Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Newt Gingrich said Sunday that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should consider resigning in the wake of his role in the firings of eight US Attorneys. With his criticism of Gonzales' judgment, Gingrich joins a growing group of Republicans who have voiced displeasure with how the attorney general handled the firings. Several other Republican legislators, including administration allies, either support the call for Gonzales' resignation or are demanding an explanation. Gonzales is scheduled to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 17. Last week, committee chair Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) rejected attempts by the Bush administration to move up the date that Gonzales is scheduled to testify. The Senate Judiciary Committee has authorized subpoenas for former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove, and several DOJ aides to testify and provide documents regarding the scandal. Monica M. Goodling, one of the key aides who took part in planning the US Attorney firings, submitted her resignation without cause Friday. Goodling's resignation, effective Saturday, is the third by a Department of Justice official involved in the controversy.

Kyle Sampson, Gonzales' former chief of staff who has since resigned, told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month that the prosecutors were fired for political reasons rather than for poor performance as the Justice Department has claimed. Gonzales has defended his role in the firings, admitting that there has been some confusion but saying that his involvement in the matter was limited to signing off on recommendations made by Sampson.