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Michael Vick Pleads Guilty to Dogfighting Charges; Alberto Gonzales Hands in Resignation

Aired August 27, 2007 - 10:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: 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 client's behavior in these dogfighting charges an aberration and not the real Michael Vick.

So, again, the major news we just heard from Billy Martin is pretty much that we will hear from his attorney, hear from Michael Vick -- excuse me, hear from his client, hear from him himself, at about 11:30, when Michael Vick will make a statement at the Omni Hotel, at a different location from the courthouse.

And these are pictures from just a moment ago as Michael Vick entered -- got into that Range Rover, leaving the courthouse. Certainly a different -- a different day for Michael Vick. He has officially entered that guilty plea.

We will continue to keep an eye on this story and, of course, the other major story we have for today, Alberto Gonzales stepping down.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. And we are following the latest.

And CNN's Kelli Arena is following our top story coming out of Washington at this hour. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales resigning.

Kelli, what's the latest?

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, his good-bye was short and sweet. The attorney general says that he will resign effective September 17th.

Half an hour ago, he made a statement before the press. Here's a little bit of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I have lived the American dream. Even my worst days at 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. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: Now, as you know, this attorney general has had many bad days, as he held office. Everything from the U.S. attorney -- the firing of U.S. attorneys scandal, to his involvement in trying to get the NSA surveillance program approved by former attorney general John Ashcroft as he lay sick in a hospital bed.

But the question now is, what happens now going forward? What -- you know, can this Department of Justice be salvaged? How much damage has been done?

Lots of -- lots of problems there. Morale for one, Brianna, as you know, a big problem at the Department of Justice. There have been some allegations that certain people were hired as career prosecutors because of their political affiliation. So lots of reviewing there has to take place.

Of course, you have a rise in violent crime. You have the ongoing debate over anti-terrorism measures.

So, whoever it is that gets this job -- and we've heard, of course, from our White House correspondents and other sources that the front-runner there is Michael Chertoff, the current head of the Department of Homeland Security -- whoever it is that gets this job certainly has his work cut out for him, or her.

We'll see.

KEILAR: Well, let's focus though for a moment on Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, because a lot of people have been very critical of Gonzales for what they say, he has politicized this department that should not be politicized. If Chertoff were to step in, what are the chances of, as you said, of salvaging, of somehow reversing that trend that critics have said is there?

ARENA: You know, Michael Chertoff's most recent job at the Justice Department was as the head of the criminal division, where he was very well respected. He's got years of being a prosecutor under his belt, he certainly knows how that department works. And he is not seen as a political player.

Of course, you know, and I'm sure you'll hear more of this later on, you know, he does -- he's not going to have an easy go of it in terms of confirmation, because, most notably, Hurricane Katrina and how he handled that when he was fairly new on the job. So, but in terms of the Justice Department and people who work there, Michael Chertoff is well respected, they believe that he can do the job. They would welcome him back.

KEILAR: All right. Kelli, thanks very much for that.

HOLMES: And, of course, he discussed his resignation last hour. We just heard from that -- just heard some of that just a moment ago there from Kelli Arena. And our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, has been keeping a close eye on this story today as well.

Suzanne, hello to you again. And tell me, are you hearing any kind of reaction, any word creeping out from the White House about what's going down today?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, T.J., this is really an extraordinary reversal by President Bush. It was just three weeks ago, you may recall, in a press conference, President Bush is expressing his confidence in Alberto Gonzales. Things became clear on Friday when Gonzales picked up the phone and called the president, offered his resignation and the president accepted.

There are people who are close to this president who believe that even if Gonzales had offered that letter of resignation, that the president would refuse it because of their close friendship, their loyalty, their ties back to Texas days. They are extremely close here, but the president is making a political calculation here that it is no longer worth it simply to keep him here.

I mean, they are trying to get a team that is in place for the next 17 months or so to get some things done on the domestic side. Certainly to try to turn Iraq around. And the president is also very much looking at his legacy here.

A lot of people at the Justice Department and inside of this building, in the White House, believed that there wasn't a lot that was going to get done when it came to moving cases forward, getting beyond the controversy of the firing of those U.S. attorneys, unless Gonzales would go. And that's exactly what has happened.

Now, it's just yesterday Gonzales and his wife Becky were at the Crawford ranch. They had lunch with the president. They sat down, they talked about his future.

We're going to hear from President Bush 11:50 Eastern Time. We expect that he will simply praise Gonzales, talk about the fine work that he's done. And we also expect that he is going to be somewhat resentful about this.

He has said time and time again that he thought these investigations were political exercises, that his attorney general was being targeted, was being attacked. We expect that he's going to talk a little bit about that frustration as well -- T.J.

HOLMES: Suzanne, now that we know the phone call happened on Friday, I believe you said, how surprised are we that nothing came out over the weekend? I guess it's -- I mean, if you make a call to the president, you should be able to keep that quiet. But you know, it is Washington and none of this creeped out over the weekend.

