interfere with a prosecution or an investigation.
And I think ultimately it was the drip, drip, drip that caused him to -- finally wore him down. And I think this is perhaps a day when Senator Schumer, head of the Democratic senatorial campaign committee, is exulting. But I think it's a sad day for the country.
KEILAR: Now you said about a week ago in the "Austin American Statesman" that you thought that when -- if the correct conclusion was reached that Al were to leave, there would be even more chaos when a new successor attorney general would be nominated. And that nominee would be a political football during the confirmation process and in the end the clock would probably run out for Bush's term. Now that this hypothetical has become a reality, what do you think about -- is that exactly what you're predicting?
CORNYN: That's exactly what I'm predicting. This Congress has sunk to one of the lowest approval ratings in recent American history. And I think the reason is because people feel like it's not working. It's become too partisan. Too much focus on the next election and not enough focus on getting the job done for the American people. And I think this hounding of Al Gonzales from office is symptomatic of that underlying, chronic problem. And so I do think this is not going to bring peace. This will bring more chaos. KEILAR: SO let's talk about that because some people have predicted that if the number one name that's being floated for his replacement, Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, that while he's been in the trenches, he also is a very controversial figure. How do you think that would go from your viewpoint there in Congress?
CORNYN: I like Michael Chertoff and I think he's done a good job at the positions he has served in, in the past. Frankly, I don't know why he would want it. Sixteen months of being used -- we've used the analogy of a political football. You can think of the tumultuous confirmation process, how the new majority, the Democratic majority, Senator Schumer and others, will use this as a way to continue to try to bash the Bush administration. And I think it's not going to lead to the kind of peace that some have predicted. It's going to lead to more controversy, more partisan posturing, and I think that's a bad thing.
KEILAR: So you've talked about the political nature, pointing a finger at the Democrats, and then some critics have also said -- but some critics have said that Alberto Gonzales never really was the people's lawyer. That really he was President Bush's lawyer. Do those people have an accurate point?
CORNYN: Well, I've known Al Gonzales for a long time and he's a good man. I think he was thrust into a very difficult job in a time in our history when politics seemed to reign supreme and not enough people are thinking about what's in the long-term best interests of our country. That's just my opinion.
And I think he found it to be a very difficult environment in which to get his sea legs. I think if he had had a chance to stay on perhaps in a environment that was less partisan, less political, that he would have been able to adjust to the job better. But clearly trying to deal with this environment -- the political nature of the hearings, the accusations without foundation with regard to the reasons for terminating U.S. attorneys, all of that I think was a little bit disorienting for him, as it probably would be for most people. And that's why I think this is not a high water mark for the Congress or for Washington, D.C.
KEILAR: All right, Senator Cornyn, thanks so much for making time to speak with us. We appreciate it.
CORNYN: Thank you very much.
KEILAR: Senator John Cornyn weighing in. A Republican voice there.
Just want to let you know, we are awaiting a news conference momentarily. Alberto Gonzales is expected to make a statement there at the Justice Department. Expected to make a statement. Not expected to take any questions. And then coming up in the next hour, President Bush is expected to make a statement at well. That's going to be at about 11:50 Eastern Time. But again, you are looking at live pictures there at the Justice Department. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales expected to make a statement anytime now.
HOLMES: And we're not expecting him to take any questions at this point. But really we've been talking about it all morning, kind of a lot of people have said, no matter what side they're on here, kind of a sad fall to see. He came in with such a great story and great background that really a lot of people could rally around.
But certainly in the past few months we have seen controversy surround him. It has to do with the firing of eight U.S. attorneys and his handling of that. He did hang in for quite some time. Longer than a lot of people thought he would. But it has come to the time now that the president -- or that Alberto Gonzales has handed in his resignation, and the president has accepted it.
We got a two-minute warning about a minute ago. We're expecting him to come to that podium any moment now.
The word, Brianna, that we're getting this morning, don't know for sure, of course, just yet, but the name, Michael Chertoff, has been tossed around a lot today as a possible replacement at the Justice Department for Alberto Gonzales.
