Gonzales losing support of 3 key senators

WASHINGTON -- Republican support for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales eroded Sunday as three key senators sharply questioned his honesty over last fall's firings of eight federal prosecutors.

The embattled attorney general was facing the toughest test of his two-year tenure at the Justice Department with the release of documents suggesting he was more involved with the firings than he indicated earlier.

Democrats have accused the Justice Department and the White House of purging the prosecutors for political reasons. The Bush administration maintains the firings were not improper because U.S. attorneys are political appointees.

Stopping short of demanding Gonzales' resignation, Sen. Arlen Specter cited a Nov. 27 calendar entry placing the attorney general at a Justice Department meeting to discuss the dismissals.

Those documents "appear to contradict" Gonzales' earlier statements that he never participated in such conversations, said Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee that oversees the Justice Department.

"We have to have an attorney general who is candid, truthful. And if we find out he has not been candid and truthful, that's a very compelling reason for him not to stay on," said Specter, R-Pa.

Specter said his decision on support would wait until Gonzales' scheduled April 17 testimony to the committee. He called it a "make or break" appearance.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Gonzales has been wounded by the firings. "He has said some things that just don't add up," said Graham, who also is on the Senate Judiciary panel.

And Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said the Justice Department has continually changed its story about the dismissals.

"You cannot have the nation's chief law enforcement officer with a cloud hanging over his credibility," Hagel said.

At the same time, Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Bill Nelson of Florida said Gonzales should step down.

"The nation is not well served by this," said Feinstein, whose state had two U.S. attorneys fired in the purge -- in San Diego and San Francisco. Nelson said Gonzales should resign because he has "lost his credibility" but added: "I think we ought to go through the procedures and hear what he says."

The White House continued to back Gonzales, a fellow Texan and longtime friend of Bush. White House spokeswoman Nicole Guillemard said Sunday that the White House does not believe Gonzales' statements were inconsistent with what his calendar showed.

Specter appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," Feinstein spoke on "Fox News Sunday," Hagel was on "This Week" on ABC and Graham appeared on "Face the Nation" on CBS.