MALVEAUX: Well, it is really quite amazing, T.J., that that actually happened. I guess it was a secret that was kept for two full days. We understand that the top Justice Department officials had no idea. There were a lot of people in this building who were really caught off guard, very surprised by it. And what is so surprising here is that for the last six months, I've talked to so many people in this administration and outside of the administration who kept saying the same thing, and that was that that the president is holding on to him, and he is making sure that he keeps his job.

So, the fact that the president changed his mind about this was very significant, and it says a lot about where this administration is, its vulnerabilities, and also its aspirations, what it wants to do in the next 17 months.

HOLMES: Whoa. A secret in Washington for two whole days, Suzanne. That's -- take a note of this one.

All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so much.

MALVEAUX: History making.

HOLMES: Yes. Thank you so much, Suzanne.

KEILAR: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had called for Alberto Gonzales's resignation. Democrats, of course, the loudest voice. But many Republicans also saying it would be a good move.

So, let's go now to Capitol Hill, where CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash is.

Dana, what's the latest? What are you hearing?

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're hearing from Democrats, just as we have heard very loudly over the last several months, that they really think that Alberto Gonzales, his credibility, was completely shot, and that from Democrats' point of view, this should have happened a long time ago. And we really have gotten some biting statements from Democrats this morning.

The Senate majority leader saying that the attorney general is somebody who lacked independence and lacked judgment and lacked a spine to say no to Karl Rove. And from the man who was really critical in terms of going forward here in the confirmation hearings for the attorney general's replacement, listen to what he said. This is the Senate judiciary chairman, Patrick Leahy.

In a statement, he said, "The attorney general's resignation reinforces what Congress and the American people already know, that no Justice Department should be allowed to become a political arm of the White House, whether occupied by a Republican or a Democrat."

And that key phrase there, "a political arm of the White House," that is the thing you're already hearing from Democrats and Republicans as they talk about what they are hoping the president will look for in terms of the next attorney general. Somebody who, from their perspective, simply isn't political, isn't somebody who, perhaps, as we've heard all morning long, is perceived as the president's lawyer, not necessarily the lawyer for the American people at the top of the Justice Department.

So you just heard the statement from Democrats. Republicans, by and large, are breathing a sigh of relief now, frankly, because they think this is a political problem that really had hurt them in the past. But they are not breathing a sigh of relief in that they know there's going to be probably a bruising battle ahead for the replacement for Alberto Gonzales -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Dana Bash, our eyes and ears there on Capitol Hill.

Thanks, Dana.

HOLMES: We're going to turn back now to Richmond, Virginia, where the Michael Vick case continues.

Well, we've got a sense of finality, if you will, or a big chunk of this puzzle has been solved. Michael Vick has entered a guilty plea on conspiracy charges related to dogfighting. We did hear from his attorney, Billy Martin, a short time after Vick officially entered that plea. Here is what he said just a short time ago outside the courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILLY MARTIN, VICK'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So, yes, we are standing by waiting to hear from Michael Vick in about 20 minutes, it appears. We do want to turn now to our Jeffrey Toobin, our legal analyst who is outside the Richmond, Virginia, federal courthouse.

Jeffrey, sentencing December 10th. What can we expect then? Is the judge required to follow certain guidelines, or is this totally up to the judge's discretion to sentence Michael Vick to whatever he wants to sentence him to?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Well, certainly the guidelines will be presented to the judge, and it looks like the guidelines will say 12 to 18 months. But the judge is not required to follow the guidelines, and there's a lot more information that needs to come to the judge before even the judge can know what the sentence will be.

Michael Vick has agreed to cooperate with the authorities. He has agreed to become state's evidence, he's agreed to testify, if necessary, before grand juries and trial juries, and he's got come in to the government and say, this is what I know. He hasn't done that yet, and the government has to evaluate that cooperation and let the judge know whether he's done a good job or a bad job. That's a big factor in determining what sentence he'll get.

Don't be at all surprised if the December 10th deadline doesn't hold, that that sentencing date is delayed. The government has a lot of leverage over Michael Vick right now, and as long as the sentence hasn't been imposed yet, they keep that leverage. So delays in sentences are very common at the government's request.

HOLMES: So let me make sure I'm hearing you right, that if he becomes this glorious informant and he bears more fruit than the government could ever imagine, and the prosecutors say to the judge, he has helped this much and he done this for us and he has given us this, it is not outside the realm of possibility Michael Vick will not see a day in prison?

TOOBIN: That is possible. Whether it's likely or not, I don't -- I would say probably not.

HOLMES: Right.

TOOBIN: But if he becomes an extremely valuable witness, yes, the government could let the judge know.

Michael Vick's problem is, he's the big fish in this case. The people who will get the benefit of cooperating in this case will be the three co-defendants who pled guilty first.

It was obviously their decision to flip that led to Michael Vick's cooperation -- I mean, Michael Vick's guilty plea. Michael Vick's problem is that he probably doesn't have anyone else left to give up, or certainly no one that the government is terribly interested in. But yes, it is possible he could get benefit from being a good, cooperating witness.

HOLMES: And the tell us what has to happen. I know he has to have those discussions with the prosecutors and tell what he knows, but what else has to happen with Michael Vick between now and that sentencing date?

