Alberto Gonzales affirms intent to find prosecutor's killer

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales met privately Wednesday with the family of slain assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Wales and said the Justice Department will "work as long and hard as it takes to solve this crime and prosecute those responsible."

Gonzales met with Amy Wales, Thomas Wales' 27-year-old daughter; Elizabeth Wales, his former wife; and Eric Redman, Thomas Wales' brother-in-law, at the office of the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington during a brief visit to Seattle.

"I was very glad the meeting took place," Amy Wales said afterward. "It was much appreciated."

"This was the first time the AG came out, sat down and looked at Amy Wales and said, 'I am committed to this case,' " said Elizabeth Wales. "This is a good thing. Tom deserves that — any employee of Justice deserves that."

Wales was killed in his home in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood on Oct. 11, 2001, while sitting at a computer in his basement. The assailant fired through a window from the backyard and fled in a vehicle parked nearby. No one has been arrested in the slaying, although authorities have questioned a suspect, a Bellevue airline pilot who had been prosecuted by Wales in a fraud case in 2000. The Seattle Times is not naming him because he has not been charged in the case.

Gonzales later made his first public comments on the case in a written statement.

"Tom Wales is remembered as an outstanding prosecutor and a beloved member of the Seattle U.S. Attorney's Office and the Department of Justice," Gonzales said. "Bringing those involved in his killing to justice is of the utmost importance to the department."

Updated on Wales investigation

Gonzales was in Seattle to speak to a gathering of about 50 technology executives at the Westin Hotel about the Justice Department's efforts to combat intellectual property theft and cyber crime.

He decided to meet with members of the Wales family earlier this week after getting an update on the murder investigation from Steven Clymer, a special prosecutor in the case, a Justice Department official said.

The Wales case was briefly raised during last month's congressional inquiries into the firing late last year of eight U.S. attorneys, an issue that has prompted calls for Gonzales' firing. Among those fired by Gonzales was John McKay, the former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington.

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing May 3, it was revealed that former Justice Department Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson told congressional investigators that McKay may have been targeted for firing in March 2005 because he had criticized the way superiors were handling the Wales investigation.

U.S. Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., asked witness James Comey, deputy attorney general from October 2003 to August 2005, if he had heard that explanation.

"I don't remember discussing that tragedy with anyone other than Mr. McKay," Comey told Watt, "and it was simply briefly to talk to him about how awful it was. ... He cared very passionately about finding the person who killed his [assistant U.S. attorney]."

Intellectual property theft

Speaking to the group of technology executives, Gonzales said that protecting intellectual property rights "is a question of national security," and asked for help from the private sector in combating increasingly sophisticated Internet crimes.

"You are among the victims of these crimes, you suffer the economic consequences, and we need your help," Gonzales said. "We need your expertise."

Gonzales delivered his remarks to an invitation-only gathering of TechNet Northwest, a political and policy organization that represents the interests of technology companies.

Gonzales said intellectual-property theft is a major priority of his department in part because it is a relatively low-risk crime that generates large amounts of money that organizations can use for more dangerous pursuits, "perhaps to finance terrorism."

Gonzales made no mention of the controversy surrounding his firing of McKay and seven other U.S. attorneys. When asked about the firings later in the day during a visit to Spokane, Gonzales said, "I've testified before the Congress twice on this issue. We've answered hundreds of questions. Other officials within the Department of Justice have responded. So I've got nothing further to add with respect to that particular matter."

Gonzales went to Spokane to join a roundtable discussion on gang violence.

Seattle Times chief political reporter David Postman reported from Spokane.

David Bowermaster: 206-464-2724 or dbowermaster@seattletimes.com