Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards today released the following statement regarding political activity in the White House and President Bush's statement that his confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has actually grown. Edwards called for Karl Rove to be fired, and as the first candidate to call for Gonzales' resignation, he renewed his March 13th call for Gonzales to resign.
"The President should demand that Alberto Gonzales resign, and he should fire Karl Rove. They have turned the Department of Justice into the Department of Political Payback. In doing so, they deny every American the legitimate expectation that justice will be administered without reference to partisan considerations.
"If President Bush doesn't have the courage to fire Gonzales, he should step up and resign for the good of the country.
"And with a new investigation aimed squarely at Karl Rove, the President should fire him if he continues to refuse to testify under oath. New reports that federal employees were urged to assist Republican candidates through their official duties are outrageous. This is the American people's government, not the Republican Party's.
"There is too much at stake—from the war in Iraq to 45 million Americans without health care—to let this continue. We don't need the distraction of more investigations of criminal activity in the Bush Administration."
John Edwards, Statement by John Edwards Calling For Rove To Be Fired And Gonzales To Resign Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/294285