I understand there's a report pretty much that his attorneys will have to submit, a pre-sentencing report that the judge will have to review. Tell us about how that happens. And does he have the right attorneys for this kind of a thing, this kind of a job, who have the right experience for doing something like this?

TOOBIN: Well, absolutely. I think he has really a terrific attorney in Billy Martin.

Billy Martin has done trials, he's didn't guilty pleas, he's represented one very famous witness named Monica Lewinsky. So Billy Martin has been around the block many times in high-profile cases.

But the most important thing Michael Vick is going to do, even more important than meeting with the prosecutors, is he's going to meet with his probation officer, who is a representative of the judge, who's part of the court system. And the probation officer is the person who will -- who will prepare the sentencing report, and that will be the report that recommends a sentencing guideline to the judge.

The probation officer is independent. He's not part of the prosecution, he's not part of the defense team, he or she -- probation officers are often women. And that person will be the court's representative.

Michael Vick has got to talk to the probation officer not only about his criminal conduct in this case, but about his whole life. Try to put in context the good and the bad. So the probation officer is going to have an enormous amount to do with what Michael Vick is ultimately sentenced to.

HOLMES: So a lot to happen between now and then.

Jeffrey Toobin, thank you so much once again.

TOOBIN: OK, T.J.

KEILAR: And the other -- the other big story we've been covering -- actually, what do we have going on here? What's this, T.J.?

HOLMES: Well, not sure what we are seeing right here. If our folks can tell us what we're seeing. It looks like the Omni, actually, if I am looking at that correct.

That's where Michael Vick will be having his press conference shortly. Couldn't make out who that was at the podium there, but Michael Vick is actually going to be having his press conference, we're told, at the bottom of the hour, 11:30.

This is where he will make his statement. Not expected to take any questions, but according to his attorney, he will be able to tell his side, tell his thoughts and his feelings on what has happened today.

So we're expecting that in about 15 minutes, and when that happens we will bring that to you live.

KEILAR: And we are covering a number of live events this morning.

The other big story that we are following this morning out of Washington, the resignation of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Music to the ears of Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, including the man that you are going to be seeing standing here in a short while, the senior senator from New York, Charles Schumer, in about a little after 11:15. He is going to be making comments about the resignation of Gonzales.

Also, at about 11:50 Eastern Time this morning, we are expecting to hear from President Bush. He will be giving a statement, taking no questions, and we are going to bring that -- those comments from Charles Schumer after the break.

Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: For the previous six months, the Justice Department has been virtually nonfunctional and desperately needs new leadership. I don't know why it took the president so long to come to the same conclusion, but I'm glad he did, four months after I first called to the attorney general to step down.

Now it will be up to the White House to choose a replacement who is, above all, a professional. Not a partisan, not a pal. Unlike the last time, he needs to pick the best person, not his best friend.

Democrats will not obstruct or impede the nominee who we are confident will put the rule of law first above political considerations. We besiege, we implore the administration to work with us to nominate someone whom Democrats can support and whom America can be proud of.

For more than six months, the Justice Department has been in complete disarray. Scandal after scandal after scandal has mired the department and created a vacuum of leadership.

Today, the top three positions at the department are all vacant. There is no attorney general, no deputy attorney general, no associate attorney general. The lack of leadership has taken its toll on this department, whose mission is is a sacred one -- to uphold the rule of law. And this department is of unparalleled importance to our government and our society, too important to let languish.

It is unclear which straw -- there were many -- broke the camel's back, but it was clear that there were plenty of straws to choose from.

The attorney general presided over the political firings of U.S. attorneys and then stonewalled any attempt to find out the truth. The attorney general presided over a civil rights division within his department that was in complete disarray, with resignation after resignation after resignation.

The attorney general conducted the department's affairs based on political ideology, not the rule of law. The attorney general sought to mislead Congress even when asked the most pointed of questions. He seemed to put wriggling away from the truth far above telling the truth. With every statement, he was always trying to get out of an uncomfortable position that he had put himself in by not telling the truth previously.

So, under this attorney general, sadly, the Department of Justice had less credibility than even FEMA. Under Alberto Gonzales, the Department of Justice was a sinking ship.

The president now has an opportunity to right the ship and chart a new course. I hope and pray he does so.

We Democrats want to work with the president to steer this ship so that in the Justice Department, the prevailing winds are those of rule of law, not politics. It is now up to the White House to pick a replacement who will put the rule of law first and politics at the bottom of the list. And today, I say to the White House that we Democrats implore you would work with us. Don't choose the path of confrontation and throw down the gauntlet with a nominee that we will find it difficult to accept.

We are willing to meet you in the middle of the road. All we ask is that you choose somebody who puts rule of law first.

We're not looking for confrontation here. Ideally, the White House will come to us, work with us, and there will be no confrontation over this.

Here are the criteria we are looking for: a person who can be a true leader rather than a lightning rod; a unifier, not a divider; a person for whom the rule of law is a bedrock principle rather than an empty slogan; a person of unimpeachable integrity; a person who has experience and can hit the ground running. There are many, many, many people who fit this bill.

