a former Republican Party operative

Gonzales was targeted for further criticism on Capitol Hill when it was disclosed last week that, as White House counsel, he and another high-ranking administration official tried to strong-arm a hospitalized John Ashcroft, who was then attorney general, into approving a legally contentious surveillance program.

President Bush has stood by Gonzales, and he reiterated his support for his longtime aide at a Rose Garden news conference Thursday. He said he believed questions about the conduct of the attorney general were "kinda being drug out" for political reasons.

Bush sidestepped questions about whether he was concerned that the Justice Department had become unduly politicized under Gonzales, deferring to the internal investigation for that judgment.

"If there's wrongdoing, it will be taken care of," Bush told reporters.

The Senate scheduled a no-confidence vote on Gonzales for mid-June. Democrats have expressed hope that Gonzales will consider resigning in advance of the vote, but the White House has dismissed the move as political theater.

Goodling, 33, a former Republican Party operative, was a senior counsel to Gonzales and the department liaison with the White House before resigning in April. In her committee testimony, she conceded that she had "crossed the line" and inappropriately considered party affiliation and other political factors in reviewing the qualifications of applicants for assistant U.S. attorney positions.