The President's Counselor
The Rise to Power of Alberto Gonzales
The first biography, and the definitive examination, of a man who was once the most powerful Latino political figure in America—and one of the most guarded, influential men in recent American history. The son of impoverished migrant workers, Gonzales clawed his way to the inner circles of the Bush Dynasty and found himself providing the president of the United States with the most controversial legal advice of the 21st Century. The son of an alcoholic father with a second-grade education, Gonzales pushed his way to Harvard Law School and then into service as the fiercely loyal lawyer to George W. Bush. He drafted historic memos in the days following the 9/11 terrorist attaches, he advised the president on how to prosecute the war on terror and the war in Iraq. And he found himself hailed as the perfect embodiment of The American Dream—and assailed as someone who tromped with jackboots across cherished American civil liberties and standards. Enormously private, he has been one of the most influential men in America—and so little has been known about him.
"Fascinating"
—New York Times Book Review
"Chilling"
—San Francisco Chronicle
"Well-written"
—The Dallas Morning News
"Those looking for clues to the Bush administration's seeming assault on civil liberties—from warrantless wiretaps to allegedly condoned torture—will find much to ponder in The President's Counselor …"
—Texas Monthly
"Minutaglio plumbs the personality of a man whose loyalty to the president may have compromised his professional principles."
—Booklist
"A revealing biography of the man sitting president calls 'Fredo,' and who once insisted, 'My job is to make sure we don't make the same mistakes made by previous administrations.' An eye-opening look at the personal politics behind the present administration."
—Kirkus Review (Starred Review)
"In a biography that reads like a novel, Minutaglio traces the Mexican-American lawyer's dramatic route from poor son of an alcoholic father to the most trusted aide of President Bush. Minutaglio, journalist and author of "First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty," draws an unbiased, lively portrait of Gonzales as one of Bush's most trusted advisers."
—Publishers Weekly
"A well-researched biography that should be included in public and academic library collections."
—Library Journal
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