US attorney general Gonzales resigns

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has formally resigned, following months of controversy for the Bush administration.

The 51-year-old Bush loyalist was at the centre of a political row over the sacking of federal prosecutors last year which critics in the Democrat-controlled Congress deemed as politically motivated.

Mr Gonzales had denied they were carried out to influence federal investigations involving Democrat or Republican politicians.

He was also criticised for Mr Bush's controversial domestic spying programme adopted after the September 11 attacks.

In January this year, in an abrupt reversal, Mr Gonzales finally said the programme would be subject to court approval.

Mr Gonzales worked for Mr Bush when he was governor of Texas in the 1990s and during the president's first term in office, he served as lawyer for the White House.

In February 2005, he became the first Hispanic attorney general.

Mr Bush has continued to defended Mr Gonzales and cited his climb up the political ladder as an achievement for Hispanics, the largest minority in the US.

The US leader said recently: "I haven't seen Congress say he's done anything wrong. As a matter of fact, I believe we're watching...a political exercise."

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