KEILAR: That's right. The secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Some people have said he's very much been in the trenches. He was a prosecutor in New York, but at the same time also a very controversial figure, because we've heard those two words, very damaging words, Hurricane Katrina. and so that is expected, if there is a confirmation fight, it is really expected to be quite a fight.
That being the sense, we heard from our Dana Bash on Capitol Hill, that no matter who President Bush does appoint to replace Gonzales, it is expected to be quite a battle, with Democrats now in control of Congress. And, again you're looking at live pictures there at the Justice Department. We are expecting Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to come out soon and make a statement. This is going to be followed in the next hour by President Bush. At about 11:50 a.m., we're expecting him to make a statement. Also no questions. That coming to us from Waco, Texas, where he has been spending some of his summer vacation.
HOLMES: And of course Alberto Gonzales called the part of that Texas posse, that really inner circle of the president, that followed him to Washington D.C., a part of his closest confidants from Texas, and that was part of the reason, many thought, the president had always stood by Alberto Gonzales when it seemed like everybody else was running from him. Of course, Democrats were highly critical, but also in the past few months, several Republicans started coming out, saying that the attorney general needed to go. However, he did have the support of the president, so as long as he had the support of the president, then he was going to say. But it looks like he now will be leaving.
We just heard from John Cornyn from Texas, Republican from Texas, who still said that he didn't believe that the attorney general really did anything wrong. However, he did handle things -- actually we'll stop here, here is the attorney general. We will listen to his statement now.
ALBERTO GONZALES, U.S. ATTY. GENERAL: Good morning.
Thirteen years ago I entered public service to make a positive difference in the lives of others, and during this time I have traveled a remarkable journey from my home state of Texas to Washington, D.C., supported by the unwavering love and encouragement of my wife Rebecca, and our sons Jared, Graham, and Gabriel. Yesterday I met with President Bush and informed him of my decision to conclude my government service as attorney general of the United States, effective as of September 17th, 2007.
Let me say that it's been one of my greatest privileges to lead the Department of Justice. I have great admiration and respect for the men and women who work here. I have made a point as attorney general to personally meet as many of them as possible, and today I want to again thank them for their service to our nation. It is through their continued work that our country and our communities remain safe, that the rights and civil liberties of our citizens are protected, and the hopes and dreams of all of our children are secured.
I often remind our fellow citizens that we live in the greatest country in the world, and that I have lived the American Dream. Even my worst days as attorney general have been better than my father's best days. Public service is honorable and noble, and I am profoundly grateful to President Bush for his friendship and for the many opportunities he has given me to serve the American people.
Thank you and God bless America.
QUESTION: Why are you leaving?
KEILAR: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales not taking any questions, there a brief statement where he said this has been a remarkable journey for him. Obviously he has been by the president's side for years and years now, Texas and now obviously the White House, and he said he will be departing effective September 17th, so here in just a few weeks.
Let's get now to the Washington bureau where Kelli Arena is standing by.
Kelli, what can you tell us?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, no surprise that he didn't take any questions from the press. He's been avoiding us for some time now. I mean, obviously there were some tough questions being thrown at him. This man has been up against the wall for months now, and he's been very closely guarded.
You know, you heard from Senator Cornyn earlier, the senator from Texas, who said this is a good man. We do not believe there was ever any proof that there was any wrongdoing, but really what concerned many of the lawmakers, was the fact that the attorney general just couldn't seem to get his story straight, too many times to their liking, and had to come back and retract information or, you know, clarify what he had said earlier, and they were just really tired of it.
And we've heard from some senior lawmakers today saying, look, it's about time, let's move on, let's get this department back where it should be.
Spoke to several people who work at many different levels of the Justice Department today, Brianna, and really a sigh of relief. I mean, they truly felt over there that their agenda could not move forward with Gonzales at the helm.
KEILAR: All right, Kelli Arena, thank you very much for your live report there in Washington.
