Gonzales shares rewards of job as Bush general counsel

Gonzales
shares rewards of job as Bush general counsel
…………………………………………………………………

BY B.J. ALMOND
Rice News Staff

“Serving
as the president’s lawyer has got to be one of the
best legal jobs in America,” Alberto Gonzales ’79
told Rice students, faculty, staff and other guests at the
James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy Sept. 7.
“It’s an incredible feeling to walk into the Oval
Office to brief the most powerful person in the world.”

Gonzales, who
was commissioned to be counsel to President Bush in January,
spoke about the responsibilities of his position, noting
the “rewarding combination of law, politics and policy”
that it entails.

“My office
supervises the personal background checks of every Bush
appointee,” Gonzales said. “If you’re going
to come work in the White House or be a Bush appointee that’s
going to require Senate confirmation, you’re going
to undergo an FBI background check. I’ll get to review
that, and it’s my decision as to whether you’re
suitable for an appointment or employment in the Bush administration.”

Gonzales acknowledged
the “tremendous” workload of reviewing the thousands
of appointments made at the beginning of a president’s
administration. The task is made even more difficult when
something shows up in a background check that prevents someone
from being hired or appointed.

“We have
to respect the privacy of individuals,” he said, “so
we cannot reveal matters contained in the FBI report.”
That means that Gonzales’ office can offer only an
apology and a generic explanation like “there’s
a problem in the background file” without going into
detail about the specific reason someone was turned down
for a job or an appointment.

“It’s
a true test of diplomatic skills trying to tell a cabinet
secretary they can’t have that superstar that they
desperately need because of a background problem that occurred
15 years ago,” Gonzales said.

Because one
of the priorities of the Bush administration is the appointment
of federal judges, Gonzales has been very involved with
efforts to fill the more than 100 judicial vacancies across
the nation. He chairs the White House Judicial Selection
Committee, which includes senior advisers to the president,
senior officials from the Department of Justice and lawyers
from the counsel’s office. The committee reviews names
of potential judges, selects candidates for interviews and
FBI background checks and eventually makes recommendations
to the president on whom to nominate as federal judges.

His office also
is responsible for ensuring that members of the White House
staff comply with ethics laws and regulations. “This
is an area that is a popular weapon of choice of opponents
of recent administrations to cause embarrassment to the
president, because even the appearance of impropriety can
generate a news story or — at worst — a Congressional
inquiry and investigation,” Gonzales said. “We
try to be very diligent in reminding folks about the ethics
rules.”

Advising the
president about exercise of privilege is another duty of
the counsel. Complaints have been made about secrecy at
the White House. Gonzales described the tension between
the executive branch’s need to keep certain information
confidential so that candid and open discussion is not deterred
and Congress’ need to review the executive branch of
decision making. “My job is to review each case carefully,
make an evaluation as to when it is appropriate to release
information and make that decision,” he said, adding
that he tries to find a way to accommodate both the executive
and legislative branches.

Gonzales stressed
that his office does not make litigation decisions —
those are left to the Department of Justice. But he does
review and provide input on all major legislation, especially
when constitutional issues are implicated.

The counsel
has a secondary role in the development of policy. The president’s
lawyer also makes recommendations regarding clemency requests
and provides legal advice on national security matters.
“People tend to forget that there are many legal issues
relating to foreign-policy decisions made by the president,”
Gonzales said.

Rice President
Malcolm Gillis introduced Gonzales at the Baker Institute
event, noting that Gonzales received a bachelor of arts
degree in political science with honors from Rice before
enrolling at Harvard Law School and later becoming a justice
on the Supreme Court of Texas.

Gonzales said
his dream of attending Rice University originated during
his childhood years when he was a boy selling soft drinks
at Rice Stadium. “I always felt that to have a dream
meant to have hope,” he said.

He encouraged
Rice students to hold onto their dreams. “I ask those
students here tonight, ‘How big can you dream?’
Because that answer tells me more than anything else about
how successful you’re going to be, because that is
really the motivation behind your success.”