WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) voted today to express “no confidence” in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  Kerry opposed Gonzales’s nomination to be Attorney General in 2005 and in March called on him to step down for his role in the politically-motivated firing of eight US prosecutors.

“This White House has a bizarre understanding of the fights that are worth fighting,” Senator Kerry said. “They go to the mat for a Texas crony but fail to spend an ounce of political capital to pass a bipartisan immigration bill over conservative opposition. What does it say about this White House’s priorities that they’ll put it all on the line for an attorney general who has lost the confidence of Members of Congress from both parties?  Today’s cloture vote put 53 Senators on record against Alberto Gonzales.  The White House needs to clear the air and turn the page. The American people deserve an attorney general who will uphold our values and it’s time Attorney General Gonzalez is fired and replaced with someone who deserves this job.”

###