Ideologically, they may not be the same as any one of us, but as long as they put the rule of law first, we can find common ground on a nominee. The Justice Department is too important to be trifled with.

Ready for your questions.

QUESTION: Senator, are you surprised by this? Were you surprised to hear this? And how about the timing in regards to this announcement?

SCHUMER: Well, first, as you know, I had called for this about four months ago. I guess I was the first to call for the attorney general to step down. What I really found surprising was it took so long for the president and the administration to come to their senses.

You had an attorney general who had completely lost faith with the 90,000 employees in the Justice Department, with the Congress, and, most importantly, with the American people. It was clear to anyone who watched even five minutes of the hearings that he was doing everything he could to avoid telling the truth.

It was clear when you looked at all the facts of the U.S. attorneys being fired that something was really rotten. And had he early on owned up to it and said a mistake was made and here's what I'm going to do to correct it, he could have saved his job. But he never did.

So I guess what surprised me is not that he's stepping down...

KEILAR: The senior senator from New York, Charles Schumer, talking about his response to the resignation of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

He implored President Bush, the Bush administration, to choose a replacement who's a professional, not a partisan. And he also said that the Department of Justice, under Alberto Gonzales, had less credibility than FEMA. Very likely not a coincidental turn of phrase, since FEMA actually fell under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, and at this point, it is Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff who is being floated as the major possibility to replace Alberto Gonzales.

So, the word, the understanding from our correspondent, Dana Bash on Capitol Hill, is that this is really going into to be a fight over the person who President Bush picks to replace Alberto Gonzales.

We also want you to know that coming up here in about 25 minutes, we are expecting an 11:50 a.m. Eastern Time comments from President Bush. He is going to be talking about the resignation of Alberto Gonzales.

Stay with us for that.

Also, here a little sooner, just in a few minutes, at about 11:30, the other story we have been following -- Michael Vick. He has entered a guilty plea of federal dogfighting conspiracy charges. That's in Richmond, Virginia, and we are awaiting comments from him in Richmond, Virginia.

We are going to bring you those comments from Michael Vick live.

Stay here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: OK. And, of course, as we've been watching here all day now, just last hour, we finally got the word, Michael Vick pleading guilty to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge in a federal court in Richmond, Virginia.

His future now in the hands of a federal judge. That judge will decide how much time he may or may not spend in prison. The sentencing coming up on December 10th.

Right now we want to talk with former Atlanta Falcons pro-bowler Chuck Smith about all this that's been happening.

This team is near and dear to your heart.

CHUCK SMITH, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Right.

HOLMES: You tell me. You didn't play with Michael Vick, but you met him, you have been around that organization. Does this seem out of character? When you heard about the dogfighting charge, did you think, hey, that doesn't seem -- how in the world could that guy be involved in something like that?

Is that what hit you, or no?

SMITH: Well, the first thing that hit me, I wouldn't say it was out of character. A lot of things started -- you started seeing a lot of things that were happening, incidents that were somewhat not, you know, talked about enough. And it didn't really surprise me, but the magnitude of these charges definitely surprised me, because I've been around Michael and I know the kind of person he is on a day-to-day basis.

HOLMES: What is he on a day-to-day basis?

SMITH: On a day-to-day basis, let me tell you, he's a nice, quiet guy. He's a guy who's really what I would call a classic introvert. He sticks to himself, but that's part of the problems. A lot of the time he stuck to himself and outside of the complex he had other guys who usually handled his business for him.

HOLMES: So did he never let anyone else in? Some good folk around that organization in, and he kept that same circle of maybe riffraff that he ran with back at home?

SMITH: Well, in all fairness to the Atlanta Falcons, Michael Vick, they tried to give him as much advice as they can. And also, you know, he had handlers that were trying to help him here and there.

So, I would say this, it's not fair to, let me just say, the Atlanta Falcons or a lot of the people that were in his life, whether it's P.R. people, that might have told him to do certain things. You can lead a guy to the water, but you can't make him drink. At some point, a man has to take responsibility for himself.

But I'm not going to let anyone say that he didn't have help and guidance. But, you know, you've got to play the hand you deal yourself when you make these kinds of decisions.

HOLMES: He never took responsibility, do you think?

SMITH: No. Never. Never. Was never accountable for anything, whether it was a water bottle, whether it was the double bird up in the Georgia Dome.

Part of the problem with Michael Vick, he wasn't never held accountable. Part of that could be said about the organization holding Michael Vick accountable.

So there's a lot of people who didn't hold each other accountability. So I'll just say this -- ultimately, the one who pays in this is the players and the city. They've been lied to, they've been deceived in a lot of ways, and now basically you have people who still argue that Michael basically maybe is not guilty. A lot of people don't understand the dynamics and how big this case is.

HOLMES: How is it possible that the face of your franchise, the face of your city, that you invest...

SMITH: Right.

HOLMES: ... a hundred and thirty-something -- all that money in this guy? How could the organization possibly let him even jaywalk, much less get involved in something like this? SMITH: Well, you've got remember, this was the ultimate media campaign. You're talking about an organization that was as low as it could get.

