Aide contradicts Gonzales' version of events

It was almost lost during the postponement of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales before a Senate Committee due to the massacre at Virginia Tech, but the committee revealed that Gonzales' former chief of staff Kyle Sampson has totally contradicted the attorney general's version of what happened during the firing of eight U. S. attorneys:

D. Kyle Sampson, his former chief of staff, testified in a private interview Sunday that Gonzales's assertions that he was not involved in decisions about specific prosecutors "seemed inaccurate" or were "at least not complete," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said yesterday.

Sampson said Gonzales probably participated in a meeting last summer about Carol Lam's performance as U.S. attorney in San Diego, Schumer said. Another Justice official also recalls Gonzales's attendance at the meeting, Schumer and Senate aides said yesterday.

According to Schumer, Sampson also said Gonzales told him early last month that Bush had complained in October about prosecutor David C. Iglesias of New Mexico. Gonzales later told NBC News he did not recall the conversation with Bush.

One of the eight prosecutors fired was Bud Cummins of Arkansas, who was asked to resign when his office was in the middle of an investigation into the awarding of lucrative license fee office contracts by Missouri Governor Matt Blunt.