DAs Fired For Politics

Daisy · Feb 16, 2007

Bush's Justice Department has recently fired seven DAs. Some were investigating politicians for corruption and at least one was fired as a favor to Rove's former aid.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 — A United States attorney in Arkansas who was dismissed from his job last year by the Justice Department was ousted after Harriet E. Miers, the former White House counsel, intervened on behalf of the man who replaced him, according to Congressional aides briefed on the matter.

Ms. Miers, the aides said, phoned an aide to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales suggesting the appointment of J. Timothy Griffin, a former military and civilian prosecutor who was a political director for the Republican National Committee and a deputy to Karl Rove, the White House political adviser.

Later, the incumbent United States attorney, H. E. Cummins III, was removed without explanation and replaced on an interim basis by Mr. Griffin. Officials at the White House and Justice Department declined to comment on Ms. Miers’s role in the matter.

*snip*

Her involvement was disclosed on Wednesday by Justice Department officials led by Mr. McNulty, who held a closed-door briefing for senators on the Judiciary Committee after Democrats criticized the dismissals of 7 to 10 United States attorneys as politically motivated.

*snip*

At the briefing, Justice Department officials denied that the White House had been involved in any of the other dismissals, suggesting that the department had acted on its own after advising the White House of its intention to remove incumbents.

Democrats have said the removals represented an effort to make room for rising political favorites of the Bush administration and to be rid of independent-minded prosecutors, all of whom had been appointed by President Bush.

*snip*

Justice Department officials have said that because United States attorneys are presidential appointees they may be replaced at any time without a specific reason, although they have said that none were removed for pursuing politically sensitive cases.

Another United States attorney asked to resign was Carol C. Lam of San Diego, who departed on Thursday at the request of the Justice Department. Two days earlier, Ms. Lam announced two indictments, including one against a former high-ranking Central Intelligence Agency official, in a corruption inquiry that began with last year’s guilty plea by a former Republican representative, Randy Cunningham, who was sentenced to more than eight years in prison.

*snip*

Source: NY Times: David Johnston: 2/16 2007 (linky)
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Oh, it's our old friend the Patriot Act:

WASHINGTON -- A Senate panel advanced a bill Thursday to curb the Justice Department's power to replace federal prosecutors after seven forced resignations sparked accusations of political favoritism.

*snip*

U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president and may be dismissed for any reason, or no reason at all. It's the process of replacement that, the bill's proponents argue, should prevent political cronyism.

Sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the measure would eliminate a provision in the antiterror Patriot Act that gave the attorney general new power to replace fired U.S. attorneys indefinitely, avoiding the Senate confirmation process.

*snip*

McNulty, a top Justice Department lawyer, acknowledged Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007, that more than a half-dozen U.S. attorneys were fired in the last year, in some cases without cause, but denied Democrats' charges that they were dismissed and replaced for political reasons. Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty told the Senate Judiciary Committee that six or more U.S. attorneys were telephoned last December and told to resign in January for reasons he would not divulge. He also acknowledged that seven others were asked to leave their posts last year.

Source: Washington Post: Associated Press: Laurie Kellman: 2/8/2007 (linkie)
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Former Attorney General Ashcroft helped draft the Patriot Act. Was this provision - especially the indefinite timespan - necessary for anti-terrorism or just handy for consolidating power in the presidency. Consider that the president may be from a different political party soon....

The Galatian · Feb 16, 2007

The door swings both ways. Any time the law is amended to permit corruption, it's going to happen. I will be very surprised if the next democratic president doen't succumb to the temptation to use it in the same way.

carpro · Feb 16, 2007

Daisy said:

Former Attorney General Ashcroft helped draft the Patriot Act. Was this provision - especially the indefinite timespan - necessary for anti-terrorism or just handy for consolidating power in the presidency. Consider that the president may be from a different political party soon....
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Is it true that the ones that were fired by the Bush Administration were also appointed by them?

Is it also true that Clinton fired prosecutors en masse when he was elected?

Daisy · Feb 16, 2007

carpro said:

Is it true that the ones that were fired by the Bush Administration were also appointed by them?
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Yes, I even bolded that part. Did you miss that?

c said:

Is it also true that Clinton fired prosecutors en masse when he was elected?

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I don't know. It's fairly common at the beginning of a term to put in your guys which, in Clinton's day, had to be confirmed by the Senate. It's less common to replace your own, competant guys with political cronies.

carpro · Feb 18, 2007

Daisy said:

Yes, I even bolded that part. Did you miss that?

I don't know. It's fairly common at the beginning of a term to put in your guys which, in Clinton's day, had to be confirmed by the Senate. It's less common to replace your own, competant guys with political cronies.
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They hired 'em. They can fire 'em.

End of story.

El_Guero · Feb 18, 2007

So true . . .

The Galatian said:

The door swings both ways. Any time the law is amended to permit corruption, it's going to happen. I will be very surprised if the next democratic president doen't succumb to the temptation to use it in the same way.
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Daisy · Feb 18, 2007

carpro said:

They hired 'em. They can fire 'em.
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Sure they can and they can put in whomever they please with no oversight --- thanks to the Patriot Act.

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