We went to the Super Bowl in '98.

HOLMES: Yes.

SMITH: They drafted Mike in 2001. That was the future. This was the next level of the Atlanta Falcons player.

He does P.R., he's lightning in a bottle on the field. But the bottom line is, at some point, when things are going good, you start looking the other way. You start sweeping a few things up under the rug.

So, from that standpoint on -- so, Mike was slick. Mike was a guy who deceived people, too. So, as much as the organization takes some of the blame, I've got say, you know, as it comes out, Mike lied to the commissioner, lied to Arthur Blank. What else can you say as a man?

One thing we have is our word and our trust. Somebody gives me $130 million, you don't have to worry about me lying. I'm going to tell you the truth.

HOLMES: All right. I think I just heard right, we've got a five-minute warning on Michael Vick. We take this live picture again, the Omni Hotel.

There it is. We're expecting Michael Vick to step up there and make a statement. Not expected to take any questions, but according to his attorney, Billy Martin, he will step up and make a brief statement, and pretty much to give his thoughts and feelings about what's been going on.

I'll continue here with Chuck Smith about that point you just made, about sweeping things under the rug.

Doesn't -- don't the Falcons -- surely they know. They have every -- you can't worry about this guy's feelings. You can't worry if Michael Vick is going to get upset with you for saying something and getting on to him.

SMITH: Right.

HOLMES: That's $100-some million you have invested in this guy.

SMITH: Right. You're exactly right, and that's part of the problem here. There's no question about that.

If you're Arthur Blank, are you not going to research this? Do you take his word? See, I don't know. I wasn't in those conversations. But I will say this -- and one thing, this is just my opinion. I believe when Michael Vick started showing tendencies, whether it's a water bottle, whether it's things that happened in Congress, start showing that he's not accountable not only to himself, but also these acts that he's putting the city and the team in a bad light, I think somebody at some point should have took heed and said, you know what? Maybe we should do a little research, because this is a big financial investment not only in him, but also the city. So you've got to remember, this has ramifications on not only the team, the players, but also the fans and the city.

HOLMES: You used the word "slick" a minute ago. Did Michael Vick have all of us fooled? Everybody wants to believe, certainly, that he is a good guy. I've never met him, and I can't make that judgment. But we all want to believe he's a good guy, because on the field he is absolutely electric. He is amazing, and everybody wants to be behind him, but did he fool everybody?

SMITH: Let me just say this -- Michael Vick could have been a magician the way he fooled everybody, because that's basically what happened. Yes, he basically told the city that I've got people that I want to take care of their business. I'm going to handle that, when we're talking about the property in Surry County.

Yes, I believe Michael Vick put the hoodwink over folks' eyes. But let me tell you also, there was a chance, as you see, remember the PR campaign, there were a lot of things that Michael was doing that I don't think he was comfortable with. And here's one thing that I always say,. and I've learned this from some of the great NFL players and some of the great entertainers alike -- you can't make a guy the face of your franchise if he has no interest. He showed no interest years ago. So from the standpoint of he's your best PR opportunity to build a fanbase, you've got to do it. So it's a give a take.

You live by the sword, you die by the sword when it comes to PR, when the guy is not the kind of guy that you want at the end of the day.

What does he have as far a positive influences in his life? Is there another football player, is there somebody he can turn to almost like a father figure, and look up that can tell you, Michael Vick, you're doing wrong, and he would respect them for it?

SMITH: Oh man, there were a lot of people that came around Michael Vick. Let me just say...

HOLMES: But did he respect those folks?

SMITH: That's pat of the problem here. Part of the problem, is that you've got people working for you and you don't respect them. If you don't respect the owner enough to be honest with him, how you going to respect some PR or marketing person? How're you going to respect someone who says. you know, you need to be held accountable?

I will say this -- there have been people popped up in Michael Vick's life, Deion Sanders, Arthur Blank. I've got to give more credit to Arthur Blank. They talked to him about these other guys who were hanging around. His momma, Mrs. Brenda. People kept saying, well, he grew up, he didn't have this kind of leadership, and he didn't have this. To me it's a slap in the face to every single mom that's trying to do it out there on their own.

Michael Vick had leadership. He had people around him who tried to help him. But the bottom line is, you've got a play the hand you deal yourself. We know a lot of people all the time that come from good families that go astray, so it has nothing to do where you're from; it has to do with how you want to be and how you want to control your future.

HOLMES: You mentioned Arthur Blank there again. It is all often portrayed as a good thing, as a sweet thing, this sweet relationship that this guy took Michael Vick under his wing, something he never did before, never really had gotten close to his players. That seemed like it should have been such a positive. You don't really think it was?

SMITH: No. No, no, no. At one point -- now, to me, I talked to a person in the Atlanta Falcons organization six years ago. I said, the worst thing you can ever do is put one player on such a pedestal that the other players around him become resentful. There's no question right now, I've talked to players in the locker room, they're resentful over the years the way their careers were shaken (ph).

Let me just give you a good example. This entire Falcons regime of Michael Vick has been built around, let's help Michael. What about Alge? What about Warrick? How about Keith Brooking? How about doing something for these other guys?

