WASHINGTON (AP)  Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hired a high-powered Washington lawyer to represent him in investigations of mismanagement of the Justice Department.

George Terwilliger, a white-collar crime defense attorney and the Justice Department's No. 2 in the early 1990s, last month was on the White House's short list to replace Gonzales.

Now he'll be Gonzales' defender as federal investigators look into allegations that the former attorney general lied to lawmakers and illegally allowed politics to influence hiring and firing at the Justice Department.

In an interview Wednesday, Terwilliger said Gonzales maintains he did nothing wrong or illegal — and the fact he has hired an attorney should not signal any guilt.

"It would really be unfair to individuals who are smart enough to get themselves a lawyer to draw some inference that they need a lawyer because they did something wrong," Terwilliger told The Associated Press. "Nor has he been accused of wrongdoing. Investigations are conducted to find the facts. And the facts will show that Judge Gonzales acted honorably in all circumstances while holding positions of great responsibility and importance to maintaining the safety of the country."

Gonzales resigned last month from the scandal-scarred Justice Department after months of criticism about his leadership and honesty. President Bush has nominated retired federal judge Michael Mukasey to replace him.

Confirmation hearings for Mukasey begin next week in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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