US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, ending a controversial tenure as chief law enforcement officer under the George W Bush administration.
The 51-year-old Bush loyalist was at the centre of a political storm over the sacking of federal prosecutors last year, which critics in Congress complained were politically motivated.
Mr Bush has lashed out at critics of Mr Gonzales, saying the former Attorney General received unfair treatment.
He called Mr Gonzales a man of integrity, decency and principle, and said he had reluctantly accepted the resignation.
'It is sad that we live in a time when a talented and honourable person like Alberto Gonzales is impeded from doing important work because his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons,' Mr Bush added.
Mr Gonzales worked for Mr Bush when he was governor of Texas in the 1990s. He served as White House lawyer in Mr Bush's first term as president before becoming the first Hispanic attorney general in February 2005.
Current and former administration officials said the department's integrity had been damaged under Mr Gonzales with controversy over the firing of the prosecutors, his support for the warrantless domestic spying program and other issues.
They said as a result employee morale had been hurt and Mr Gonzales' relations with the Democratic-controlled Congress had deteriorated beyond repair.
Several senators had said they had lost confidence in Mr Gonzales and his ability to head the Justice Department.