So I will say this, I think the Falcons realize that there might have been pieces put in place that might not have been put in those situations, and Mike Vick in this situation was getting way more than any other NFL player in history and the best opportunities to be successful.

HOLMES: And here we go. We are keeping an eye on here. We'll let you know what you're looking at. This is Billy Martin, the attorney for Michael Vick, expecting to hear from Michael Vick here in a moment making a statement. We'll listen in here and see what Billy Martin has to say.

BILLY MARTIN, VICK'S DEFENSE ATTY.: ... a very brief statement, and Michael will not receive questions and provide answers after that.

I would like to say as one of Michael's lawyers that the legal team many of you heard Judge Hudson refer to have given Mike a lot of legal advice, and done a lot of looking into these allegations. One of the things that we told Mike, and repeated in spite of him trying to talk, was that he should not make any statements until we were able to provide him with some legal advice on what he would do with this case.

Michael has wanted to tell his side of this very tragic event all along. On the advice of his lawyers, he's not spoken. Mike will now come out, Mike will make a statement, and these are the words of Michael Vick addressing this very tragic incident and guilty plea earlier today -- Mike.

MICHAEL VICK, CONVICTED NFL QUARTERBACK: For most of my life I've been a football player, not a public speaker, so, you know, I really don't know, you know, how to say what I really want to say. I understand it's important, not important as far as what you say, but how you say things. So, you know, I take this opportunity just to speak from the heart.

First, I want to apologize for all the things that I've done, and that I have allowed to happen. I want to personally apologize to Commissioner Goodell, Arthur Blank, coach Bobby Petrino, my Atlanta Falcons teammates, you know, for our previous discussions that we had, and I was not honest and forthright in our discussions, and I was ashamed, and totally disappointed in myself, to say the least.

I want to apologize to all the young kids out there for my immature acts, and, you know, what I did was very immature. So that means I need to grow up.

I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to better Michael Vick the person, not the football player. I take full responsibility for my actions. Not for one second will I sit right here and point the finger, try to blame anybody else for my actions and what I've done. I'm totally responsible, and those things just didn't have to happen.

We all make mistakes. It's just I made a mistake in using bad judgment and making bad decisions. And those things, you know, just can't happen.

Dogfighting is a terrible thing, and I do reject it. I'm upset at myself. And through this situation I found Jesus, and asked him for forgiveness, and have turned my life over to God. I think that's the right thing to do as of right now.

Like I say, for this entire situation, I never pointed the finger at nobody else. I accepted my responsibility for my actions of what I did, and now I have to pay the consequences for it.

But, in a sense, I think if it will help me as a person. I've got a lot to think about in the next year or so.

You know, I offer my deepest apologies to everybody out there in the world who was affected by this whole situation, and, you know, I'm disappointed in myself than anything is because of the all young people, young kids that I've let down, who look at Michael Vick as a role model. And so I have to go through this and put myself in this situation. You know, I hope that every young kid out there in the world watching this interview right now who's been following the case uses me as an example, to use better judgment and making better decisions.

Once again, I offer my deepest apologies to everyone. And I will redeem myself. I have to. So I've got a lot of downtime, a lot of time to think about my actions and what I've done, and how to make Michael Vick a better person. Thank you. HOLMES: All right. You have just heard from Michael Vick, not a prepared statement, not a scripted statement, that he wanted to step up and speak from the heart. Always been a football player, not a public speaker. His attorney now stepping back up to the mic. We want to dip in and see if his attorney is possibly taking any questions. We're just going to listen in right quick.

MARTIN: But that will be the only comment and the only words from Michael or his legal team today. We thank you very much.

HOLMES: OK, he's just wrapping it up there, it appears. But again, Michael Vick saying he takes full responsibility for his actions, and he apologized for them. He apologized to several people, called out Arthur Blank, the owner of the Falcons, also commissioner Goodell, the head of the NFL, the commissioner of the NFL, also the Falcons, the teammates. , all of these people he said he lied to. He absolutely did have meetings with these people and looked them in the face reportedly and told them he was not involved in the dogfighting.

Turns out all that was a lie. He admitted to not being honest. Said he ashamed and disappointed in himself, and apologized also to kids out there who looked up to him as a role model, asked for forgiveness and understanding and said it's now time for him to work on Michael Vick the person, and not Michael Vick the football player.

Going to bring in pro-bowler Atlanta Falcons, former Atlanta Falcons pro bowler Chuck Smith again. Chuck, right before he went on you were talking about what he need to do, how he needed to sound. Did he do what he immediate need to do? You said, is the first step really in repairing that public image and showing some contrition. Did he do what he need to do?

SMITH: Well, I think he did. He talked from the heart. Part of the challenge of dealing with Michael Vick all these years is, he was a prepared statement athlete. That's what we call it, particularly when I was working in sports talk. Everything prepared, everything was scripted. It's the first time I really ever seen him talk from the heart.

Rather he prepared or not, you had to be apologetic and he said everything he needed to say. He was ashamed. Part of the reason the lies started, he was ashamed. He was in between a rock and a hard place.