HOLMES: We want to turn to our Suzanne Malveaux, White House correspondent, who's there, has been on the story for us this morning. Suzanne, is there a sense over there, like we were talking earlier, of relief? Karl Rove is gone, a controversial figure. You've got Alberto Gonzales gone. Democrats don't have anybody -- or they're running out of people to beat up on over there. Is there a sense of relief that this is getting done?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., this really is an extraordinary reversal by President Bush here, because he has said as recently as three weeks ago, you remember that press conference, August 9th, when he maintained that he had confidence in Alberto Gonzales. This is a dear, dear friend of his. They go back to Texas days. They are very loyal friends. And you even talk to the people who know the president very well, and they say they didn't even believe that if Alberto Gonzales handed in his letter of resignation that the president would accept it.
The fact that he's accepting this resignation is very important. It says a lot here, because essentially the political calculus is it wasn't worth it to keep him. It was too detrimental to the administration.
And so they are looking at the next 17 months in a very strategic way here. What can they get accomplished, how can they reach out to Democrats, Republicans as well, who they need to work with? What can they actually get done here? Karl Rove, a very controversial political figure, Alberto Gonzales, very much the same. The fact that both these men will be gone next month is very, very telling in terms of where this administration is, what kind of position it is, and how vulnerable it is -- T.J.
HOLMES: It's going to be a different administration. Suzanne Malveaux for us from the White House. Suzanne, thank you so much.
KEILAR: And of course one of the things that has made Alberto Gonzales so controversial is that controversy over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys. We have on the phone, Bud Cummins, one of those U.S. attorneys, from the eastern district of Arkansas.
Mr. Cummings, what is your response? What are you feeling from today's news?
BUD CUMMINS, FIRED U.S. ATTY.: Well, it's kind of a sad day, I guess, to watch this, because it's kind of the culmination of kind of their, to some degree, the ruination of the attorney general's reputation as far as his professional reputation, and it was all unnecessary. So it's a little frustrating for me to watch.
KEILAR: Just recap what happened to you and how you are sort of plugged into one of these controversies surrounding the attorney general.
CUMMINS: Well, I'm sorry, I missed that first part of the question.
KEILAR: I said, can you just recap for us, explain to us how you are plugged into...
CUMMINS: Yes, in June I was contacted and asked to resign, which we now know was the second U.S. attorney. The first one was, I think, in January, Todd Graves, in Kansas City, and then later seven more were asked in December.
In my case it was pretty simple. There was a person at the White House, a fellow named Tim Griffin, that had worked for the Bush administration, done a great job, and they were fond of him, and he wanted to be a U.S. attorney.
So that -- my story in my view is not earth-shattering, and really didn't -- wasn't the most important one, but in some of these other cases, it's fairly clear that they were selected to be removed because they had rankled the local political party, or, you know, some part of the Republican machine in their home state. And what the attorney general failed to do was to insulate them from that. When that pressure came, the attorney general really had an obligation to independently push back and say, no, we can't take out U.S. attorneys because they're not keeping the politicians happy. As long as they're doing their job in a neutral and nonpartisan way, he had an obligation to insulate them from that, and he failed to do it.
KEILAR: And it also really came down to how Gonzales presented what he knew, when he knew it to Congress. Is this the right move, do you think?
CUMMINS: For him to resign?
KEILAR: Yes.
CUMMINS: I absolutely -- and it's maybe not all his fault. He's earned this. He did some things and said some things that are, frankly, unforgivable. He was willing to throw some of my colleagues under the bus, rather than admit what was behind their firings, but a lot of politics going on here, too.
But the bottom line is, he no longer has a reputation for integrity and credibility that is absolutely mandatory for leading the Department of Justice, and the department was faltering under his leadership, and it's -- they do important things.
We're at war, and people are trying to kill us, and they're trying to provide security to the American people. And so we need somebody in there that doesn't have this baggage to lead the department.
KEILAR: All right, Bud Cummins, one of those fired U.S. attorneys, part of that controversy that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has been embroiled in. Thanks so much Mr. Cummins for talking with us. Appreciate it.
HOLMES: We turn now to Kent Alexander, who is a former attorney. He's now general counsel at Emory University, here in Atlanta.
Sir, thank you for being with us today.
These are political appointees. However, the justice is not expected to be politicized. Do you see the Justice Department as being so politicized at this point?
