Alberto Gonzales
He has received numerous professional awards, including the Presidential Citation from the State Bar of Texas in 1997 in claimed recognition of his dedication to addressing basic legal needs of the indigent.[17][18] As White House counsel, and later as attorney general, Gonzales served president George W. Bush through a period of escalating controversy over the legality of U.S. policies in the fight against terrorism.In January 2002, Gonzales authored a memo that explored whether the Geneva Convention section III on the Treatment of Prisoners of War (GPW) applied to Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters captured in Afghanistan and held in detention facilities around the world, including Camp X-Ray in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.He noted that a British parliamentary committee visiting Guantánamo, while horrified by conditions at the base, had reached a similar conclusion when it said, "the Geneva Conventions are failing to provide necessary protection because they lack clarity and are out of date".[20] Attorney General John Ashcroft made a similar argument on behalf of the Justice Department by letter to the President dated February 1, 2002, writing that a presidential determination "against treaty application would provide the highest assurance that no court would subsequently entertain charges that American military officers, intelligence officials or law enforcement officials violated Geneva Convention rules relating to field conduct, detention conduct or interrogation of detainees.[35] In May 2005, three months after Gonzales became attorney general, Steven G. Bradbury of the Office of Legal Counsel issued a pair of classified opinions that, for the first time, provided Central Intelligence Agency explicit authorization to apply to terror suspects a variety of painful physical and psychological interrogation methods, either alone or in combination.[38][39] The approved techniques included striking a prisoner, exposure to extreme temperatures, stress positions, walling, sleep deprivation for up to 180 hours (7+1⁄2 days), and the simulated drowning procedure known as "waterboarding".Gonzales reportedly approved the May 10, 2005, classified legal memoranda over the policy objections of James B. Comey, the outgoing deputy attorney general, who told colleagues at the Justice Department that they would all be "ashamed" when the world eventually learned of it.[55] Subsequently the United States Department of Defense (DOD) organized military tribunals to judge charges against enemy combatant detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay detention camp.In the early years, the camp authorities did not allow foreign detainees access to attorneys, or materials supporting their charges, and the executive branch declared them outside the reach of due process under habeas corpus.The creation of crimes after the commission of the fact, or, in other words, the subjecting of men to punishment for things which, when they were done, were breaches of no law, and the practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.[65] [66] As Robert Parry writes in the Baltimore Chronicle & Sentinel: Applying Gonzales's reasoning, one could argue that the First Amendment doesn't explicitly say Americans have the right to worship as they choose, speak as they wish or assemble peacefully."[77] Department of Justice records released on March 23, however, appeared to contradict some of the Attorney General's assertions, indicating that on his Nov 27 schedule "he attended an hour-long meeting at which, aides said, he approved a detailed plan for executing the purge.ABC News, however, obtained an internal department email showing that Gonzales urged the ouster of Carol Lam, one of the fired attorneys, six months before she was asked to leave.[81] Those dubious explanations led to diminished Senate support for his continued tenure, with even conservative Republicans Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma calling for his resignation.In August 2009, White House documents released showed that Rove raised concerns directly with Gonzales and that Domenici or an intermediary may have contacted the Justice Department as early as 2005 to complain."[93] The publication led to an investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) over the role of Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers in giving legal advice to support various intelligence collection activities.As the August 1 letter indicates, the dispute between the President and James Comey that led to the hospital visit was not over TSP, it concerned other classified intelligence activities that are part of PSP and have not been disclosed."[106] Jack Goldsmith, the former head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department, corroborates many of the details of Comey's Senate testimony regarding the March 10, 2004, hospital room visit, in a preview of his book "The Terror Presidency", which was to be published in Fall 2007."