White House accuses Democrats of Gonzales "crusade"

By Stuart Grudgings

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House accused congressional Democrats on Friday of waging a crusade to bring down U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales after lawmakers sought a perjury probe against him.

The criticism came a day after testimony by FBI Director Robert Mueller raised questions about Gonzales' credibility under questioning by Democratic lawmakers.

Mueller told a congressional hearing he had serious reservations about a warrantless domestic spying program that Gonzales testified drew little disagreement within the administration.

Ratcheting up the bitter rhetoric between the administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Senate Democrats were determined to get Gonzales.

"They have deliberately had this crusade against him to try to destroy the attorney general," Perino told reporters.

Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York brushed off charges his party was trying to destroy Gonzales. "For sure, he has already destroyed himself," Schumer said in a statement.

Gonzales has been under attack for months over what Democrats say was the politically motivated firings of U.S. attorneys last year and over his testimony to Congress about the warrantless spying program.

The cases have become a headache for President George W. Bush's administration, with Congress demanding internal documents and summoning aides to give testimony.