NOTHING IMPROPER

My decision some months ago to privately seek the resignations of a
small number of U.S. attorneys has erupted into a public firestorm.
First and foremost, I appreciate the public service of these fine
lawyers and dedicated professionals, each of whom served his or her
full four-year term as U.S. attorney. I apologize to them, their
families and the thousands of dedicated professionals at the Justice
Department for my role in allowing this matter to spin into an
undignified Washington spectacle.

What began as a well-intentioned management effort to identify where,
among the 93 U.S. attorneys, changes in leadership might benefit the
department, and therefore the American people, has become an
unintended public controversy.

While I accept responsibility for my role in commissioning this
management review process, I want to make some fundamental points
abundantly clear.

I know that I did not -- and would not -- ask for the resignation of
any U.S. attorney for an improper reason. Furthermore, I have no basis
to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of
a U.S. attorney for an improper reason.

Given my convictions on this issue, I testified before Congress in
January and will do so again on Tuesday. I have personally spoken with
many members of Congress over the past several weeks to hear their
concerns about this matter. Additionally, I have instructed all
Justice Department officials to make themselves available for
on-the-record interviews with lawmakers and hearings before Congress,
and I have ordered the release of thousands of pages of internal documents.

All of these documents and public testimony indicate that the Justice
Department did not seek the removal of any U.S. attorney to interfere
with or improperly influence any case or investigation. Indeed, I am
extremely proud of the department's strong record of vigorous
prosecutions, particularly in the area of public corruption, where
Republicans and Democrats alike have been held accountable for their
crimes.

I have nevertheless asked the Justice Department's Office of
Professional Responsibility to further investigate this matter.
Working with the department's Office of Inspector General, these
nonpartisan professionals will complete their own independent
investigation so that Congress and the American people can be 100
percent assured of what I believe and what the investigation thus far
has shown: that nothing improper occurred.

While I have never sought to deceive Congress or the American people,
I also know that I created confusion with some of my recent statements
about my role in this matter. To be clear: I directed my then-deputy
chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, to initiate this process; fully knew
that it was occurring; and approved the final recommendations. Sampson
periodically updated me on the review. As I recall, his updates were
brief, relatively few in number and focused primarily on the review
process.

During those conversations, to my knowledge, I did not make decisions
about who should or should not be asked to resign.

I am committed to explaining my role in this process and will do so
Tuesday when I testify before Congress.

I am also committed to correcting any management missteps that
occurred during this process. In recent weeks I have met with more
than 70 U.S. attorneys around the country to hear their concerns and
discuss ways to improve communication and coordination between their
offices and the Justice Department.

These discussions have been frank, and good ideas are coming out,
including ways to ensure that every U.S. attorney can know whether his
or her performance is at the level expected by the president and the
attorney general. Additionally, I have asked for recommendations on
formal and informal steps that we can take to improve all forms of
dialogue between the main Justice Department and U.S. attorneys nationwide.

I am also telling our 93 U.S. attorneys that I look forward to working
with them to pursue the great goals of our department in the weeks and
months to come. During the past two years, we have made great strides
in securing our country from terrorism, protecting our neighborhoods
from gangs and drugs, shielding our children from predators and
pedophiles, and protecting the public trust by prosecuting public
corruption. As I have stressed repeatedly to our U.S. attorneys and
others within the department, recent events will not and must not
deter us from our important mission.

In part because of my own experience, I know the real strength of
America. It lies in our Constitution, our people and our collective
unyielding commitment to equal opportunity, equal justice, common
decency and fairness. With this same commitment in my mind, I very
much look forward to answering Congress's questions about this matter
on Tuesday.