WASHINGTON (AP) – A New York senator is demanding a retraction from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on behalf of New Mexico’s former chief Federal prosecutor, who was fired along with seven other prosecutors last year.
Senator Schumer, Democrat of New York, wrote Mr. Gonzales on Friday demanding that the attorney general clear David Iglesias’ name. Mr. Schumer’s letter came the day after Mr. Gonzales’ former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, testified before Congress that in hindsight, he would not have recommended Iglesias for dismissal.

Mr. Sampson orchestrated the firings for department officials as part of a plan to replace some prosecutors in President Bush’s second term. He added Iglesias’ name late in the process but on Thursday said he couldn’t remember exactly why.

“In light of these startling admissions by your former chief of staff, it is imperative that you restore Mr. Iglesias’ tarnished reputation by confirming that his performance as a U.S. attorney did not warrant dismissal,” Mr. Schumer wrote to Mr. Gonzales.

Mr. Iglesias has repeatedly said that he wants a written retraction from the Justice Department stating that performance had nothing to do with his dismissal.

“I’m deeply grateful to Senator Schumer for writing the letter to Mr. Gonzales,” Mr. Iglesias said in an interview Friday. “I hope after reviewing Mr. Sampson’s testimony, the Justice Department does the right thing.”

In his letter, Mr. Schumer urged Mr. Gonzales to clarify immediately that Iglesias should not have been fired “in order to clear the name of this dedicated public servant.”

A spokesman for Mr. Gonzales did not immediately return a call for comment on the letter. Mr. Gonzales vowed Friday to remain on the job in spite of calls that he step aside.

“I believe in truth and accountability, and every step that I’ve taken is consistent with that principle,” Mr. Gonzales said when questioned at a Boston event about preventing child sex abuse. “At the end of the day, I know what I did. And I know that the motivations for the decisions that I made were not based upon improper reasons.”

Asked why he had not resigned, as some Democrats and Republicans have demanded, he said, “I am fighting for the truth.”

Mr. Gonzales’ credibility took a fresh hit this week with the Senate testimony of Mr. Sampson, who said the attorney general was regularly briefed about plans to fire the prosecutors and was involved with discussions about “this process of asking certain U.S. attorneys to resign.”

Lawmakers impatient to hear Mr. Gonzales’ side of the story said the embattled attorney general needed to explain himself quickly or risk more damage to his department. Mr. Gonzales is to testify on Capitol Hill on April 17, more than two weeks from now.