Monica Goodling, the Justice Department’s former White House liaison, testified before Congress today that the department crossed the line when considering the political affiliations of United States Attorneys and said she knew that some of the public statements made by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, both before Congress and the media, were inaccurate.

During the hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Artur Davis, D-Alabama, served as a “special questioner” quizzing Goodling at length about her conversations with Gonzales and whether Sen. Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico, had improperly influenced the United States attorney there regarding a prosecution.

Many of Davis’ questions focused on a conversation Goodling had with Gonzales shortly before she left her job at the Justice Department. According to Goodling, Gonzales began to recount his recollection of events regarding the firings of several U.S. attorneys. While Goodling said she did not feel she was being coached for future testimony, she did say that the conversation made her feel uncomfortable.

“I didn’t know that it was appropriate for us to talk at that point, and I didn’t respond,” she said.

Davis’ line of questioning was much more measured and less combative than when questioning Gonzales two weeks ago.

Davis asked Goodling if she had told Gonzales that some of his past statements had been inaccurate. She said that she felt other people in the Justice Department had probably done that already, so she said nothing.

Earlier in the hearing, Goodling testified that former Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty had misled Congress during his testimony about the firings. McNulty had previously testified that Goodling had not kept him completely informed about the personnel decisions. In her testimony today, she said that was not true and that she had kept him completely informed.

Goodling agreed to testify before Congress today only after receiving immunity from prosecution for her role in the scandal.

— Kyle Whitmire