Cedarburg native Paul Clement is the new acting attorney general after Alberto Gonzalez announced his resignation from the post this morning.

Clement will be acting attorney general until a replacement is found, President George W. Bush said today.

Clement is a graduate of Cedarburg High School. He received his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and a master's degree in economics from Cambridge University. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School where he was the Supreme Court editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Clement became the 43rd solicitor general of the United States on June 13, 2005, after he was nominated by Bush. Clement received the endorsement of Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) when he was nominated for solicitor general by Bush.

"Paul is one of the finest lawyers in America," Bush said in a brief press conference today.

Gonzales informed Bush Friday by telephone that he would resign as attorney general. Gonzales announced his resignation in a brief press conference this morning and took no questions from the media.

Gonzales became the target of criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike after several controversial actions. As attorney general and earlier as White House counsel, Gonzales pushed for expanded presidential powers, including eavesdropping authority. Gonzales, who previously was Bush's personal attorney in Texas, drafted controversial rules for military war tribunals and sought to limit the legal rights of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, who are being held without trial.

The latest firestorm came with the firing of nine U.S. attorneys and allegations of perjury before Congress.

Gonzales was the first Hispanic to serve as attorney general. He is the latest Bush official to resign in controversy, following former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former presidential advisor Karl Rove.

Bush steadfastly defended Gonzales and said today he had "reluctantly" accepted the resignation. Bush said Gonzales' "good name was dragged through the mud" for political purposes.

Feingold issued the following statement today: "Attorney General Gonzales' tenure was marked by unprecedented politicization of the Department of Justice, deception of Congress and the American people, and disrespect for the rule of law. He should never have been confirmed and should have resigned long ago. The first loyalty of the next attorney general must be to the law, not the president."