Campbell not surprised by Gonzales’ resignation

The resignation of U.S Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday was perhaps only a surprise in its timing, Newport Beach Rep. John Campbell said.

“I hadn’t heard any rumors in the last week,” Campbell said, adding, “You see a lot of people leaving the administration now, when their effectiveness has been reduced.”

While his colleague, Huntington Beach Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, was among the first congressional Republicans to call for Gonzales to step down, Campbell said he never had doubts about the attorney general’s performance. Rohrabacher had blasted Gonzales for his handling of the case of two Border Patrol agents who are serving jail time for the shooting of a drug smuggler. Campbell blamed Democrats for driving Gonzales to resign, and he predicted they’ll continue to investigate the attorney general or his subordinates.

“I don’t believe, from what I’ve seen, that he needed to step down for legal reasons, but it’s one thing that’s true about all of us in this line of work — if you’re not effective it’s time to move on,” Campbell said.

— Alicia Robinson