Alberto Gonzales to Give Speech in Florida

The former attorney general, who left office two months ago under a cloud of controversy, will give a speech later this month at the University of Florida.

The student newspaper, the Alligator, reports that Gonzales will be paid $40,000 for the Nov. 19 appearance, which was made possible by ACCENT -- the student-run speakers bureau.

That group is funded by students' activity fees. It's unknown if any students or organization are opposing Gonzales' speech, his first campus visit since leaving office Sept. 14.

ACCENT's Web site says it "brings controversial and influential speakers to the university, with the intent of further educating the student body, outside of the classroom, on current hot topics and controversies."

Gonzales' 2 1/2 year tenure at the Justice Department was marred in the end by scandals and investigations involving the politicization of the department and the yet-unexplained dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys last year.

Comments

[JeffR]

Does anyone know if Gonzales continued to receive his salary after he resigned. I heard that he was continuing to be paid, but I can't find any evidence of this. Does anyone know?

[Gator Guy]

I'm as liberal as they come but I won't protest his speech. He's already left office. I want to hear what he has to say. It should be interesting.

[cleter]

Yes, UF students ARE protesting the Gonzales speech. As a UF student, I sent a letter to ACCENT demanding that they cancel the engagement. Other UF students are doing the same. If he does appear, there will be protests.

[BobN]

Since the man can't recall anything that made him "controversial and influential", it sure looks a lot more like a pay-off than anything else. Mind you, I don't begrudge the guy trying to build a war chest for his war-crimes trial...