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Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, an official said on Monday, ending a controversial tenure as chief law enforcement officer that blemished the administration of President George W. Bush.
Gonzales was to make a statement at the Justice Department at 10:30 EDT. Bush was also expected to make a statement about Gonzales Monday morning, but would not be announcing a replacement, a senior administration official said.
A senior administration official said U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement will serve as acting Attorney General, amid speculation that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff could be a candidate for a permanent replacement.
A 51-year-old Bush loyalist, Gonzales was at the center of a political firestorm over the sacking of federal prosecutors last year, which critics in Congress complained were politically motivated, and faced a possible perjury investigation for his testimony before Congress.
Gonzales spoke to Bush by telephone on Friday and then visited him at his Crawford, Texas, ranch on Sunday where he formally submitted his letter of resignation, a senior administration official said.
"He (Bush) very reluctantly accepted it," the official said.
Asked whether anyone from the White House had suggested that Gonzales resign, the official said: "It was his decision."
Reaction from Democrats was swift.
"It has been a long and difficult struggle but at last, the attorney general has done the right thing and stepped down," said Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat.
"We beseech the Administration to work with us to nominate someone whom Democrats can support and America can be proud of."
"Better late than never," said Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, a former North Carolina senator.
Gonzales is the latest member of Bush's inner circle to leave the White House as the administration heads toward the final year of its two-term reign. Top Bush adviser Karl Rove departed last week, following former communications director Dan Bartlett earlier this year.
Gonzales worked for Bush when he was governor of Texas in the 1990s. He served as White House lawyer in Bush's first term as president before becoming the first Hispanic attorney general in February 2005.
Current and former administration officials had said the department's integrity had been damaged under Gonzales with controversy over the firing of the prosecutors, his support for Bush's warrantless domestic spying program and other issues.
EMPLOYEE MORALE
They said as a result employee morale had been hurt and Gonzales' relations with the Democratic-controlled Congress had deteriorated beyond repair in a firestorm of criticism from lawmakers, including some Republicans.
Several senators had said they had lost confidence in Gonzales and his ability to head the Justice Department.
Last month, in response to criticism by Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania that the department was "dysfunctional," Gonzales told a congressional hearing "I have decided to stay and fix the problems."
While acknowledging mistakes in the handling of the dismissals, Gonzales had denied the firings were politically motivated to influence federal probes involving Democratic or Republican lawmakers.
Bush has defended Gonzales and cited Gonzales' rise as an achievement for Hispanics, the largest minority in the United States.
"I haven't seen Congress say he's done anything wrong," Bush said at a recent news conference. "As a matter of fact, I believe we're watching ... a political exercise."
Gonzales drew fire from civil liberties groups for writing in January 2002 that parts of the half-century-old Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war were "obsolete" and some provisions were "quaint."
He also was criticized for Bush's warrantless domestic spying program adopted after the September 11 attacks. Only in January, in an abrupt reversal, Gonzales said the program finally would be subject to court approval.