KENT ALEXANDER, GENERAL COUNSEL, EMORY UNIV.: It is politicized unfortunately. I think that the attorney general stepping down is probably going to help. We should give him credit. He's been a public servant, and a loyal one, to the president, but I think this will go a long way to de-politicizing the department and building back up the reputation.
HOLMES: You say give him his credit. He's served, and also served the president loyally, but is that necessarily what he should have been doing? And wasn't that part of his problem, he served the president all too well, just the president and maybe not the American people, which lead to that department being politicized?
ALEXANDER: Well, he did a lot of good things, but clearly made some real mistakes, and I think that the perception is that he was perhaps more loyal to the president. The attorney general needs to be most loyal to the American people in the Justice Department system.
And perception and reality can sometimes intersect. Sometimes they miss. But here the perception among U.S. attorneys' offices, I think, around the country, and among many of the American people is that there was too much loyalty to the president.
So again, I think that's to his credit and perhaps to his fault, but either way it's now time to move on, and I think he's done the right thing.
HOLMES: Well, we are moving on, but tell me first, whose fault is that? Is it Attorney General Gonzales for not standing up to the president and saying no, I can't do that for you, sir? Or was it the president and the White House giving the directives?
ALEXANDER: I think there could have been more independence exercised by the attorney general in this instance, and perhaps the independence should have been respected more by the president, but when you have a close relationship and a friendship, sometimes it's tough to overcome that.
HOLMES: And so how do you keep this from happening again, to make sure that the president and his attorney general aren't so buddy- buddy? Is it a matter of just getting the right person in that job, who does have that mindframe of independence, to keep that department from being politicized?
ALEXANDER: I think that's exactly what the answer is. The president needs to nominate somebody, that hopefully he'll nominate somebody with great credentials, who the Senate will take a look at, that will confirm after questioning, and I'm hoping that process goes more quickly than slowly, because there's not that much time left in the administration.
HOLMES: All right, Ken Alexander, former U.S. attorney, now general counsel at Emory University here in Atlanta.
Sir, we appreciate you coming in.
ALEXANDER: Thank you.
KEILAR: Let's get now to our chief national correspondent John King. He's by there in Washington. And, John, we heard Alberto Gonzales come forward, give this brief statement, but really we didn't learn much really new information. He said he was going to be leaving September 17th, so really there are a lot of unanswered questions. Which questions should he be answering, do you think?
JOHN KING, CHIEF NATL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's going to get called up on Capitol Hill, whether he's the attorney general or the former attorney general, Brianna. There will be requests for his testimony on a whole number of issues, you can be sure of that, in the coming months.
But to the point you just made this is trademark Bush administration. No. 1, Alberto Gonzales not taking questions. Not really explaining what was behind the curtain or behind the scenes in him making that decision in the end. But also trademark Bush administration in that you have everyone in Washington saying, boy, this was such a surprise this morning; the president just weeks ago had said Alberto Gonzales was my man, essentially Democrats be damned.
But the president has done this so many times before, pick an issue, or pick a personnel controversy in the past. Harriet Miers, for example, his Supreme Court pick, another Texan, his White House counsel, she was going to be on the Supreme Court, and he said he was going to stand by and fight with her. But at some point the scales tipped too far out of balance. The same with -- this is a president who initially said, no, we didn't need a Department of Homeland Security, but it became clear the Democrats and Republicans wanted it, and the scales tipped and the president gave in.
So it is trademark Bush, fight, fight, fight, but then eventually say the political reality says I need to make a change, and that's what we see this morning. KEILAR: Now one of the major criticisms of Gonzales was the politicization of the Department of Justice, that it really should have been removed from that, but when we listen to Democrats and Republicans talking about a replacement for Gonzales. You have Chuck Schumer of New York, for instance, saying President Bush needs to pick someone who is not political. You have John Cornyn, a Republican senator, saying this is just such a politicized atmosphere, there's really no way that he can. What do you think? Is there any way away from that.
KING: John Cornyn being a very good, loyal Texan this morning, standing by Alberto Gonzales, saying he was a victim of a political environment. Other Republicans, Arlen Specter on the committee, one, Jeff Sessions on the committee, another, a former prosecutor himself from the state of Alabama, they will be worth watching in the days ahead to see what the political climate is on Capitol Hill.
