Top adviser to Gonzales steps down

WASHINGTON – A high-ranking Department of Justice official who repeatedly refused to cooperate with congressional Democrats investigating the firings of eight federal prosecutors resigned Friday, the third close adviser to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to step down since the furor over the dismissals erupted.

Monica M. Goodling, senior counsel to Gonzales and the Justice department’s liaison to the White House, left with words of encouragement to her embattled boss, who many Democrats believe should lose his job.

“May God bless you richly as you continue your service to America,” she wrote in her resignation letter.

Goodling, 33, found herself at the center of the controversy because she coordinated the wishes of the White House with the Justice Department’s decision to fire the U.S. attorneys.

In a series of recently released e-mails, she was directly linked to decisions on who would be let go and how the administration would handle any repercussions.

For weeks she has rebuffed demands from Senate and House Democrats to either testify under oath or submit to interviews about her role in the firings.

She said she would not answer any question and instead would invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.