Alberto Gonzales announced the end of his service to the Bush administration on Monday in much the same way that he provided it – without divulging any further information. The man who said “I don’t recall” or “I have no recollection” more than 100 times in testimony to Congress this year will go down as one of the most secretive cabinet officers in modern US history.

An intensely loyal “Bushie”, Mr Gonzales will also be seen as America’s most partisan attorney-general since John Mitchell, Richard Nixon’s senior law officer, who resigned in 1972.