Brianna, the White House senses, and some will say they're way overly optimistic, but the White House senses a moment for the president to recapture at least a little bit of the political initiative. He has been back on his heels for so long. They believe militarily they're making a little bit of progress in Iraq. They believe over the weekend there was some significant signs that the Iraqi government, perhaps, is willing to take some steps moving forward toward reconciliation. So what do they want to do?
If there is a small moment to do something politically, they want to get rid of their pinatas. Karl Rove steps down. The attorney general steps down. The Democrats have incredibly low ratings in Congress right now. The president trying to get in the best position possible if he has any oxygen left, to seize a political moment. That is what you're seeing this morning in Washington.
BANKS: Well, we'll have to wait and see if that plays out. All right, chief national correspondent John King, thanks, John.
HOLMES: We're going to turn back to the other major story we are watching today, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleading guilty in a federal courthouse in Richmond, Virginia to dogfighting conspiracy charges. The A.P. now reporting that yes, that is in fact what has happened now. He has officially pleaded guilty before a judge to the dogfighting conspiracy charges that were brought against him. We are possibly standing by for a statement from Michael Vick when he comes out of the courtroom. If that happens, we will certainly bring it to you.
We are going to rejoin our guests now. From New York sports attorney Ryan Smith. Also here in Atlanta, the noted defense attorney Jerry Froehlich.
Mr. Froehlich, I will come back to you again. You mentioned earlier, that we were talking about this statement that's going to be made, and you said I would have had him out there making a statement earlier. So why not? Why are we now just hearing from him, and how could he have helped his case by coming out and showing some contrition a little earlier. JERRY FROEHLICH, DEFENSE ATTY.: Well, they may not have known all the facts, they may not have wanted to be caught off guard, but he's got to be very careful. He's got to make a statement, and he's get to admit to everything. And he's got to do it in a way -- I know he's worried about the NFL. The problem he's got is there's been three defendants who have already made statements implicating him in it, and the NFL is going to take that into consideration.
And in fact the plea agreement says the court can take that into consideration. And I think you don't get as much benefit from the public when you hedge. And though he doesn't have to say I took bets or anything like that, he's got to come out and say I'm responsible for everything, I take the blame, I made a tragic mistake, it was my own mistake, I'm going to move on, and I'm going to do things to help the community. He's got to really take the whole weight.
HOLMES: And how tricky is it, Ryan, for him in this case, because he could possibly be facing state charges as well. So does he have to be careful in the wording in this plea, to try to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble with the other? Or what can we expect if there are state charges as well?
RYAN SMITH, CO-HOST, BET'S "MY TWO CENTS": Well, he does still have the state problem, and him -- for right now that's not really his priority.
I agree with Mr. Froehlich in a way, to say that he has to come out and be contrite. I would focus on the contrite aspect of this, and focus on the public opinion aspect of hey, I knew it was wrong, I did the wrong thing.
I think in his statement he needs to not talk so much about the specifics of what he did, very much like the plea agreement in the summary of facts, he needs just to kind of stick to his involvement, and then talk about, OK, but I'm moving on. And you know, I did something wrong, but I'm asking your forgiveness. That's going to be the key with him. He's looking now to his future, and his future will only work if he really appeals to public opinion and is contrite.
And Mr. Froehlich, do you know if he can avoid jailtime here -- I know he's going to cooperate with the prosecutors, and is agreeing to testify before a grand jury in a trial, whatever down the road, but are there certain guidelines with this conspiracy charge that the judge must follow, and me must get a certain amount of time, or can the judge absolutely use discretion. And is it possible, if he helps enough, then the judge can say, all right, Michael Vick, you can do house arrest; you can do something else?
FROEHLICH: The judge does have discretion. The plea agreement, unfortunately, does not allow Vick to argue for less than 12 months, unless he has done something, and the government has filed a motion saying he helped us. This judge, I don't think, is going to go below the guidelines, and a lot of what's in that agreement is boilerplate. In other words, it's in all agreements, the taking of polygraph tests, cooperating with the government. I don't know if he has any real information to give them. HOLMES: And, Ryan, I know you've probably seen out there, and there's been so much talk about this story, but there's some debate out there that the attention this story has gotten and that the demonizing of Michael Vick does not fit the crime, and that what you have here is a young, successful, rich, talented black man, who has been demonized in the media. Do you buy that argument for a minute that the attention he's getting and this demonizing does not fit the crime?
