Published on Friday, January 28, 2005 by the Agence France Presse
Latino Democrat Lawmakers Won't Back US Attorney General Nominee
WASHINGTON - Hispanic Democrats in the US Congress rejected Alberto
Gonzales as nominee for attorney general, breaking with major US Latino
groups.
In a letter to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus said Gonzales had not taken the time to meet with the
group to discuss "issues important to the Latino community."
The Senate Judiciary Committee (news - web sites) on Wednesday approved
Gonzales' nomination after Democrats grilled him on the White House
legal counsel's role in shaping US policy on interrogating terror
suspects.
His confirmation must be cleared by the 100-member Senate, which has
only two Hispanic senators -- one Republican and one Democrat.
Gonzales, the son of Mexican immigrants, would become the first Hispanic
to hold the cabinet's law enforcement post.
The Hispanic caucus said it was told that Gonzales was too busy
responding to written questions from the judiciary committee to meet
with the group and that a meeting would have to wait until after his
confirmation.
"The historic nature of his nomination is rendered meaningless for the
Hispanic community when the nominee declines an opportunity to meet with
the group of Hispanic members of Congress who have worked for so many
years to open the doors of opportunity to fellow Hispanics," the caucus
said in the letter sent Wednesday.
Three major Hispanic organizations have endorsed Gonzales: the League of
United Latin American Citizens, the National Council of La Raza and the
Latino Coalition.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0128-06.htm
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