Attorney General & Rebecca Gonzales, Pt 1: 9/11, Leading The War On Terror, & Going Broke
Stumbling Blocks: How Great Leaders Are MadeShow Notes
EXCLUSIVE: This is a story two decades in the making. For the first time since leaving office 19 years ago, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his wife Rebecca Gonzales sat down together for an interview.
In Part 1, the Attorney General and Rebecca speak candidly about ICE, immigration, and the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files.
They talk about Al's rise from a two-bedroom house in Humble, Texas to the Oval Office, why he chose to make protecting kids from online predators a federal priority even during the global war on terror, and what it was like for Rebecca to navigate 9/11 alone with their boys while Al was at the White House.
Underneath the headlines is a story about faith and love and what happens when the President calls and your comfortable life disappears.
Part 2 drops next week.
CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introduction 02:00 - Belmont University and Rebecca's path to social work 04:51 - On ICE and immigration 08:07 - The Epstein files: a failure by the Justice Department 13:38 - Rebecca's upbringing: Jewish mother, Mormon father 19:06 - Judge Gonzales' origins: son of migrant workers in Houston 22:53 - How Al and Rebecca met (and the Four Seasons bachelor pad) 25:27 - Governor Bush calls: leaving private practice behind 34:21 - Why he still prefers to be called "Judge" 35:45 - Moving to Washington with President Bush 38:57 - Rebecca alone: December 26 to June 42:36 - September 11th: Rebecca's story 44:50 - September 11th: The Judge on the Oval Office porch 52:58 - How 9/11 changed their faith and their family 56:46 - "Put your uniform on": becoming Attorney General 1:00:01 - Financial sacrifice and raising a family under pressure 1:04:31 - Project Safe Childhood: why he fought for kids 1:07:21 - A personal note from your host 1:12:07 - What's coming in Part 2
LINKS: Judge Gonzales' book, "True Faith and Allegiance: A Story of Service and Sacrifice in War and Peace": https://www.amazon.com/True-Faith-Allegiance-Service-Sacrifice/dp/071807887X
Project Safe Childhood (U.S. Department of Justice): https://www.justice.gov/psc
TAGS/KEYWORDS: leadership, Alberto Gonzales, attorney general, 9/11, Bush administration, immigration, faith, family, White House, Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood, Epstein files, public service, resilience, Rebecca Gonzales
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