Attorney General

McNulty to Resign, Over U.S. Attorney Firings?

Despite bipartisan calls for his resignation in recent weeks, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales seems to be standing firm. But his number-one aide has announced plans to resign. In a private meeting today with U.S. attorneys in San Antonio, Paul J. McNulty, the second-in-command at the Justice Department, said he…

May 15, 2007 12:14 AM CDT

Five Prosecutors Hit on Vote Fraud

Five out of 12 U.S. attorneys targeted to be fired were the subject of GOP complaints about being lax on voter fraud. The Washington Post relied on interviews, documents and recent testimony to piece together the details. Political adviser Karl Rove was among those pressing for the prosecutions. The motive…

May 14, 2007 3:56 PM CDT

Help Wanted: Must Like Scalia, Bush

Who is your favorite Supreme Court justice? Your favorite president? Have you ever cheated on your wife? These were among the questions that candidates had to answer—correctly at that—to get a civil service job in the Justice Department, the New York Times reports. Monica Goodling, now 33, was a relatively…

May 14, 2007 2:20 PM CDT

DOJ Won’t Limit Gitmo Lawyer Visits

The Justice Department has dropped a request to restrict lawyer visits with Guantanamo detainees, but is persisting in efforts to screen communications and limit access to evidence. DOJ lawyers said they were dropping the request for a three-visit limit in a filing yesterday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for…

May 12, 2007 3:08 PM CDT

Federal Judge Okays Goodling Immunity Grant

Clearing the way for Monica Goodling to testify before Congress, a federal judge today approved an immunity deal. The former senior aide to U.S. Attorney General Albert Gonzales, who also served as a White House liaison, “may not refuse to testify” and cannot be prosecuted in connection with her testimony…

May 11, 2007 8:51 PM CDT

Detainee Lawyer Curbs Draw Protests, ABA Reax

A hearing will be held Tuesday on a Justice Department request to impose new restrictions on lawyers for Guantanamo detainees. The request has drawn protests from bar groups. A letter by the New York City Bar protested the move and accused the Justice Department of “a disreputable and unwarranted smear…

May 11, 2007 2:28 PM CDT

DOJ Targets Drug Marketing

A guilty plea by the company that makes OxyContin caps the latest of several federal prosecutions against companies for making misleading statements about pharmaceuticals. Purdue Pharma agreed to pay $600 million for misleading the public by claiming the painkiller was less addictive than other narcotics. The company’s top lawyer, Howard…

May 11, 2007 1:49 PM CDT

GOP Backs Gonzales, Hearing Transcript Online

The U.S. Attorney General’s testimony at yesterday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing was in many ways a reprise of last month’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, except that Republican committee members were far less critical of Alberto Gonzales than their Senate counterparts, media reports agree. Republicans “rushed to Gonzales’ defense,” as AP…

May 11, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

Conyers: AG ‘Breadcrumbs’ Go to White House

Today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing elicited few clear answers from U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the controversial firings last year of U.S. Attorneys, allegedly for political reasons, although the list has now been determined to include at least nine, rather than the original eight. But unlike last month’s Senate…

May 10, 2007 10:25 PM CDT

Media: Not a Lot of New Info in Latest AG Hearing

As a daylong U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing at which Alberto Gonzales was the star witness continued this afternoon, not a lot of new information came out, media reports agreed. However, the U.S. Attorney General was criticized for his lack of leadership in allegedly allowing politicization of the Justice Department.…

May 10, 2007 6:28 PM CDT

Police Often Ticketed Fort Dix Suspects

Responding to suggestions that police should have checked the immigration status of suspects accused of plotting to attack Fort Dix, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said new laws and more money are needed to fight illegal immigration. Gonzales responded today to questions about a Washington Post report that four of the…

May 10, 2007 5:10 PM CDT

Partisan Sparring in Gonzales Hearing

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and its ranking Republican sparred today as they interviewed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. In his testimony, Gonzales repeated assertions that his decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys was not based on improper reasons and the firings…

May 10, 2007 4:42 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor Says He Was Pushed Out

Former U.S. Attorney Todd Graves of Missouri says he was pushed to resign. Graves wasn’t among the eight U.S. attorneys who were fired by the Justice Department. But he told the New York Times that DOJ official Michael Battle told him to look for another job. Graves says he doesn’t…

May 10, 2007 2:57 PM CDT

Gonzales Tells Aides He’ll Keep Job

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has told aides he will likely survive the flap over his dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys. Some administration officials, including political strategist Karl Rove and White House Counsel Fred Fielding, had earlier expressed misgivings about Gonzales. But in the face of President Bush’s steadfast support…

May 10, 2007 2:00 PM CDT

Two Fired U.S. Attys Suggest Criminal Charges

Two former U.S. attorneys allegedly fired as part of a political purge reportedly predict possible criminal charges against senior Justice Department officials as a result of the dismissals. “I think there will be a criminal case that will come out of this,” John McKay, former U.S. Attorney for western Washington…

May 10, 2007 1:51 AM CDT