HOLMES: Are people going to want to give him another chance? We are a country of seconds chances, we've seen many thing likes this before. Are people going to want to give him another chance? Do you want to give him another chance?

SMITH: Well me personally I think he deserves another chance. But, here's my thing, who's to say when he's going to be done with the process right now? You have Virginia possibly bringing state charges. Also, Mike will be out, he'll be 32, somewhere, probably 31 years old. Those are the challenges of let's just say what the NFL's going to deal with. Right now, I like what Michael said, he has to deal with Michael. But, here's my thing, we put murderers in jail, let them come out and have an opportunity to come out and have an opportunity to be successful. We don't chase them all around the world. We let child molesters get out and register at least live in the area where we know there could possibly be people put in harm's way.

If Michael Vick goes to prison, he's going to a real prison. He's not going to Six Flags over Georgia. He's going to a real prison. And, if he also comes out and becomes like he says, the example for what not to do, I'm 100 percent behind Michael to get another opportunity. Now, remember, the NFL, just because you want to get back in the league, this is a league that has prided itself on the legendary greats like Reggie White.

The late great Walter Payton. This is a proud league that has been brought down to its knees. I understand what Roger Goodell's going through. He has to send a message. And, there's no guarantees Mike will ever come back. But, my opinion is, if he pays his debt to society and does what he does, I would expect no one to get in his way, particularly outside the NFL giving him an opportunity, another shot at the big leagues.

HOLMES: Finally here, in all of this coverage and how he's been -- and covered in this whole thing, do you think he was ever treated unfairly? Nobody -- is at all saying that these crimes weren't heinous and he shouldn't take responsibility, but do you think the attention and some of the demonizing of him, which may think he deserves, do you think that fit the crime?

SMITH: You got to remember, Michael Vick is a first generation of superstar -- I call it the Y generation. Why do they do what they do? But guess what, they're influenced by the blogs, YouTube, MySpace. 20 years ago, there was no YouTube, there was no MySpace, there wasn't a Facetube (ph) so Michael Vick -- it's the gift and the curse.

The gift of being the most publicized athlete in the world, but also it's the curse, when you get in trouble these are the things that happen. I don't think Michael should be surprised, or anybody should be surprised by the magnitude of this coverage. 25 years ago, CNN wasn't exactly doing what they're doing now.

I don't know if we were in Beijing back then 25 years ago. They are now. So, the difference is Michael Vick and the United States when it comes to the world wide web, it opened up Pandora's box for everybody to see everything good and bad.

HOLMES: Chuck, man, it's good having you here. We really appreciate you.

SMITH: Tell Tony I said what's up, man? He ran off when I was coming to the set, man.

HOLMES: He was scared of you probably, man. You're a big dude. Pro bowler, Atlanta Falcons, Chuck Smith. Thank you for being here. I want to let folks know, in fact we are waiting for a press conference, it's going to happen at about 12:30 from the Atlanta Falcons, expecting to hear from that man who Michael Vick lied to his face, Arthur Blank.

Expecting comments on Michael Vick, again 12:30 eastern time. Expecting those here in Atlanta, Georgia. We'll bring those to you when they happen.

KEILAR: Let's go now to Richmond, Virginia, and our Rusty Dornin who is there covering this story. Rust, it was interesting to listen to this press conference, because we heard Vick say that he apologize for all of the things I've done and all of the things I've allowed to happen. He said he's not blaming anybody else. Those things didn't have to happen.

He said dogfighting is a terrible thing, but he really didn't get in to specifics or admit to any details. Did he?

DORNIN: No. And he didn't in court either, Brianna. He really was in a format inside the courtroom where he was only answering no, sir, yes, sir, to Judge Henry Hudson's questions, and Hudson never really asked him, what did you do? Because the plea agreement was very complicated and very detailed and that sort of thing.

Of course, Michael Vick is claiming that he didn't place any side bets, and he didn't directly gamble on any of these dog fights, which of course could be critically important on whether the NFL suspends him for life and that sort of thing. But he told fans, he told Arthur Blank, told his coaches he was sorry, that sort of thing.

But it is something that the Judge, Henry Hudson, could also be hearing as well, because everything that Michael Vick does over the next couple of months is going to make a difference in possibly what his sentence will be. His parole officer will be reporting back to the judge. He will be having to cooperate with prosecutors.

A lot of people are saying, why didn't he get sentenced right now? Why didn't he just hand it down? He pleaded guilty. Well, the reason why is, he may have pleaded guilty and had a statement, but he still hasn't sat down with prosecutors and told them everything that he knows. And, that is what the judge was saying.

He was asking, Mr. Vick, are you going to cooperate? Are you going to tell every single thing you know about this case? Which he replied yes, sir. So, of course, he's going to be talking about not only his own operation, but some of these other operations that were going on in other states, which could lead to other cases. Brianna?

KEILAR: All right Rusty, thanks for that report. Rusty Dornin keeping an eye on things for us there in Richmond, Virginia.

