A top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has announced she will take the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination when she testifies before a Senate hearing into the firing of the eight U.S. attorneys. Monica Goodling serves as Gonzales’ counsel and liaison with the White House. Gonzales had previously vowed his top aides would testify voluntarily and under oath. The development comes amidst increasing calls for Gonzales to step down.

Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel: “The only currency that matters in governance is trust, and when you debase that currency, you lose trust, you can’t govern. The chief law enforcement of America must be beyond any question. Unfortunately, the attorney general is dealing with a cloud hanging over his credibility, and the president is going to have to deal with that.”

Meanwhile, the House has voted to repeal the provision of the PATRIOT Act that allowed the attorney general to appoint U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation. The Senate passed a similar measure earlier this month.