New evidence continues to emerge further implicating the White House in what has been called the politically motivated firing of eight U.S. attorneys. On Thursday, ABC News revealed previously undisclosed emails showing presidential adviser Karl Rove and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales directly engaged in the process to force out the prosecutors as early as January of 2005. In one email, former aide Kyle Sampson says he and Gonzales spoke about replacing up to one-fifth of the 93 U.S. attorneys. Sampson added they had discussed retaining “[those who] are doing a great job [and] are loyal Bushies.” In another message, Sampson wrote: “Due to the history, it would certainly send ripples through the U.S. attorney community if we told folks they got one term only. … That said, if Karl thinks there would be political will to do it, then so do I.” Another email from a White House aide reveals Rove requested in-depth updates on the ongoing discussions over whether to fire the attorneys. The White House immediately backed away from its previous claim former counsel Harriet Miers initiated a plan to dismiss all 93 U.S. attorneys. In a statement, the Justice Department said Gonzales “has no recollection” of discussing the firing of U.S. attorneys while he was White House counsel. The disclosures have given new momentum to calls for Gonzales’s removal. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York said: “The odds are very high that he will no longer be the attorney general.”