This announcement was part of a 26-page testimony released Monday. He will face questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday, during which he is expected to respond to inquiries regarding the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year, as well as incriminating testimony recently given by a former aide.
His testimony only touched on these events, which ultimately led to the public's deteriorating trust in the department, but insisted that regaining the public's faith is a top priority.
"From my perspective, there are two options available in light of these allegations," Gonzales said. "I would walk away or I could devote my time, effort and energy to fix the problems."
Gonzales explained in April the reasoning behind the attorneys' dismissals in December, after undergoing intense questioning by several U.S. senators during a congressional hearing — and confirmed that Daniel Bogden of Nevada was fired over concerns regarding his "level of energy" when pursuing obscenity cases.
Another attorney in question was Paul Charlton of Arizona for his role in the JM Productions obscenity case. Though investigation found that the government had overseen the sale of four JM titles in question, charges remain and a trial is set for October.
Charlton's firing was said to have been a result of his work in a capital murder case, but emails later released seemed to imply that officials had simply used that as a reasonable explanation for giving him the boot.
And recent testimony by former top Gonzales aide Monica S. Goodling revealed she had been instructed to sift through job applications and determine which candidates had contributed to the GOP and other political parties.
It is against federal law to hire and fire employees based on their political beliefs, and Gonzales reminded senators that the department has launched an internal investigation into the allegations.
Gonzales holds no authority over the investigation.
"I believe very strongly that there is no place for political considerations in the hiring of our career employees or in the administration of justice," Gonzales said. "As such, these allegations have been troubling to hear."