[113] On July 26, 2007, the Associated Press obtained a four-page memorandum from the office of former Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte dated May 17, 2006, which appeared to contradict Gonzales's testimony the previous day regarding the subject of a March 10, 2004, emergency Congressional briefing that preceded his hospital room meeting with former attorney general John Ashcroft, James B. Comey and former White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr.[114] There was no contradiction, however, as the July 1, 2009, IG report confirms.[111] On Wednesday, June 27, 2007, the Senate Judiciary Committee issued subpoenas to the United States Department of Justice, the White House, and Vice President Dick Cheney seeking internal documents regarding the program's legality and details of the NSA's cooperative agreements with private telecommunications corporations.[122] Lee Casey, a former Justice Department lawyer during the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, told The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer that it is likely that the apparent discrepancy can be traced to the fact that there are two separate Domestic Surveillance programs.[111] It has been reported that a person involved in the incident of March 10, 2004, hospital room meeting with John Ashcroft has said that much of the confusion and conflicting testimony that occurred about intelligence activities was because certain programs were so classified that they were impossible to speak about clearly.[14] The Department of Justice Inspector General recognized that Gonzales was in the difficult position of testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about a highly classified program in an open forum.[128] Professor Jack Goldsmith appears to acknowledge that there is a difference between TSP and other classified intelligence activities that prompted the March 10, 2004, Gang of Eight meeting and visit to General Ashcroft's hospital room.[129] As Attorney General, Gonzalez led the Justice Department's defense of the 2003 Partial Birth Abortion Act when it was challenged in court and for this reason the legal case bears his name.[133] Much of their opposition to Gonzales was based on his perceived support of abortion rights as a result of one vote on a single case before the Texas Supreme Court, In re Jane Doe 5 (43 Tex.[6] Senators Schumer (D-NY), Feinstein (D-CA), and Specter (R-PA) replied that the resignation was entirely attributable to the excessive politicization of the attorney general's office by Gonzales, whose credibility with Congress, they asserted, was nonexistent.[187] The Inspector General investigation found no evidence showing that there was any unauthorized disclosure of classified information resulting from his mishandling and storage of the materials in question, and the IG did not make a referral to the National Security Division for violation of a criminal statute.[202] Additionally, at Texas Tech, he taught a political science "special topics" course dealing with contemporary issues in the executive branch,[203] and a graduate level course to students pursuing a master's degree in public administration.
Alberto González (disambiguation)United States Attorney GeneralGeorge W. BushJames ComeyPaul McNultyCraig S. MorfordJohn AshcroftMichael MukaseyWhite House CounselBeth NolanHarriet MiersSupreme Court of TexasRaul GonzalezWallace B. JeffersonSecretary of State of TexasTony GarzaElton BomerSan AntonioRepublicanRice UniversityHarvard UniversityUnited StatesUnited States Air ForceSenate Judiciary CommitteeJustice DepartmentHispanic Americanexecutive governmentMarco RubioTexas Supreme Court Justicewarrantless surveillancelegal authorizationenhanced interrogation techniquestortureWar on Terrorfirings of several U.S. AttorneysTexas Tech UniversityBelmont University College of LawNashville, TennesseeWaller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLPHumble, TexasHoustonMexicanMexicoillegallyhonors studentMacArthur High SchoolHarris CountyFort YukonUnited States Air Force AcademyLovett Collegebachelor's degreepolitical scienceJuris DoctorHarvard Law SchoolVinson and ElkinsTexas GovernorTexas Supreme CourtState Bar of TexasHispanic National Bar AssociationAmerican dreamHispanicAmerican Academy of AchievementOffice of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public ServiceUniversity of the District of ColumbiaTravis Countydrunk driving2000 presidential campaignmisdemeanorconvictionclemencyThe Atlantic MonthlyexecutedTorture MemosGeneva ConventionAl-QaedaTalibanAfghanistanCamp X-RayGuantánamo BayWar Crimes Act of 1996Bybee memoUnited Nations Convention Against TortureAbu ZabaydahJane MayerJoby WarrickJohn Kiriakouwaterboardinhuman and degrading treatmentSteven G. BradburyOffice of Legal CounselCentral Intelligence Agencystress positionswallingsleep deprivationwaterboardingJames B. ComeyPatrick LeahyJohn ConyersArmy Field Manual on interrogationsExecutive Order 13233September 11, 2001 attacksFreedom of Information ActRonald ReaganExecutive Order 12667Barack ObamaExecutive OrderDick CheneyEnergy Task ForceU.S. PresidentJusticeSandra Day O'ConnorAttorney GeneralUnited States Supreme Courtaffirmative actionGonzales v. CarhartSenateThe New York TimesUnited States Department of Defenseenemy combatantGuantanamo Bay detention camphabeas corpusRasul v. BushSupreme CourtHamdan v. RumsfeldGuantanamo BayMilitary Tribunal