On the March 27 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program, Rush Limbaugh claimed that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, "the first Hispanic-American attorney general -- a minority" is "under fire by white liberal racists in the Senate." In fact, Gonzales' handling of the U.S. attorney firings has been criticized by lawmakers of both parties, and his actions have been censured by the Senate's only African-American and by one of its three Hispanic members.

In a March 22 CNN.com commentary, nationally syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. made a similar claim about members of Congress who have called for Gonzales' resignation, describing them as a "lynch mob" led by "white liberals" that also includes "immigrant-baiting members of Congress -- Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California and Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado." Navarrette wrote: