Gonzales’ Aide Sampson to Testify Today

Senate panel zeroes in on two top Gonzales aides
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senior Justice Department aides who orchestrated the firings of eight U.S. attorneys could hold the key to embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ credibility with Congress as a growing number of lawmakers call for his ouster.

One of the aides, former Gonzales chief of staff Kyle Sampson, is scheduled to testify Thursday before a Senate panel investigating whether the dismissals were politically motivated.

The other, Monica Goodling, has refused to testify and will take the Fifth Amendment to protect against incriminating herself while testifying under oath.

Both are fiercely loyal to Gonzales. And both could clarify how involved Gonzales was in planning the dismissals — a sore point for lawmakers who say they feel deceived by conflicting Justice Department statements about the purge.

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