Attorney General

Rising Tally of Alleged US Attorney Firing Targets

Remember when the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, possibly as part of a political purge, was an issue in ongoing Congressional committee hearings? Now it appears that the correct number of federal prosecutors targeted for dismissal could be nine, ten or – if other shoes are yet to drop –…

May 9, 2007 8:42 PM CDT

AG Apologizes Pre-Hearing, Asks for New Focus

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has apologized and asked members of Congress to help the Justice Department focus on its crime-fighting mission, in a written statement submitted in anticipation of a scheduled House Judiciary Committee hearing tomorrow. In the statement, he said he apologizes for “the process” by which eight…

May 9, 2007 6:32 PM CDT

Ex U.S. Attorney Decries ‘Secret Hit Lists’

Todd Graves of Missouri wasn’t among the eight fired U.S. attorneys, but he was on a preliminary Justice Department list of prosecutors targeted for removal. And he was also targeted by an aide to Sen. Christopher S. Bond, R-Mo., without the senator’s knowledge. A spokeswoman for Bond says the senator’s…

May 9, 2007 5:50 PM CDT

Questions Surround Prosecutor Hire

A controversial lawyer got a job with the federal prosecutor’s office for the District of Columbia after four senior Justice Department officials intervened on his behalf. Jay Apperson, who once worked for independent counsel Kenneth Starr, didn’t have to go through the usual hiring process, according to the Washington Post.…

May 8, 2007 4:18 PM CDT

Goodling Will Testify, Schlozman Invited to Do So

Lining up potential witnesses in the ongoing Congressional investigation of alleged politically motivated firing of prosecutors and hiring of career attorneys at the Justice Department, legislators both called a new witness on Monday and apparently locked in the testimony of another they had been pursuing for some time. Monica Goodling,…

May 8, 2007 12:17 AM CDT

Holtzman: Axing AG Would Put Bush on Hot Seat

In all the arguing over whether U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should be asked to resign, several important facts seem to have been forgotten, a former member of Congress says. If Gonzales goes, his replacement would have to be confirmed by the Senate, and the last thing the White House…

May 7, 2007 10:05 PM CDT

DOJ’s Race Bias Prosecution Team Mostly White

The criminal section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is lacking in diversity. Since 2003, the section has not hired any black attorneys to replace those who have left, according to internal records obtained by WJLA-TV in Arlington, Va. Only two attorneys within the 50-lawyer division are black. The…

May 7, 2007 4:59 PM CDT

Resignation of LA Prosecutor Questioned

Questions are being raised about the departure of U.S. Attorney Debra Wong Yang of Los Angeles. Wang resigned in October to accept a lucrative job offer from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher about two months before eight of her counterparts were fired. She says she left for personal reasons. At the…

May 4, 2007 5:58 PM CDT

Ex-DOJ Official: Hiring Claims Most Serious

The Justice Department would suffer a severe blow if accusations are proven true that political loyalty was a basis for screening job applicants, according to a former deputy attorney general.

May 4, 2007 1:38 PM CDT

Comey Testifies 7 of 8 Fired U.S. Attorneys Great

In testimony today before a U.S. House judiciary committee investigating the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, a former top Justice Department attorney praised all but one of them. Jim Comey, who was number two in the department when he served as deputy attorney general from 2003 to 2005, said only…

May 3, 2007 9:52 PM CDT

Ousted Prosecutors: DOJ Discouraged Complaints

Several ousted U.S. attorneys maintain they were pressured to remain silent about their dismissals, in written statements released yesterday.

May 3, 2007 3:30 PM CDT

Senator Calls for U.S. Attorney Resignation

A Montana senator is calling for the resignation of the U.S. attorney in his state because of disclosures he sought to change a federal residency requirement for his benefit. The Washington Post reported yesterday that U.S. Attorney William Mercer helped insert a change into the USA Patriot Act that ensured…

May 3, 2007 2:18 PM CDT

Goodling Targeted re Possible Hiring Law Violation

A former top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales reportedly is being investigated to see whether she hired career lawyers at the Justice Department based on their party affiliation. Officials announced today that Monica Goodling, a former senior counselor and White House liaison for Gonzales, is under investigation for allegedly…

May 2, 2007 11:52 PM CDT

New Senate Subpoena, Hearing for Gonzales

Senate Judiciary Committee members want Karl Rove e-mails related to the investigation of the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

May 2, 2007 10:03 PM CDT

Former Deputy AG Unaware of Firing List

A former deputy attorney general says he was unaware the Justice Department was developing a list of U.S. attorneys to fire. James Comey told the Seattle Times that he remembers only two brief conversations about weak U.S. attorneys. “I answered twice off the top of my head,” Comey said. “During…

May 2, 2007 7:02 PM CDT