By Maya Schenwar and Matt Renner, t r u t h o u t
During his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, Judge Michael Mukasey, President Bush’s nominee for attorney general, dodged controversial questions related to the CIA’s use of torture and the federal government’s domestic surveillance program.
Democrats in the Senate did not prod Mukasey for detailed answers.
Mukasey received strong support from powerful Democrats and made statements that set him apart from his combative and controversial predecessor, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Throughout the hearing, Mukasey returned to his notion of the attorney general as an agent for the Constitution, not a pawn of the administration. “Legal decisions and the progress of cases are decided by facts and law, not by interests and motives,” said Mukasey in his opening statement. Under questioning by Sen. Arlen Spector (D-Pennsylvania), Mukasey later added that, should the president flout his advice and violate the Constitution, he would be prepared to resign his position. “I would have two choices,” he said. “I would either try to talk him out of it, or I would leave.”