HOLMES: We are keeping our eyes on a lot of things today. Two big things. Of course, the Michael Vick story, but also the story of Alberto Gonzales, who has resigned, heard that officially from him a short time ago. We are expecting to hear from the President, maybe within the next five minutes or so from his Crawford, Texas, ranch. His comments on the resignation of Alberto Gonzales when those happen, we will bring those to you. Your going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announcing -- the announcement coming today that he is out. He is resigning. This is President Bush, obviously coming off of Marine One. We are expecting comments from him as he heads to the podium here. Of course, a staunch supporter of Alberto Gonzales, who understand he grudgingly accepted Gonzales' resignation on Friday. Let's listen in.

GEORGE BUSH, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: This morning, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced that he will leave the Department of Justice after two and a half years of service to the department. Al Gonzales is a man of integrity, decency and principle, and I have reluctantly accepted his resignation with great appreciation for the service that he has provided for our country.

As Attorney General and before that as White House Counsel, Al Gonzales has played a critical role in shaping our policies in the war on terror, and has worked tirelessly to make this country safer. The Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act and other important laws bear his imprint.

Under his leadership the Justice Department has made a priority at protecting children from Internet predators. Made enforcement of civil rights laws a top priority. He aggressively and successfully pursued public corruption, and effectively combated gang violence. As Attorney General he played an important role in helping confirm two fine jurists in Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

He did an outstanding job as White House Counsel identifying and recommending the best nominees to fill critically important federal court vacancies. Alberto Gonzales' tenure as Attorney General and White House Counsel is only part of a long history of distinguished public service that began as a young man, when after high school he enlisted in the United States Air Force.

When I became Governor of Texas in 1995, I recruited him from one of Texas' most prestigious law firms to be my General Counsel. He went on to become Texas' 100th Secretary of State, and to serve on our state's Supreme Court. In the long course of our work together this trusted adviser became a close friend.

These various positions have required sacrifice, from Al, his wife Becky, their sons Jared, Graham and Gabriel. And I thank them for their service to the country. After months of unfair treatment, that has created harmful -- a harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position, and I accept his decision.

It's sad that we live in a time when a talented and honorable person, like Alberto Gonzales, is impeding from doing important work, because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons. I've asked Solicitor General Paul Clement to act as serve as acting Attorney General upon Alberto Gonzales' departure, and until a nominee has been confirmed by the Senate. He's agreed to do so.

Paul is one of the finest lawyers in America. As Solicitor General Paul has developed a reputation for excellence and fairness, and earned the respect of confidence of the entire Justice Department. Thank you.

KEILAR: President Bush there at an airport there in Waco, Texas. About to get on board Air Force One. He said that he reluctantly accepted the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. He said that Gonzales' good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons, and he also said that the Solicitor General of the United States Paul Clement is going to be serving as the interim attorney general.

So, that's going on in Texas as President Bush is actually headed to New Mexico for a fund-raiser for Senate Pete Domenici, coincidentally also he has a role in the controversy over the firing of U.S. attorneys that dogged Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

But let's go now to Washington where White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is standing by, and you listened, obviously, to these comments that President Bush just made. Suzanne, did anything really stick out to you?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I just lost -- program. Suzanne here, can you hear me?

KEILAR: Yes. Suzanne we can hear now, let's try again.

MALVEAUX: I think, what really stands out here is the fact that he said he accepts his decision here. That is an extraordinary reversal by this President. Even his friends, people who have known this President for a long time did not even think that he would accept the resignation of his dear friend, loyal friend, Alberto Gonzales.

The fact that he has done this speaks volumes here about what needs to be done for the next 17 months. What they are willing to do here. They want to complete at least a modest domestic agenda. They want to turn things around in Iraq. They want to at least earn back the credibility of the Justice Department. They want to work with those on the Hill.

So, this is very important that he actually accepted this resignation. It should not be really -- you can't overstate it, essentially. The one thing that he did talk about, and we know he has not made a decision, is who is going to replace him. Now, there has been some talk about the Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, for people who support him, including administration officials, senior officials.

But there are those who are telling us, waving us off of that name saying that they might be a very problematic nomination as well because of Hurricane Katrina, his role in the Homeland Security Department. So, it is part of those Washington parlor games, Brianna, you have to watch very closely. It changes quite a bit from time to time, but the President has not made a decision on that, and he has not yet made that offer. Brianna?

KEILAR: Certainly a changing landscape there, Suzanne. Thanks for your report. The President, of course, saying a short time ago reluctantly he accepted Alberto Gonzales' resignation, also saying that Gonzales' good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons.

HOLMES: We are following that major story today of Alberto Gonzales. We heard from the Attorney General, heard from the President. We will have more insight and analysis on that coming up. Also the other major story we're watching today, Michael Vick. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback has officially entered a guilty plea.

We heard from him. Contrite, not too long ago, words from his own mouth apologizing for his actions. We will talk about that as well. Stay here with CNN. We are all over these two major breaking stories.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Hi, there, I'm Brianna Keilar in for Heidi Collins.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes sitting in today for Tony Harris. Normally at this time, we'd be bringing you YOUR WORLD TODAY, but we're following two major stories in the NEWSROOM on this Monday, August the 27th. First, the top law man is leaving.

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