SMITH: He brought it all on himself. I think there is an aspect of hey, let's jump all over this guy. But I think it's less about an African-American issue and more about this dogfighting issue. This whole case brought to light an underworld that goes on in America with dogfighting.
And unfortunately, the reason I say brought it all on himself is, by his timing and by being the first major person exposed in it, he made himself a poster boy for dogfighting. So, I think that any athlete who was involved in this way in a dogfighting scheme would have gotten this kind of attention.
I think it's heightened a little bit because he is black, but I think it's too far to say because he's black and rich and successful, he's being demonized. He brought it on himself by being a leader of an operation. He's not a guy that just attended a dogfight now and then, he financed it, he's admitting that he took part in bets, took part in executions in terms of authorizing them.
That's big. So it's hard to say it's just because of those things. It's a lot more and he brought it on himself.
HOLMES: Can you all -- both of you here tell me as well, there have been plenty of athletes -- professional athletes over the years that have been accused of all kinds of things, many of them having to do with some kind of abuse or violence towards human beings, and we don't seem to get this kind of public furor, this public attention.
Now, does that have to do with -- I guess, everybody loves animals kind of a thing? Or, is it just because he is -- maybe the biggest fish to ever get caught up in some kind of a crime, or being charged with something like this? He is Michael Vick, maybe the biggest story in the NFL. Go ahead, Mr. Froehlich.
FROEHLICH: I've represented a lot of NFL athletes, NBA athletes, and this is really an exception. It is dogs, there are 75 million dog owners in this country. I got telephone calls from very close friends of mine, both men and female, all over the country as soon as this broke, saying please don't represent Michael Vick.
This has touched the public on -- the way nothing I've ever seen before, much more than athletes abusing women or athletes using drugs or selling drugs, and also there were organizations that got out there, PETA and other organizations that churned it right away.
T.J. --
HOLMES: Yes, go ahead, man. Can you wrap it up for me in 15 seconds.
SMITH: Yes, absolutely. T.J. a lot of this is because dogs, very much like children are defenseless, and people feel like they have to take up the cause of dogs, because they can't take it up the cause on behalf of themselves. So that's really where it's at. Vick is looked as this person who basically abused these poor, defenseless creatures, and people are trying to attack that.
HOLMES: All right. Ryan Smith and Defense Attorney Jerry Froehlich, we appreciate you all sticking around. I think you might be sticking around here with us a little longer if you can. We appreciate it. Great discussion.
KEILAR: Michael Vick guilty, just minutes ago, the superstar presented his plea and his plea agreement to a federal judge. Let's go now to the courthouse there in Richmond, Virginia where Rusty Dornin is standing by. Hi, Rusty.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, Michael Vick in a blue suit and a white shirt was flanked closely by his attorneys, stood before Judge Henry Hudson, and he really didn't say anything but yes, sir, no, sir and guilty as charged. Judge Hudson repeatedly asking him did he understand the charges? Did he understand he was waiving his rights?
And at one point, he said, you are really taking your chances here about that there's no binding agreement that I will give you the lower guidelines in terms of sentencing, that you're taking your chances that I could give you more and up to the maximum of five years. And of course, Michael Vick answered yes, sir.
So, it went on for about 20 minutes, the judge -- they said going through each and every aspect of the plea, but never asking Michael Vick outright, can you tell me what you did, what you are guilty of, presumably was the indictment was very complicated and went on in several different dates and that sort of thing.
But he did ask him several times that you realize that you are pleading guilty to these charges. He did set a date of December 10th for the sentencing, and giving Michael Vick, his attorneys and prosecutors at least a half day for that sentencing. Here at the courthouse, the crowd has grown considerably since the hearing started.
There's about 30 or 40 PETA, Humane Society protesters, and there are still Michael Vick supporters here, who just a little while ago as we were coming out of the courthouse were singing. They all are holding signs saying we love you, Michael, we support you. In the courtroom was his girlfriend, and his mother and other family members.
So, Michael Vick will be back. He is still out on bond. He will be back in court on December 10th. Brianna?
KEILAR: So, Rusty just describe for us, was he very stoic? Really, there was no sign of emotion? What did you see? DORNIN: Absolutely no sign of emotion. When he came in he was very quiet. He whispered a couple times to his attorney, Billy Martin. But as I say, he was very closely flanked by his attorneys.
And, there was really nothing else he could say, Judge Hudson has been running a very tight courtroom and also just very emphatic on his points, and explaining each and every aspect of what Michael Vick was agreeing to. There really wasn't much else that Vick could say but yes, sir or no, sir.
KEILAR: Thank you. Rusty Dornin covering this for us, following this all morning for us from Richmond, Virginia.
HOLMES: That is the -- one of the two major stories we are covering today. Michael Vick, as we heard now, entering a guilty plea in court there in Richmond to those dogfighting charges. We are expecting a possible statement from Michael Vick. When that happens, we will bring that to you live.
There's a live look outside the federal courthouse there in Richmond, Virginia. He will step out, and when he does, and if he makes a statement we will bring that statement to you.
Also, the other major story we are watching today that has been breaking out of Washington, D.C., Attorney General -- embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, made a statement just a short time ago that he is in fact stepping down. Got the official word from him.
We are expecting to go hear from the President, President Bush from his Texas ranch at around 11:50 today, and when that happens, we will bring the President's statement to you, as well. We are going to take a quick break and be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Taking you back to Richmond, Virginia, where attorney for Michael Vick, Billy Martin is making a statement. Let's listen in.
BILLY MARTIN, ATTORNEY: Larry Woodward, your other counselors upstairs with Michael in probation right now. As most of you who were not in the courtroom may have heard, Michael entered a plea of guilty to one count of the conspiracy indictment. I am not going to address either the charges or Michael.
Michael will hold a press conference in about 30 minutes, 11:30 at the Omni Hotel here in Richmond where Michael will make a statement, where he will tell the world his thoughts and his feelings with regard to this charge.
I would say to all of you that Michael, when he makes his statement, will be brief, there will be no questions, but I think that you will find that he will talk about the acceptance of responsibility, talk about what he hopes to occur at probation, and as you heard, this matter is now concluded until December the 10th when Judge Hudson will sentence Michael according to the plea agreement. Thank you very much.
QUESTION: -- made a big point that he's under no agreement to go upward or downward, and he reminded him that he could face the maximum of five years. How does Mr. Vick feel about (inaudible)?
MARTIN: Again, Michael will talk in about 30 minutes, Gary, and all I can say to you is that we hope that Judge Hudson will see the real Mike Vick, what you've seen is something of an aberration, and we think Judge Hudson will get it right when he sentences Mr. Vick on December 10th. Other than that, I will not address sentencing. Thank you again.
QUESTION: Can you tell me who the woman was that Michael (inaudible) front row?
MARTIN: Mike will be there in 30 minutes and she'll be with him.
HOLMES: There we go, we are seeing a brief statement from the attorney, Bill Martin for Michael Vick. I guess the biggest word we got out there is that we will here from Michael Vick at 11:30 eastern time, coming up about a half an hour from now at a different location than the courthouse there.
It's at the Omni Hotel, there in Richmond, a press conference where he said Michael Vick will make a brief statement to give his thoughts and feelings on what's been going on. But, he will not take questions at that time. Here now the pictures we saw just a short time ago, Michael Vick actually leaving the courthouse after entering that guilty plea to one count on the conspiracy indictment.
Again, he has plead guilty. He will not be sentenced until December 10th. Again, these are the pictures from just a moment ago from today, as Michael Vick left the federal courthouse after entering that guilty plea. His attorney, Billy Martin, saying he hopes that when his client is sentenced on December 10th that the judge will actually see the real Michael Vick and take that into account as he sentences Michael Vick.
And calls some of his clients' behavior and his dogfighting charges an aberration and not the real Michael Vick.
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